[PRCo] Re: WP__Equipment__Assignments

[Fred Schneider]

According to Bob Brown (and "Rumor Control" had to be dispatched  
periodically when Brownie was loose), the last car on Fairchance was  
chosen because it had paint.   The Saturday schedules on Fairchance  
always called for two cars and all the pictures I have of them  
passing always show 705 and 706.   I suspect that weekday peak  
assignments were the same but it would not be logical for working  
railfans to find out.

Cars 703 and 704 were regulars on the Phillips line.

Now you need to remember that these were cars that were stored out of  
service when the mainline was fully converted to one-man cars.   The  
company had more than enough cars.   They were abandoning routes in  
the 1930s.   They had the 600s, the big chunk of the Stephenson-built  
200s, and they didn't need to spend money converting all the 700s to  
one man service.   They simply pushed 702, 703, 704, 705, 706, 716,  
717, 718, 719, 720 aside and forgot them.   Then when they shut down  
McKeesport, they did advertised 296 - 297 for sale.   Iron Bridge and  
Oakford Park barns were used to store all these cars.   Irwin barn  
may still have been there; I don't know.   Several years later it  
dawned on management that no one wanted dynamic brake, broad gauge,  
cars with arch-bar trucks and no headlights so 286-297 were pulled  
out of storage.  The low 200s were scrapped and their Brill trucks  
were put under the 280s ... I think (without bothering to look) that  
296 and 297 kept the arch bar trucks.

The abandonment of the Allegheny Valley Division allowed West Penn to  
move the 830s over to the Coke Region.   There is a fluff document in  
the PUC archives in Harrisburg explaining how the company was going  
to spend all sorts of money rebuilding and repainting these cars in  
order to get rid of the 600s, which were still working out of  
Latrobe.   The rebuilding consisted, externally, of welding a patched  
anticlimber on top of the original (and doing the same under the  
anticlimber on the 700s) so they didn't kill anyone).   I suspect  
they never had a chance to test the hypothesis.   They also added a  
pipe around the end of the roof to keep the trolley rope from fraying  
the canvas.   They moved the trolley catcher.  They did a little spot  
painting.   Maybe, if it hadn't already been removed, the changed the  
two conductor's seats inside, but I imagine they were gone earlier.    
And then they put the 830s on Phillips, Latrobe and Fairchance.

What about those stored two-man 700s?   They were gradually rebuilt  
near the end of the war.  There are a lot of stories about what was  
wrong the the 830s, most of which add up to nothing more than railfan  
bullshit.   The only argument that makes sense to me is that 1) the  
830s were at the point where they needed an overhaul, 2) they were  
grossly over crowded during the war, and therefore, if you need to  
spend money, you might just as well put it into capacity instead of  
painting something that still leaves the motorman and the public  
bitching at you.   I don't have exact dates but by sometime in 1945,  
the last 700s that were to be rebuilt as one-man cars were rebuilt.   
It might have been 720.   Two never were (702 and 703) and they sat  
in Iron Bridge Barn until 1951 until they were run down to  
Connellsville for scrapping.    For what is worth, during the war  
West Penn did use some of the two-man 700s now and then for military  
charters to move inductees up to Greensburg to put them on trains for  
Pittsburgh.

So what were the Martin cars?   Around 1950, 707 and 708 and 709 were  
common with 212 as the Saturday extra car.   I have a picture of 707  
on the line in 1940.    I have pictures of 709, 714, 715, 716, 718  
and 720 on Brownsville at various time.   Cars 727 and 724 were  
working out that way in 1941.

Latrobe had 200s and 708 very early (we have a picture of it at  
Calumet in green paint) then the 600s, then 839, 840 and 841 for  
sure, then in the late 1940s we see 727,  713 and then the best of  
the Uniontown leftovers migrated up to Latrobe.   Makes me wonder if  
Latrobe didn't run cars into the ground and Uniontown might have  
taken care of them because so many of them (712, 714, 715, 709) went  
up there.

Mount Pleasant - Taars probably used Stephenson 200s for most of its  
life .... certainly until the end in 1936.

Mainline had the newest cars.   They always ran smoker to the rear.    
That required a barn man in each city to turn the fleet in the wee  
hours of the morning to get it read for the next day, and in each  
city the only way to turn it was to run every car back into the  
terminal, around the loop and back to the barn.   Until the very end,  
when the cars that ran were what was on the main line, 730s and high  
720s were common.

Enough B. S. for now Fred

Fred




On Oct 29, 2005, at 5:48 AM, James B. Holland wrote:

> Fredbruhn at aol.com wrote:
>
>
>> I've tried to research this somewhat using photos mostly and it seems
>> there is "some" barn assignment, but I don't think it is cut in  
>> stone.
>>
>> I think the 700's without lavatories were assigned to the Fairchance
>> line.  I don't have my material in front of me, but 706 seems to be
>> the usual car.
>> The last day service, or at least the last scheduled car was 732 or
>> 736 (without looking to check) which was pictured in the first PERC
>> West Penn booklet.
>>
>> 709 was used on Brownsville a lot, and 712 on Latrobe, but others
>> obviously joined them on the daily schedules.
>>
>> Fred (the other Fred, not the Dr nor titanium Fred)
>>
>
>
>
> Fred Schneider wrote:
>
>
>> What week are you asking?
>>
>
>
>> In later years 705 and 706 worked Fairchance.
>>
>
>
>> Before those 700s were reworked for one-man service in
>>
>
>
>> ...............the early 1940s, 800s worked Fairchance. I have a
>> picture of 831 on the line. Prior to that possibly low 200s.
>>
>> 1931 car house roster.
>>
>
>
>
>
> Thank You to the  *-Other-Fred,-*  Ed,  and  Fred!       This is Very
> Interesting Information!       I'm arranging it all here in this email
> to keep it together.       I remember mention of 800s on Fairchance  
> and
> this has cleared up the dates.       Shall snip and edit one or two of
> the emails for further detailed comments.
>
>
>
>
> Fred Schneider wrote:
>
>
>> Regular service - never according to EHL who is standing behind me
>> [RE: 700s to McKeesport, Trafford, Irwin.].
>>
>
>
>> No. 739 was in Trafford on a fantrip.
>>
>
>
>> Car 711 was in Irwin on fantrip in 1951.
>>
>> Trafford worked in conjunction with McKeesport - Irwin out of
>> McKeesport until McKeesport services were abandoned. I've seen
>> pictures of 208 and 210 working this service.
>>
>> fws
>>
>
>
>
> Fred Schneider wrote:
>
>
>> Actually it was pretty much cast in stone until the very end when the
>> company switched around those cars that ran to replace those that  
>> wore
>> out.
>>
>
>
>> Before that, for example, the 730s were always mainline cars.
>>
>> The 712 you mentioned as a Latrobe car was earlier on a Brownsville
>> car. Depends on the year.
>>
>>
>>> Assignments may have had a lot to do with what tax licenses might
>>> have paid on which cars in which boroughs and we have records of
>>> which towns had taxes and which cars were licensed, if any. But this
>>> could have been a consideration.
>>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
> Jim__Holland
>
>
> I__Like__Ike.......And__PCCs!!
>
> down with pantographs ---- UP___WITH___TROLLEYPOLES!!!!!!!
>
>
>