[PRCo] Re: Maintenance

[Fred Schneider]

Fred Schneider remembers scampering up those pull-down steps onto the  
roof of a Birney car at age 12.   No big deal inspite of a paranoia  
over heights.

Today, grossly overweight with artificial knees, a screwed up back,  
and two lame shoulders?   That's what trouble trucks are for.   The  
discussion was academic but I simply could not do it without the aid  
of a 14-foot ladder these days.

On Dec 3, 2005, at 12:55 PM, Boris Cefer wrote:

> There are a few pictures that Roberta Hill took in the early PAT days.
>
> http://www.davesrailpix.com/pitts/htm/pitt451.htm
>
> http://www.davesrailpix.com/pitts/htm/pitt459.htm
>
> http://www.davesrailpix.com/pitts/htm/pitt460.htm
>
> http://www.davesrailpix.com/pitts/htm/pitt461.htm
>
> http://www.davesrailpix.com/pitts/htm/pitt462.htm
>
> B
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Fred Schneider" <fwschneider at comcast.net>
> To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>; "James B. Holland"
> <PRCoPCC at P-R-Co.com>
> Sent: Saturday, December 03, 2005 4:52 PM
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Maintenance
>
>
>> I don't know when I last saw a Pittsburgh motorman on the roof of a
>> car but it was long after 1953.   A pole had decided not to stay on
>> the wire going through special work around 6th and Liberty.   The
>> rope tore.   The motorman simply came to the rear of the car, opened
>> the battery case, pulled out the ladder, hung it on the hook by the
>> trolley catcher, scampered up onto the roof, hooked the pole down,
>> tied the rope back together, put the pole back on the wire, put the
>> ladder away, closed the batter box, and away he went.   It was 4:30
>> or so in the afternoon and had he called traffic he would have still
>> be there at 5:00.   Looking back on it, he was probably also a more
>> senior employee who wanted to get relieved on schedule and didn't
>> care for a lot of bullshit in his day.
>
>