[PRCo] Re: Run numbers

[Fred Schneider]

This is called using the REPLY AGAIN button.

For anyone who might be interested, the concept of block numbers or run numbers was far from universal but was no doubt more common in the large cities than the smaller ones ... after all, in a place like Lancaster, Pennsylvania with 165 cars and 300 motormen, the street supervisors knew all the operators by name.  It would be  Jeremiah Schmidt whom they were looking for.

I can find no evidence of such an identity system in Brooklyn or Boston (at least in the pictures I breifly scanned).  Chicago, at least in the 1930s, used a small round disc hung on the window post with a single number it it ... I guess 123 was probably simply Broadway-State run 123 (and numbers higher than that were possible).  Baltimore incorporated the route number, and the Mass Transit Administration officially retired route 25 and gave it to the Baltimore Streetcar Museum ... saves a lot of paint on block numbers ... 25-01, 25-02, 25-03, etc.  

-----Original Message-----
From: John Swindler <j_swindler at hotmail.com>
Sent: Aug 6, 2005 7:11 AM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: [PRCo] Re: Run numbers



I recall it being referred to as a "block number".  It was a sequential 
number for cars assigned to a route - usually based on the order in which 
car left the barn. (first car out was block  1  second car out was block  2) 
   So the 'block number' should stay the same while the vehicle was on the 
street.

The operator had his own 'run number' which referred to his pieces of work.  
Usually two pieces of work were put together to form an operator's run, with 
the goal being to minimize premium pay.  That is, make the operator's run as 
close to eight hours as possible.

In Chicago, the numbers displayed in the front window were not the vehicle's 
"block number", but the operator's "run number".   Thus when making a street 
relief, we had to know the operator's run number that we were relieving, and 
we had the remember to change the number whenever we made a street relief.  
This wasn't necessary in Pittsburgh (unless it was a 'put on time' car).

Hope this makes some sense - without going into too much detail

John



>From: "Boris Cefer" <westinghouse at iol.cz>
>Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
>Subject: [PRCo] Re: Run numbers
>Date: Sat, 6 Aug 2005 12:56:44 +0200
>
>That in lower right side of front window on air cars, above the window on
>1700s.
>
>B
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "John Swindler" <j_swindler at hotmail.com>
>To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
>Sent: Saturday, August 06, 2005 12:40 PM
>Subject: [PRCo] Re: Run numbers
>
>
> >
> >
> > Do you mean the operator's run number, or the vehicle run -  or block
>number
> > displayed in lower right side of front window???
> >
> > In Pittsburgh there was a difference.  In Chicago,there wasn't.
> >
> > John
> >
> >
> >
> > >From: "Boris Cefer" <westinghouse at iol.cz>
> > >Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> > >To: "PRC" <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
> > >Subject: [PRCo] Run numbers
> > >Date: Sat, 6 Aug 2005 10:41:10 +0200
> > >
> > >What was the PRCo's system of run numbers? Did each route have its own
> > >route numbers starting with 1, or were all service cars assigned to a
> > >particular carhouse numbered together?
> > >Boris
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
>
>