[PRCo] Re: Last car on 6/14

[Harold Geissenheimer]

Bob and all
Thanks for sharing your experiences as a young railfan.
Each of us had many similar experiences.

Harold Geissenheimer

Bob Rathke wrote:

>There was more than one car chasing - and pacing - the trolleys on Fineview
>on 4/30/66.  I remember seeing the VW that day, but I don't know who was
>driving it.  I also remember the full-size car that rode in front of the
>trolley - the trunk lid had been removed from the car, and two or more
>photographers were in the trunk shooting the moving PCC.
>
>I didn't do much chasing that day.  I lived less than two miles from
>Fineview, and so for weeks - months - before April 30 I had been out
>photographing the line every weekend and many evenings.  On April 30 I
>concentrated on getting more distant, wide angle views showing scenery and
>people with the trolleys.
>
>I am still in touch with a couple of the April, 1966 photographers, but
>neither of them owned the VW.
>
>Bob 10/12/04
>
>-----------------------------
>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Boris Cefer" <westinghouse at volny.cz>
>To: "PRCo" <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
>Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2004 1:19 AM
>Subject: [PRCo] Re: Last car on 6/14
>
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>>Thanks for sharing these sad photos, Bob.
>>
>>Have you any clue who was taking moving pictures of Fineview cars from an
>>automobile (?Beetle?) during the last day? The automobile is on several
>>shots in the Steel City Traction video.
>>
>>Boris
>>
>>----- Original Message -----
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>>>April 30, 1966 was a busy day - the last day for trolleys on the North =
>>>Side.  I was out early that Saturday morning driving back anf forth =
>>>among photographic locations on 21-Fineview and 6/14 Avalon.  By =
>>>afternoon it was raining, but fans were appearing everywhere, especially
>>>      
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>>>on Finevew.
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>>>Later in the afternoon the rain stopped, and after sunset I started to =
>>>take photos using a tripod and #5 flashbuls.  Then I rode the last =
>>>scheduled car - 1678 - on 21-Fineview.  When the last trolley returned =
>>>downtown (it then went to Tunnel Car House), I got off and ran to catch
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>>>the last trolley on 6/14-Avalon outbound from Penn Avenue.  The car - =
>>>1799 - was jammed, but there was an even larger crowd waiting for us at
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>>>the Avalon loop.  By that time it was near Midnight, and the Mayor =
>>>(Burgess?) of Avalon and other dignitaries made brief speeches.  Then =
>>>the riders re-boarded the trolley for the silent ride back downtown.  It
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>>>was now May 1, and trolleys were gone from the Northside.
>>>
>>>I am attaching low-res scans of a couple of the B&W photos that I took =
>>>of 1799 that evening:
>>>
>>>The first shot was taken as I ran to board 1799 downtown.  It was =
>>>already SRO.  Note the black flag, and the two photographers running in
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>>>front of me.
>>>
>>>The crowd photo was taken at the Avalon loop as we reboarded the car.  I
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>>>believe that the man in the black suit and hat, talking to the motorman,
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>>>is John Dameron.
>>>
>>>Bob 10/11/04
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