[PRCo] Re: Run numbers

[James B. Holland]

Fred Schneider wrote:

> Pretend I'm a supervisor on the street. And the car due at Penn and 
> Highland inbound on 88 at 15:13 is 12 minutes late. Am I concerned 
> with the block number because it may relate to a schedule? Am I 
> looking for car 1202 on route 88 or am I looking for block 03 on route 
> 88? Or am I concerned more with the run number in order to get the man 
> back where he belongs for his lunch break? Or do I need to work with 
> both because Pittsburgh insisted on having two separate numbers?


Dassn't matter  --  Both Run and Block/Train identify the schedule  --  
Run is just a subdivision of the total Block/Train and if actual time 
for location doesn't match Train/Block Number, it Ain't going to match 
Run Number either.       Looking at Either/Both will tell that the  
Vehicle/Run/Train/Block  is 12-minutes off schedule  --  get Vehicle  
And/Or  Operator/Driver  Back  On  Schedule or let him run it out.

Most places have two separate numbers  --  RUN  identifies schedule 
Operator/Driver is working and  TRAIN//BLOCK  (as I mentioned in a 
previous post)  identifies schedule Vehicle is Operating and may include 
More Than One Run/Parts of Runs which means more than one  
Operator/Driver working the  Train.       Just like Nose and Nostril  
--  both identify same location  --  but one is a part of the other, not 
the whole!

How do you know that car 1202 is on a certain Run/Block/Train?       
Here in SF the Supervisors normally assigned to a corner make their own 
rotation sheets of Lines that pass that corner based on  Run  (displayed 
in the box on the Vehicle)  and time arranged chronically for the shift  
--  this is covered in plastic.       As the Vehicle leaves the yard the 
Run is noted and the Vehicle number is written beside the Run/Time.     
  As the day progresses the Vehicle number is brought forward.       At 
the end of the day the Vehicle numbers are wiped off the plastic 
covering and same sheet/book is used next day.       It's possible that 
some places, with computers today, make printouts of all this 
information for distribution  --  but this then assumes Vehicles are Not 
Re-Assigned for any reason.

If the Supervisor is in a mobile truck  (or is an extra for the corner 
and doesn't have access to the book used by the regular corner 
Supervisor)  he carries all the Rotation sheets for the area he is 
working.       He already knows the time of day, he spots a coach by  
__________(in SF it is Run Number)  checks this against the rotation 
sheet and issues orders If the  Run/Vehicle/Train/Block/Etc.  don't 
match the rotation sheets.       Very Simple!       Other similar types 
of systems could be in use elsewhere.

So Any One of these items  --  Vehicle Number, Run-Number, Train/Block  
--  may be used to identify the schedule.

PRCo would have Operators trade Vehicles when running off Run time with 
one passing in another direction and continue trading until the Operator 
is on a Vehicle that is on the time the Operator is working according to 
his Run  --  this prevents more hassle to the riding public who were 
possibly already inconvenienced from a delay as opposed to turning the 
equipment around short of the standard terminal causing those remaining 
onboard to disembark and wait for another vehicle.       San Francisco 
did this until the early 1970s and abandoned that for simply turning the 
vehicle to get it back on time.

In the 1950s I was riding the 42-Dormont home to Raleigh/Greenmount stop 
when just inbound of this location the Ops swapped cars  --  so inbound 
op made one stop inbound then two stops outbound and had another 
layover!       Niceeeeeeeee!!!       Not so  Niceeeeeeeee!!!  for 
outbound to inbound op!!!



> If we have a car at Keating that is suddenly pressed into service with 
> an extra list man outbound on 10 because of an accident at Perrysville 
> and East that tied up a scheduled car, what block number does it get? 
> Something after the last normal block of the day? Or the next block 
> that has not gone out?


Simple.       Put X for extra In Front/Behind  Run/Block/Train  
number.       When regular  Run/Block/Train  back on schedule, send X 
Home!       Run/Train/Block/Etc. boxes on Vehicles have one or two 
windows with letters in addition to numbers.       Donut specifically 
know how PRCo handled this situation.



> Do you know of situations where the car assigned to Block 1 today 
> became the same car on Block 1 tomorrow because it became an owl car?
>
> I know, John,
>
> I'm picking nits here.



Not Nits  --  Details of ops.

Car on Block One going to Block One the next day would assumedly repeat 
this each and every day which means it would never return to the car 
house but operate OnLine  (even before computers!!!)  continually.       
Schedules would be cut to prevent such situations.

I have on rare occasion received the same Vehicle for the same  
Run/Train/Block  two days in a row  --  just a fluke as the coach was 
back in the yard in between.

One of the TrolleyCars running in the evening on the 42-Dormont became 
the 42/38 Owl which worked all night.       One single vehicle did not 
work this continually because a trade of vehicles would be needed so one 
could return for normal servicing.       Here are two possibilities:

1.>--   The vehicle pulled out for the AM rush hour, remained out all 
day, worked the PM rush hour, worked the evening, and then worked the 
owl and possibly the morning rush hour and then pulled into the yard 
meaning the TrolleyCar was out for 24+hours.

2.>--   The TrolleyCar pulled out for the PM rush hour, worked the 
evening, became the owl, did something for the AM rush and pulled into 
the yard.



Can we Pretend You Are Anything Else???!!!



Jim__Holland


I__Like__Ike.......And__PCCs!!

down with pantographs ---- UP___WITH___TROLLEYPOLES!!!!!!!