[PRCo] Re: Run numbers

[John Swindler]

In the summer of 1969, the 22 Clark St. bus with run number 861 in the 
window (on Friday's) was my run number - I still have the run card where 
time was calculated at time points within the half-minute.

There were also instances where I would work two different routes during the 
day.  I'd display the same run number for both pieces of work.  An example 
might be two morning round trips on Lincoln, and an afternoon peak trip on 
Sheridan-Outer Drive Express.

There were also some routes shared with other garages.  The run numbers were 
apparently unique to each garage, because those buses from a different 
garage would have a different series of numbers.

I suspect the displaying of either a block number or run number was to make 
sure the operator relieved the correct bus during a street relief.  And 
right behind this was for supervisory control.

Also, every time I had a night bus, generally was a 'pull-out' around 10 or 
11 pm, and would work through the morning rush hour, then pull in.  We 
stayed with the vehicle at night, and the schedule just allowed for a hour 
fall-back at the outer terminal.  (most Chicago routes provided half-hourly 
owl service except Archer, which was 20 minute service)

John




>From: Fred Schneider <fschnei at supernet.com>
>Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>Subject: [PRCo] Re: Run numbers
>Date: Sat, 6 Aug 2005 20:35:24 -0400 (GMT-04:00)
>
>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
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>