[PRCo] A Paste from a friend on snow

[Fred Schneider]

Here is a paste from my friend Dave Hamley on the subject of  
Pittsburgh's snow sweeping. Dave is not a member of the list and  
prefers to keep his anonymity.
Undoubtedly PRCo had a "snow plan."  Just how religiously it was  
followed might be subject to doubt.  When attending Pitt in the early  
60s I often walked to Craft Ave. during open periods to observe.  On  
one occasion we had a March snowstorm that didn't begin until c.0900  
but once it got going it was really coming down.  I mushed my way to  
Craft about 2PM and took a few shots of sweepers coming out.  Some  
went OB on Forbes, some turned to Halket St.  At the switch at 5th  
Ave. a route foreman would give each one some verbal instructions off  
a clipboard as to where to take it.  About the 4th or 5th sweeper  
that came up Halket was operated by a guy I knew well as I had ridden  
his 71 car virtually every afternoon for that whole school term.  He  
was the first one sent IB on 5th Ave.  Only got about 500' when he  
was stopped by a spun-out auto.  I walked to the scene and shot it,  
whereupon the operator, out sight of the route foreman, motions me  
aboard.  Didn't have to ask twice.  That ride from there to downtown  
was an adventure.  Clipped a couple parked cars on the way, just kept  
going.  Buried countless pedestrians and snow shovelers.  When we  
reached the facing switch at the 77/54 loop (Seneca or Gist) one axle  
went each way.  Took about 5 tries to get the sweeper going straight  
down 5th.  When we got to about the 1000 block things came to a  
complete halt.  I thanked him and walked from there to the PRR  
station.  The local to Aspinwall was SRO, but I got to stand in the  
first vestabule right behind the RS3, so it wasn't all that bad.   
Only 5 min late to Aspinwall.  PRCo was in gridlock by then.  Pitt  
called off classes the next two days.