[PRCo] Re: Snow

[Fred Schneider]

I'M ONLY SPECULATING, JIM.   IF I WERE THE BOSS, I WOULD HAVE MY  
PRIORITIES.   I'F I WERE WORKING OUT OF HOMEWOOD, THE LAKETON ROAD  
SHUTTLE WOULD NOT BE HIGH ON THE LIST.   BUT ULTIMATELY I WOULD WANT  
IT OPEN IN ORDER TO MAKE MONEY.  I would give Trafford a lot lower  
priority than 88 Frankstown or 82 Lincoln.   Afterall, 82 Lincoln  
hauled more people per hour or per car mile than any other route in  
the system.  If I didn't get the snow plowed off that route, Palmer  
would have my ass.   Make sense?

Since some of you'ns are talking experiences in that 1950 snow.   I  
have no personal ones to relate because we moved out in 1949.   The  
snow never reached this end of the state.   But my aunt and uncle  
chose that weekend to move out of their apartment over my  
grandparents home on the northside and into their new home in  
Cheswick.  They made it, but the empty moving van never made it back  
to Pittsburgh for two days!



On Jan 6, 2006, at 4:49 PM, James B. Holland wrote:

> 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!!!!!!!
>
>