[PRCo] Re: PRC PCC scuffs
James B. Holland
PRCoPCC at P-R-Co.com
Mon Mar 28 01:54:11 EST 2005
Here is some from 2002, thought there was some more recent -- not
easy to find -- Subject Line not always changed -- not editing this
to make it readable -- much overlap as well. Could not find my
specific post where I listed URLs.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Harold Geissenheimer" <transitmgr at worldnet.att.net
<mailto:transitmgr at worldnet.att.net>>
To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
<mailto:pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>>
Sent: Friday, 29 March, 2002 8:20 AM
Subject: [PRCo] Re: PRC PCC scuffs
>
> Greetings
>
> It was all downhill after 1950. In receivership, they were good. Under
> CDPalmer,
> profit was the only test.
>
> But it was more than paint. It was cleanliness, etc.
>
> For example. Our bus company competed with a PRC bus route thru
Sharpsburg.
> We caim via the North Side, they came via Lawrenceville.
>
> We had zone checks and could charge a 15 cent fare within
Sharpsburg. They
> could
> only charge the 35 cents city fare. I was on our bus to New
Kensington (now
> PAT
> route 1/3A) when two old Polish women boarded. They quizzed the
driver if this
> was
> indeed the 15 cents bus. He reassured them (he was an old West Penn
Motorman
> from
> the 1930's). The one lady said to the other. How do you know the 15
cent bus?
> The other answered "Why my dear its the clean, painted orange bus"
Tells the
> story
> of competing with PRC! Most of the independent bus lines gave better
service,
> were
> better maintained and managed than PRC under CD Palmer (Under Mr
Fitzgerald in
> receivership PRC was good). Our buses were orange with a green
stripe (ex West
> Penn bus paint scheme), PRC was orange with a black stripe. We had
purchased
> the
> WestPenn Connelsville buses (only two years old) and did not repaint.
>
> Tell it as it is. In the last 15 years of PRC, image and customer
relations
> were not a goal.
>
> Harold Geissenheimer
>
> John F Bromley wrote:
>
> > As Fred the 3rd will tell you PRC maintained their cars
mechanically and
> > electrically but with all those narrow streets the only collision
damage to
> > be repaired had to be significant. They didn't have the money. Paint?
> > Forget it. I have pix from the early 1960s of 1465 and it appeared
to be
> > wearing paint applied by St Louis Car Co., it was that old. Ever
seen pix
> > of 1603 from that fantrip in the early 1970s. I have a shot from Bill
> > Vigrass (available on his CD-ROM Volume 1) that is almost unbelievable.
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> -- Trailing quotes stripped by Listar --
>
>
>
----- Original Message -----
From: "Edward H. Lybarger" <twg at pulsenet.com <mailto:twg at pulsenet.com>>
To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
<mailto:pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>>
Sent: Friday, 29 March, 2002 8:44 AM
Subject: [PRCo] Re: PRC PCC scuffs
>
> During WW II PRCo was still painting cars on about a 4-year cycle.
> Maintenance was far better than we think...they had cash: near record
> passenger loads and the protection of the Bankruptcy Court (no bond
interest
> to pay out) meant (relatively) good times. It was after the final
iteration
> of PRCo emerged in late 1950 that the real money crunch started. But the
> worst trolley maintenance of all was John Dameron's.
>
> Ed
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
<mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org>
> [mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org]On Behalf Of John
> F Bromley
> Sent: Friday, March 29, 2002 11:20 AM
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
<mailto:pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: PRC PCC scuffs
>
>
>
> As Fred the 3rd will tell you PRC maintained their cars mechanically and
> electrically but with all those narrow streets the only collision
damage to
> be repaired had to be significant. They didn't have the money. Paint?
> Forget it. I have pix from the early 1960s of 1465 and it appeared to be
> wearing paint applied by St Louis Car Co., it was that old. Ever
seen pix
> of 1603 from that fantrip in the early 1970s. I have a shot from Bill
> Vigrass (available on his CD-ROM Volume 1) that is almost unbelievable.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bob Rathke" <bobrathke at attbi.com <mailto:bobrathke at attbi.com>>
> To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
<mailto:pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>>
> Sent: Friday, March 29, 2002 12:43 PM
> Subject: [PRCo] PRC PCC scuffs
>
>
> > We tend to think that PCC neglect happened mostly in the later years of
> PRC and in the early days of PAT.
> >
> > See two photos from my collection that Derrick uploaded to the dementia
> page:
> >
> > http://trolley.dementia.org/brathke/PRC1291-28.JPG - 1291 on
route 28,
> probably in 1946.
> >
> > http://trolley.dementia.org/brathke/PRC1499-18-102846.JPG - 1499 on
> route 18 entering downtown on October 28, 1946 (do the flags suggest a
> fantrip?).
> >
> > Car 1291 was only six years old, and 1499 was only four years old
at that
> time, and yet the fronts and sides of both cars show significant traffic
> damage. Could their appearance be the result of reduced maintenance
during
> WWII? Regardless, the scuff pattern is very similar on both cars - I
wonder
> if they encountered the same truck or pole...or maybe EACH OTHER if each
> were running on the left sides of two NC tracks :-}
> >
> > Bob 3/29/02
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Holland" <pghpcc at pacbell.net <mailto:pghpcc at pacbell.net>>
To: "-->- PRCo -- WP -- JTC -<--" <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
<mailto:pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>>
Sent: Friday, 29 March, 2002 1:38 PM
Subject: [PRCo] Re: PRC PCC scuffs
> Greasings!!!!!!!!
>
> With the vote in 1956 to form ({[paac]}) being successful it was
> definitely downhill after that! But Roger's movies of the latter 1950s
> shows equipment in Very Decent shape and his movies are extremely
crisp and
> clear.
> It would seem PRCo was average on body maintenance into the 1950s; yes,
> there are extreme examples, but that doesn't *seem* to be the
rule. The
> low-floor cars were rather ratty toward the end.
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: PRC PCC scuffs
> Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 11:19:37 -0500
> From: John F Bromley <johnfbromley at rogers.com
<mailto:johnfbromley at rogers.com>>
> Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
<mailto:pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
<mailto:pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
> References: <005501c1d749$58422980$91f0f80c at attbi.com
<mailto:005501c1d749$58422980$91f0f80c at attbi.com>>
>
> As Fred the 3rd will tell you PRC maintained their cars mechanically and
> electrically but with all those narrow streets the only collision
damage to
> be repaired had to be significant. They didn't have the money. Paint?
> Forget it. I have pix from the early 1960s of 1465 and it appeared to be
> wearing paint applied by St Louis Car Co., it was that old. Ever
seen pix
> of 1603 from that fantrip in the early 1970s. I have a shot from Bill
> Vigrass (available on his CD-ROM Volume 1) that is almost unbelievable.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bob Rathke" <bobrathke at attbi.com <mailto:bobrathke at attbi.com>>
> To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
<mailto:pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>>
> Sent: Friday, March 29, 2002 12:43 PM
> Subject: [PRCo] PRC PCC scuffs
>
> We tend to think that PCC neglect happened mostly in the later years
of PRC
> and in the early days of PAT.
>
> See two photos from my collection that Derrick uploaded to the dementia
> page:
>
> http://trolley.dementia.org/brathke/PRC1291-28.JPG - 1291 on route 28,
> probably in 1946.
> >
> http://trolley.dementia.org/brathke/PRC1499-18-102846.JPG - 1499 on
route
> 18 entering downtown on October 28, 1946 (do the flags suggest a
fantrip?).
>
> Car 1291 was only six years old, and 1499 was only four years old at that
> time, and yet the fronts and sides of both cars show significant traffic
> damage. Could their appearance be the result of reduced maintenance
during
> WWII? Regardless, the scuff pattern is very similar on both cars - I
> wonder if they encountered the same truck or pole...or maybe EACH
OTHER if
> each were running on the left sides of two NC tracks :-}
>
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