[PRCo] Re: Snow

[James B. Holland]

Fred Schneider wrote:
.

> Let me give you a more or less general answer. Every car house had 
> assigned sweepers. There was equipment to take care of the snow.
>
> The basic rule prior to public ownership was simple: it was a 
> privately owned company that earned its money through fares. If it 
> failed to operate its vehicles, it made no money. Because it had fixed 
> costs, it actually lost money if it shut down in a snow storm. Private 
> companies made every attempt possible to keep running. Second point: 
> Most companies operated under franchises which stipulated monetary and 
> hidden taxes that they would pay. A very common and almost universal 
> hidden tax was that they would plow the streets after a snow.
>
> There were snow storms that Pittsburgh Railways was unable to take 
> care of ... the Thanksgiving weekend storm in 1950 comes to mind.   
> They either didn't have the equipment or the manpower to handle it and 
> it was several days before every route was opened. There were cars 
> stuck for several days in the snow. But that was an exception and not 
> the rule. If memory serves, the depth was several feet and that sort 
> of snow can immobilize any city because there is no place to put the 
> white stuff.

.
*-Somewhere-*  in my information I have a magazine article about the 
Washington Interurban in the 1950 snow.       Stalled the line and 
stranded some motormen who were invited to spend the night with locals 
along the line.       Same probably happened on the Charleroi 
line.       Any type of storm can hit some areas harder than others but 
it is probably reasonable to assume that everything PRCo was shut down 
for some time  --  some lines or areas less than others but Still Shut Down.
.
Remember watching my Dad shovel the sidewalk for that storm  --  at 
least watched his shovel as that is all that I could see!      Snow was 
piled up Mighty High!


> My own next question would be, would there have been a general plan 
> written up that listed routes in order that you plow snow. Toward that 
> end maybe we should ask Tony DiSensi at PTM what he remembers. If I 
> were part of a Keating supervisory team, for example, routes 12 and 21 
> would probably be the last two routes I would want my sweeper crews to 
> worry about. I think I would want them to do 8 first because it 
> generates the most revenue, followed by perhaps 13 and 6 and then 
> 10/15. And maybe they had such a plan.  Sadly, the last Pittsburgh 
> Railways snow was in March 1964. And most people who worked for the 
> company then are six feet under today.   It's hard to find anyone to ask.

.
What you list are North Side routes and since every barn had snow 
equipment  --  as you mention  --  each would probably have its own 
list.       Type of route would also figger into priority somewhere as 
routes primarily on city streets would be harder to plow with many 
stranded autos  --  prw lines like the Interurbans present less 
obstacles to snow clearance!


> On Jan 6, 2006, at 2:50 PM, raymond at nauticom.net wrote:
>
>> Hello. I was looking at the PTM calendar January 2006 photo and 
>> wondering if any one on this list knows how much snow fall it would 
>> take to close a route like 21 Fineview or say 40 Mt. Washington? Did 
>> the sweepers clear snow on these routes? I cant recall seeing any 
>> pictures of sweepers on these routes.
>>
>> Thanks
>> Ray
>




Jim__Holland


I__Like__Ike.......And__PCCs!!

down with pantographs ---- UP___WITH___TROLLEYPOLES!!!!!!!