[PRCo] Re: Pittsburgh Railways Motorwoman story

[Fred Schneider]

I would like to see an hour by hour explanation ... nay five minutes  
by five minutes ... of the training.   Bus and car.   If you could  
remember it all.    It would be a very interesting item to put into  
the archives at PTM.

I think it would be important to show what was taught and how you  
think you felt about the information you were given.

And then what was it like when you got on a car with a mentor operator?

And what was it like when you were there on your own?

How long did it take to feel that you had really passed the test and  
graduated from being a bus driver to a bus operator?   By that I mean  
how many days were on you on the job when it occurred to you were no  
longer struggling to make change, follow the route and keep a  
schedule until day you simply realized that everything had clicked  
into place and it was no longer an effort?    (I'm assuming that they  
day happened or you wouldn't still be doing it.)

I remember the story told to me years ago by a Johnstown dispatcher  
about the Horner Street line.   Horner was single track with  
sidings ... it could be deadly to keep a schedule with the wrong  
operators and I think that was the principal reason why it was  
selected in 1951 to be the first test of trackless trolleys in  
Cambria County.   The dispatcher explained that if you had all  
seasoned men on the line, everything ran flawlessly.   But put one  
man out why was raw and unable to keep a schedule and he could screw  
up the meeting points for everyone and mess up the entire line.     
Makes me suspect they would have wanted to put the new men on the  
lines with double-track but it obviously didn't work out that way.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Yesterday I started out to go to Baltimore to see if they needed an  
extra operator.   I hadn't bothered to call in earlier.   Well, I got  
as far as Columbia and saw signs posted for the European Train Show  
at Marietta, Pa., and ... well ... I never got to the museum.   Some  
of the East Penn Traction Club guys were there buy invite including  
Henry "Three Axle" Elsner with a bunch of his O-gauge models of  
radial truck European cars.    One of the East Penn modules was set  
up and running.   And I noticed that the banana system of dispatching  
prevailed ... the cars seemed to catch up to each other at the  
signals and thus they came in bunches.

And that reminded me of another real life story told to me by Bill  
Janssen, who may still be living in a nursing home in Peoria.   Bill  
was a real "boomer," who worked three times for Chicago Transit  
Authority or CSL, and in between or before for Illinois Terminal,  
Milwaukee Road, North Shore, South Shore and SEPTA.    The story I'm  
about to relate goes back to his first career with CTA, just after  
World War II.   I think, by then, Bill had his degree in railway  
electrical engineering but it was policy that all new men were  
started out as motormen.   Of course, the new men were going to get  
the crap runs and Bill was on an owl run.  The event being narrated  
happened either at the far south end of the Broadway-State or Clark- 
Wentworth line.   Owl headways were 15 minutes.   Bill claimed both  
he and his conductor fell asleep.   The follower came into the loop,  
saw them sleeping, and decided that, if he waited long enough, they  
would have to pick up his fares and he and his conductor could have  
an easy trip.   (Banana dispatching).    Bill said they were awakened  
15 minutes past their leave time when the car behind them banged into  
them.

Bill said his solution was simple.   He "ran express" knowing he  
would not meet any inspector before 63rd Street at that hour of the  
night.   And by 63rd Street, he was back on schedule.    Of course he  
was empty.   The follower had a swinging load and had been taught a  
lesson.

On Aug 6, 2006, at 9:13 PM, <hrbran99 at adelphia.net> wrote:

>
> --
> HrB
> When I started streetcar training everything had moved to S. Hills  
> Jct (SHJ). The Castle Shannon area still had the 'motormans  
> training tracks' intact. Training was two weeks and as I said  
> before, everyone had completed bus training at some point prior to  
> streetcar training.
>
> Right away we went to Castle Shannon and began taking turns  
> operating a 1700 series car. Switch operation was explained,  
> operation at facing and trailing points clarified, and it was a  
> good day indeed as I recall! Training with the SHJ training  
> instructor (Angelo Nazzo) lasted until the middle of the second  
> week. There was then two days with regular operators. On the last  
> day the feared "SIGNAL TEST" was given. For two weeks it was  
> hammered into us that if you failed the SIGNAL TEST you would have  
> to go back to the buses. Of course, everyone passed and all was  
> right with the world again. The trolley training, while short in  
> duration, was very complete and very intense. It was, however,  
> 1974, we were young and we applied ourselves like we had be brought  
> up to do when faced with anything dealing with the 'work ethic'. It  
> was still a male dominated job back then. All twelve in that  
> training class were male. PATransit (PAT) had only three female  
> operators, Hattie Bartosik (at SH!
>  J), Cora Sypolt (at E.Liberty Garage), and Daria Washington (at  
> SHJ). Daria also made PAT history by being the first African- 
> American Female operator.
>
> My first "solo" run was 15-minutes (yes, 15-minutes) after we  
> finished with the two weeks training. It was 4PM and Vic Calavo  
> (SHJ evening Dispatcher) was trying to fill PM-rush hour trippers.  
> I took a 42/38 tripper from 4:20 to 7:00pm. I recall it left SHJ to  
> downtown, then outbound on 42-Dormont Wye, back to downtown, then  
> outbound on 42/38A-Mt Lebanon/Castle Shannon. A very interesting  
> and very good run. I didn't make any big mistakes and did not run  
> the car off the Smithfield Bridge and went the proper way at all  
> the switches. Even got to use the Dormont Wye plus layover before  
> using the wye in the siding just before the wye. Again, all was  
> well with the world.
>
> One, of many things, that sticks out in my mind was the feeling  
> when I got in the oeprators seat the first time on the training  
> tracks at Castle Shannon that first day. It was so odd, and so  
> wonderful, to apply the power pedal and have this large piece of  
> electric machine glide forward, without the annoyance of a steering  
> wheel, in such silence and feel the power as the energy forces  
> changed from potential to kinetic. And of course, all was well with  
> the world!!
>
> As far as what cars were used that was up to the car shifter (the  
> guy who assigned cars to each run). Each day as we left the SHJ  
> classroom (second floor of SHJ administration building) we went to  
> the yard and found the 'car shifter' who randomly assigned a car.  
> Usually 1700s, a few times 1600s to get used to the hand brake and  
> other features different from the 1700s.
>
> I haven't written this much ever, on this list! Time to stop or it  
> will fall into the 'pamphlet' category! Let me know if you want  
> "Real Tales Of the PAT Trolleys". Many interesting things happened  
> during the years that I operated the cars.
> Herb Brannon
>
> ---- Mark McGuire <macmarka at netzero.net> wrote:
>>   So please tell us more about your training, Herb. Or if you wish,
>> send me an offlist e-mail. I'd like to know what you went through,
>> how long you trained with another motorman, what your first solo run
>> was and what car, what cars were used for training, etc. Thanks!
>>
>>                               Mark
>>
>
>
>