[PRCo] Re: West Penn 212 accident

[Edward H. Lybarger]

Almost the same thing, timewise!  The 600s were gone from regular service by
late 1941, were they not?

-----Original Message-----
From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
[mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org]On Behalf Of Fred
Schneider
Sent: Monday, September 26, 2005 9:55 AM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: [PRCo] Re: West Penn 212 accident


No, until the 830s arrived ... along with 294 and 295.

On Sep 26, 2005, at 9:23 AM, Edward H. Lybarger wrote:

> 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.
>
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
> There was another one of the series that slammed into a concrete
> abutment at Dickerson Run ... mind wants to say 207 or 217.
>
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
> And 700 caught fire in 1929 and was stricken from the roster.
>
> fws
>
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
>
>
>
>
>
>