[PRCo] Re: Pgh.___1985

[John Swindler]

Yes, 68, 55, 56 and 87 had fare zones.  So did 35 and 36, the zone boundary 
being St. Anne's School.  'Brain housing group' doesn't function 
sufficiently to recall a second zone boundary on Library, but I think there 
was one around King's School.

Also route 64 at Edgewood station.  Inbound passengers would be handed a 
colored 'fare receipt'.  I think green  (??) indicated that fare was paid to 
first fare zone.  At Frick Park (Braddock Jct - actually first stop inbound 
just before a bridge) either operator would walk through the car collecting 
green fare receipts or itinerant conductor would board car and hand collect 
either fare receipt or zone charge as car traveled through Homewood Cemetery 
on Forbes Ave.

I suspect that there was an overlap between first and second fare zones. A 
one zone ride paid in second zone - say rider boarding in Swissvale  - would 
be good through Wilkinsburg to Forbes and Braddock.

Were there not outer zone transfers for use in East Pittsburgh, 
McKeesport????  There were also special 'throat' (??) transfers for 
traveling through golden triangle out to end of first fare zone.  Again, 
'brain housing group' (military term derived from rifle components) doesn't 
function all that well 40 years later.

John


>From: Fred Schneider <fschnei at supernet.com>
>Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>Subject: [PRCo] Re: Pgh.___1985
>Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2005 20:46:54 -0500
>
>There were so many zone fare lines out there that I rode and I can't ever
>remember giving a second fare.  Yes, I can remember the itinerant conductor
>with the fare box in his hand that got onto Philly's route 6 cars at City
>Line and walked through the car as it went north, only to get off and 
>collect
>the extra zone fares from the next inbound.
>
>But I cannot remember paying Baltimore Transit the extra zone fares to 
>Towson
>or Catonsville but I rode those lines.  And what about routes 56 and 68 in
>Pittsburgh.  Did they have zone fares?  What about 87?  I rode all of those
>lines but I cannot think back almost fifty years.  Could you ride into
>Wilmerding and get a transfer to Trafford, or into McKeesport on 56 or 68 
>and
>then get a free transfer to Glassport?  Who out there has a functioning
>"brain housing group?"  Maybe I don't remember because motorman felt nice 
>to
>a railfan?  Doubt that.
>
>Oh, and Jim, I always thought the military had a way of isolating its 
>people
>from the real world.  And I can say that because I served too.
>
>"James B. Holland" wrote:
>
> > Matt Barry wrote:
> >
> > > I can still recall that mixed feeling of being very happy a PCC car
> > > was approaching, with being slightly scared as those steel wheels
> > > swiftly braked at the car stop on Penn at 40th street.       To my
> > > ears, the noise was loud and wonderful all at once.
> >
> > You paint a wonderful picture here  --  next best to actual 
>experience!!!
> >
> > > Recollection is that I slid a quarter into the fare box and the driver
> > > felt bad that he couldn't give me change.       By then, it was the
> > > "ready fare system."
> >
> > I got on the cars sometime in the mid-1960s and asked the operator for
> > change for a dollar  --  he looked at me with surprize and said:
> > """Where have you been??"""
> >
> > """Navy,"""       was my reply.
> >
> > Think the operator recognized me  --  he was quite nice.       Told me
> > to get off at SHJ and ask for change there!
> >
> > Mom apologized for not alerting me but that would be easy to forget when
> > you are used to it yourself.
> >
> > Jim__Holland
>
>
>