[PRCo] Re: PCC #1776

[Harold Geissenheimer]

Greetings to all
I made my first fantrip near the end of the War at age 16.
It was on the Third Ave Ry in the Bronx.  I lerned about
it in Steve Maguire's Electric Lines in Railroad magazine.
Thats  how I learned about the ERA as well

But I was allowed to go to the 1939 Worlds Fair at age 11
after my father took me twice to show me the subway way.
By age 13 I had travelled the entire NY subway system

At 15, I was working for my father's advertising agency and
was sent every Friday to South Kearny NJ using the PSNJ
wartime trolley to pick up copy.  At 16 working after school
for the NY Times, I went every Friday by LIRR to Mineola
to also pick up copy.  I went out on a thru train from PSNY
with electric DD-1 to Jamaica, then a steam K-4 to Mineola.
Train was all large P-70 coaches.  Quite a ride,  only
1 stop in Jamaica,

At 14, I was allowed to go to Gloucester Mass to stay a week
with my uncle.  That included trips into Boston.

In all cases, it was safe and proper to use transit.  My father only
made sure that I knew the transit way,  They were good days.

Made my first international trip (from Boston) to visit ERA members
Anthonly Clegg and Omer SALavalee in Montreal..  No passport
or divers license.  No problem at the border..but only had my
high school ID,  The Phila Red Arrow was my first long USA trip.

The cities were safe and I was allowed to go every where

CTA had a good Explorer Scout program to bring suburban
kids into Chicago on Treasure hunts.  Teach them there was a
world outside of school buses..

Harold Geissenheimer


John Swindler wrote:

>  
>
>>Fred Schneider asked:
>>
>>John Swindler wrote:
>>    
>>
>>>Why I'm surprised, Boris.
>>>
>>>I would have thought that in your other life you arranged the route for 
>>>      
>>>
>>this
>>    
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>>>charter. (:>)
>>>
>>>I remember this fantrip because it was on my birthday +/- a day or so, 
>>>      
>>>
>>and
>>    
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>>>it was the first fantrip that I went on by myself.
>>>
>>>John
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>From: "Boris Cefer" <westinghouse at volny.cz>
>>>>Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>>>>To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
>>>>Subject: [PRCo] Re: PCC #1776
>>>>Date: Sun, 3 Oct 2004 19:19:47 +0200
>>>>
>>>>Are you sure, John? I don't remember that charter :->
>>>>
>>>>Boris
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
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>>AND HOW OLD WERE YOU.  I WAS 13 ON MY FIRST FANTRIP ... BALTIMORE
>>TRANSIT 5748 ON SEPTEMBER 20, 1953.   MEIN GOTT.  ES WAR VOR 51 JAHREN.
>>
>>    
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>I was 11.  But it was two years later before I was let loose to joy ride 
>with Sunday-Holiday Passes.  And the first Sunday Pass trip was inbound on 
>64 to Oakland, then 77/54 to northside, then 18 to Woods Run, then 
>everything kind of merges together over the next six years.  <g>
>
>Any regrets?  Only that I didn't point my camera more often at various 
>things.
>
>It's scary how many years ago that was.
>
>John
>
>_________________________________________________________________
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