[PRCo] Re: Maintenance

[James B. Holland]

Fred Schneider wrote:
.

> ...Charles Schauck... Charley was the Superintendent of Power and 
> Inclines for PRCo from the early 1950s to the end. ...He told me a lot 
> about what it was like to try to survive in that business. I recall 
> conversations about annual budget meetings where he would walk in with 
> a list of things that had to be done and he would come out trying to 
> figure out how to but Band Aids (bandages) on things that didn't work. 
> I remember another conversation about a court case between a former 
> family member and PRCo ... the railway power consumption was now so 
> low that Duquesne Light Company was suing for payment of demand 
> charges. After ten years worth of dinners with the Schauck family, I 
> really don't need a lot of maintenance records to understand why PRCo 
> didn't spend a lot of money. There simply wasn't a lot of money to spend.

.
I do Not remember tow jobs in PRCo days  --  Maybe One  --  (Doesn't 
mean they Didn't happen)    ----    but I do remember such under  
({[pat.]})       Do remember some PRCo cars being dead headed to the 
barn for maintenance  --  torque arm front truck, right side snapped  
--  trolley poles damaged and replaced would be sent in out of service 
to have them trued up officially so the wheel would sit square on the 
overhead  --  equipment Moved in PRCo days with only traffic causing 
delays.       It would be quite unusual for a PRCo problem to cause delays.
.
The biggest PRCo delay I remember is when the car derailed at Bon Air 
outbound one Sunday early 1960s, Mother's Day  --  caused a 
reroute.       But PRCo handled this extremely well  --  I watched the 
shenanigans at the derailed car for a bit but recognized I wasn't  
*-riding-*  so walked back to SHJ where I caught a Drake car to 
substitute for the derailed one that had already been sent around 
downtown!!       We traveled the 38 to 38A then on to Drake  --  same 
motorman as 1645(?) which was in the cornfield meet with 1261 on 38A 
some time late 1963 or a little later.
.
.
.

>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Fred Schneider" <fwschneider at comcast.net>
>>
>>
>>> The LA cars preserved at Perris testify to very impressive 
>>> maintenance practices. At least when LARy or LATL people ran wires 
>>> under the cars, they ran them in flexible metal housings (I'm not 
>>> sure of the proper name). Nothing was ever run unprotected........
>>>
>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "Fred Schneider" <fwschneider at comcast.net>
>>>>
>>>>> We do know a lot about it. For example, all of the car record 
>>>>> cards for Los Angeles Railway / LATL are at the museum in Perris. 
>>>>> If someone wants to look, and there are those who have, we know 
>>>>> precisely what was done. Jim is correct. LATL's maintenance was 
>>>>> superb ... among the best in the nation and it was a National City 
>>>>> Lines property to boot.
>>>>




Jim__Holland


I__Like__Ike.......And__PCCs!!

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