[PRCo] Re: Why a Wye?

Mon Dec 25 18:51:51 EST 2006

Yupper.   Sometimes it pays to get out of that old cocoon and see  
what the rest of the world is doing.    Someone else may just have a  
better way.

The really bitter pill is for those on top to admit that the Chinese  
and the Indians are in their ascendency.  I think I'll go there and  
take a look.

On Dec 25, 2006, at 6:37 PM, John Swindler wrote:

>
>
> Your right, Fred, about sometimes the moon and stars sometimes  
> lining up
> right for us.  The Chicago Transit Authority summer job paid for  
> school AND
> a trip to Europe.  That's where I saw what light rail could be in  
> The Hague
> and Rotterdam.  Fast, efficient, and low cost simple right of way.   
> And this
> was 1969.  -  John
>
>
>
>> From: Fred Schneider <fwschneider at comcast.net>
>> Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Why a Wye?
>> Date: Mon, 25 Dec 2006 13:55:57 -0500
>>
>> It's fun isn't it Herb.
>>
>> I remember a day on the Strasburg Rail Road when I was coupling that
>> old PRR D16 4-4-0 to the train for the first trip of the day.   John
>> Bowman, my engineman, was taking signals perfectly.   And I guess I
>> might have been awake too.
>>
>> There was a simple simon type of guy standing on the open car with
>> his wife ... some jackass off the Pennsylvania Railroad ... who
>> looked down at me and then at his wife and then back at me with and
>> with a condescending tone said to his wife, "If this guy is half has
>> good as he THINKS HE IS, you might not feel the jolt."
>>
>> Well, I waved John off.   The coupler pin just simply went plink.   I
>> gave him a signal to pull slack and waved if off again.   Not the
>> least jolt.
>>
>> And I had the satisfaction of looking up at the goon and saying,
>> "Good enough for you?"
>>
>> Not another word out of him.
>>
>> Yes, I've had some years with steam too.   Not just trolleys.   But
>> I'd rather be twirling a controller than be on the wrong end of a
>> coal scoop.   The SRC did help pay for a college degree and for that
>> I'm thankful.   And when you're young, it is a lot more fun.
>>
>> Sometimes the moon and the stars do line up for us.
>>
>> Sadly my old friend John's ashes are now spread on the ground.    But
>> we've displayed some of his pictures at PTM over the years.
>>
>>
>> On Dec 25, 2006, at 12:25 PM, Herb Brannon wrote:
>>
>>> In the late 1970s the loop at Castle Shannon was removed and
>>> replaced by a wye. This was do to construction associated with the
>>> upgrade (so they said)  from PCCs to LRVs. During peak periods a
>>> Route Foreman (line supervisor) was stationed at the 'wye' to
>>> assist operators in backing over the very, very, very, very, very
>>> well worn switch points and rail. One afternoon a supervisor whose
>>> name I do not recall. However, I do recall he was very mean, very
>>> old, and was left over from PRCo days. Normally the former PRCo
>>> employees were very interesting to talk with. This man was not!
>>> Anyway, he was backing me over the switch point and yelled, in his
>>> mean, overbearing voice, "Come on, give it some power and get it
>>> (the car) back here!" I complied and pushed the power pedal further
>>> down only to feel the car lurch off the rails and into the dirt. I
>>> loved it...............the jackass supervisor never did have
>>> patience enough...........now this derailment was all on him!!!!!
>>> I, of
>>>  course, had to rub it in and said, "we could have made it if you
>>> had not have wanted me to go faster!" I started to pick up the
>>> radio handset to call Traffic Control. He stopped me and said,
>>> "Wait, this car can be 'walked' back on the track. Don't call
>>> Traffic." He knew if I called Traffic there would be Hell to pay
>>> for him. At any rate, I had him on the receiving end of his B.S.
>>> for once and savored every minute of it. We did get the car
>>> 'walked' back on the rails in a few minutes. From that day until
>>> that supervisor retired he never spoke in a mean or overbearing
>>> manner to me again.
>>>
>>>   There, you just got "True tales #2--Off the rail at Castle
>>> Shannon" just in time for Christmas!
>>> John Swindler <j_swindler at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> I have a memory of 37 car using loop at Castle Shannon, then
>>> backing onto
>>> 38A loop to return inbound via 42/38. Trouble is, memory not good
>>> enough to
>>> recall if happened on more then one occasion, or if this was just a
>>> recollection from a fantrip. Dont' think it was a fantrip, but
>>> maybe.....
>>> Could this have been a way to reduce number of rush hour trippers
>>> using
>>> passing sidings on Overbrook?? Help????
>>>
>>> John
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> From: Jim Holland
>>>
>>>> Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>>>> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>>>> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Why a Wye?
>>>> Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2006 23:55:30 -0800
>>>>
>>>> Jim Holland wrote:
>>>> .
>>>>
>>>>> Freight! Wye is a turnaround but in case of Donora it was for
>>>>> freight.
>>>>> .
>>>>> Space limitations -- couldn't make a loop in location of 42- 
>>>>> Dormont
>>>> wye.
>>>>
>>>> .
>>>> Motormen backed up line of sight with people walking the tracks
>>>> behind ---- don't 'know' of any conflicts here -- with
>>>> people. Sometimes motormen didn't pull up far enough to clear the
>>>> overhead directional frog and the pole backed up on the wire it
>>>> entered
>>>> the wye which means it eventually wound up stuck in the spans!!!
>>>> .
>>>> .
>>>>
>>>>> 87-Ardmore had a wye briefly but upgraded to loop in different
>>>>> location.
>>>>> .
>>>>> Riverview combination of wye // loop ---- wye portion of loop
>>>>> added in
>>>>> 1922 so northbound Interurbans to Pgh. shared southbound  
>>>>> Charleroi /
>>>>> Donora trackage near loop until last leg built to form wye.
>>>>
>>>> .
>>>> .
>>>> Wyes in Canonsburg and downtown Washington allowed Interurban
>>>> TrolleyCar
>>>> to layover off-street ---- space saving as well as available real
>>>> estate!!!
>>>> .
>>>> .
>>>> The wye on the 2-Etna at Dewey just short of the end of the line  
>>>> is a
>>>> stumper -- maybe it was originally the end of the line and the  
>>>> single
>>>> track to the loop was added when it became available O-R more  
>>>> likely
>>>> when the Butler interurban ceased operation!
>>>> .
>>>> Castle Shannon loop around the admin Building was not built until
>>>> 1948 ---- before that it had been an elongated wye which was
>>>> originally used as PullOut routing for either inbound or outbound
>>>> Interurbans when CS was an operating Car House -- it then doubled
>>>> as a
>>>> turning point for cars and was used as such after the Car House was
>>>> 'closed.'
>>>> .
>>>> There was also a wye on the 94 line that was like Canonsburg --  
>>>> back
>>>> into it and pull out forward.
>>>> .
>>>> Abandoned intersections sometimes kept a wye as short turn -- we  
>>>> had
>>>> discussion on this some time back -- one on North Side and one near
>>>> Homewood.
>>>> .
>>>> Had to check my map for some -- this covers 'most' wyes.
>>>> .
>>>> .
>>>> .
>>>> JJ
>>>> .
>>>> .
>>>> .
>>>>
>>>>> mtoytrain at bellsouth.net wrote:
>>>>> .
>>>>>
>>>>>> Why a wye? Yes one in Donora, if Jones low Floor double ended  
>>>>>> cars
>>>>>> were used, why the wye, a freight station? a turn around? Other
>>>>>> areas
>>>>>> of Pittsburgh Railways had wyes so why the wyes?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Merry Christmas to all !
>>>>>> Jerry Matsick
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> _________________________________________________________________
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>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Herb Brannon
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
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