[PRCo] Re: West Penn 212 accident

[Edward H. Lybarger]

Sherry Wingrove and her husband run the hotel in Mount Pleasant.  It was
Sherry who loaned ME the photos of the runaway, rather than the other way
around.  We had a contemporary news clipping from the Sun-Telegraph which I
shared with her.  The restaurant there offers the best breakfast in
Southwest PA (but not the most calorie-free breakfast).

Why was 204 still around?  A couple thoughts come to mind.  First would be
that it was the only Leechburg car that stayed dry after the 1936 flood that
put the line out of business.  Recall the photo of the car in Allison Siding
(N. Apollo)?  Was that 204?  Perfectly operable?  The second thought came
about as a result of finding in Mac McGrew's files a 1931 West Penn Car
Assignment List which showed 204 then located at Latrobe but still assigned
to Leechburg.  Latrobe, of course, was the closest point on the Coke Region
system to the Leechburg-Apollo line.  Is it possible that the car had been
back to Connellsville for repairs, and due to lack of need upriver, never
again left the Coke Region lines?

The Dickerson Run car was 224.  700 burned up just north of Youngwood early
one morning on the way back to the barn.  It was a test car for the company
and worked nights.

The "830s?"  Do you mean perhaps the "late '30s?"

-----Original Message-----
From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
[mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org]On Behalf Of Fred
Schneider
Sent: Sunday, September 25, 2005 10:17 PM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: [PRCo] West Penn 212 accident


Jerry:

Walked up stairs and then remembered this accident.  And with
apologies to Ed Lybarger who found the pictures of it.

Second number 212 was in service on the Mt. Pleasant - Taars shuttle
ca. 1936.  Came down Main Street Hill in Mount Pleasant out of
control.  Derailed on the curve at the junction with the mainline and
slammed sideways into the hotel.    (If you go in for a burger, you
can look at the picture that Ed gave them.)   Now what was Second 212
doing in service until 1949?  Because in 1936 it was still needed.
All of the early 200 series Stephenson cars were needed.  So it was
rebuilt after the accident and returned to service.  A few months
later West Penn started cutting services and by 1939 only 204 and
Second 212 remained, plus a whole bunch of trucks that had been moved
from the low 200s over to the 280s.  About 1940 all the wooden bodies
were burnt.

By 1949 the wheel treads on 2nd 212 were paper thin so it was
retired, and, allegedly, rather than change the insurance policy, air
brake 204 was taken into the shop.  Some orange paint was plastered
over the digits "0" and "4" and then new digits "1" and "2" were
painted in their place.  So for the last few months of Masontown
service, the spare car was third 212.  In case you were unfamiliar,
most of the motorman probably were too.  This car was an air brake car.
Why was 204 around?   No clue unless one of the motormen liked it
after it came home in 1936 from Kittanning.  Sounds like a strange
reason but I think West Penn was that kind of a company.   It and the
Derry cars (611 for example) were used on South Connellsville until
the 830s.

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There was another one of the series that slammed into a concrete
abutment at Dickerson Run ... mind wants to say 207 or 217.

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And 700 caught fire in 1929 and was stricken from the roster.

fws

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