[PRCo] Re: 1.>--PCCs___vs___lrvs__--__2.>--PCC___Trucks

[Holland Electric Rwy. Op. H.E.R.O. -- Import SPTC 1.48 Models // James B. Holland]

 From pg.077 of DeMoro's PCC book:::::::


                """Soon after the PCC Car was introduced in the late 
1930s, it was evident to  TRC  that additional work was required on the 
truck design.       ...B2 truck was highly successful on rigid track in 
pavement, but inadequate on open trackage, such as on the long suburban 
and interurban lines in Pittsburgh.       Work began on an improved 
truck at the St.Louis Car Co. plant in 1938-39 and in 1939, in 
conjunction with TRC, the car builder fabricated a series of 
experimental trucks incorporating the various concepts."""
             """The experimental trucks were delivered to Pittsburgh 
Railways in 1940 and 1941 and placed under cars 1230 and 1278.       The 
trucks were tested all during WW2 but wartime traffic needs prevented 
the level of experimentation desired by TRC.       Late in 1945, the 
trucks were removed from the two cars so they could be reconstructed as 
prototypes of the proposed new B-3 truck, which would be built 
exclusively in North America by SLCCo.       One of the prototypes was 
installed under car 1613 for test operation on Pittsburgh's long 
interurban lines to Washington and Charleroi.       The second prototype 
was put under the 1614 in May 1946.       Ten additional B-3 truck sets 
were acquired to convert other PCC cars to interurban service.       In 
addition, a B-2 truck modified by Clark was tested and placed under the 
1644.       This truck was designated B-2a and was intended as a 
compromise suitable for both street and open track running.       Clark 
later offered this truck as the B-2b."""

 From pg.165-166 ibid:::::::

             """The B-3 truck was developed starting in 1939 to solve 
some of the problems experienced with the B-2 truck on open track.       
As long as it was on rigid track in city streets, the B-2 performed very 
well.       But it tended to nose on open track, a problem that was 
especially critical on systems like Pittsburgh, which served as the 
field laboratory, and had extensive mileage off city streets."""


NEVER   experienced nosing with B2s    ----    Most  Definitely  
Experienced  Nosing  with  PRCo  PCC  Interurbans  1700--1724  with  B3  
trucks    ----    1712 was a  Very  Notable  Exception  to that problem 
as it tended to bounce on its spring pots as opposed to nosing.       
Even Charlie Diehl noticed this and turned while we were bobbing down 
the track to see if I noticed the same!       Nosing on the interurbans 
was  Sooo  Bad  that the motormen often braked bring the car near a stop 
to break the nosing, then had to accelerate again until the nosing 
started only to repeat the braking needed to break the nosing!



>> From: "Fred Schneider" <fwschneider at comcast.net>
>  
>
>>There has been more said by Boris and Jim in the last few days on the B-3 program than I really care about.
>>    
>>
>James B. Holland wrote:
>.
>This was an exercise of unraveling the development of the B3.       At first I believed that the test trucks from under the 12s were placed under 1613 and 1614.       Then it seemed that there were 4 sets of trucks  --  two for twelves and two for the 1601s.       Now it seems there were Only 2 Sets of Experimental B3s that were modified during experimentation so that the final ones under 1613 and 1614 were rather near the production units.       We were not addressing merits / demerits of the B2 vs B3.
>