[PRCo] Re: Active PRCo PCCs?

[Fred Schneider]

Jerry:

I'm going to admit to limited intelligence in this area and leave  
others fill in the blanks.   I'll start and admit that I know little  
on what has happened over the last 30 odd years.

There is a regauged and operable PRC 1400 at Seashore and it has been  
there since the middle 1960s.  It looked nice when first repainted at  
Seashore circa 1969 but looked pretty bad when I saw it when we took  
Boris up two years ago.

I think Worthington had a Pittsburgh PCC but I have limited knowledge  
of what has happened to much of their fleet other than the knowledge  
that the steam types have gained control at the expense of the  
trolley enthusiasts.
The restored CD&M interurban, the C&LE Red Devil, and the restored  
Columbus city car have been reported in shambles.   The Kansas City  
Birney was stripped so that Fort Smith, Ark. could get the electrical  
and mechanical parts to restore a Fort Smith Light and Power Co.  
body.   So if there is a Pittsburgh car at Worthington ... well, you  
get the picture.

There was someone else out in Ohio that had some Shaker Heights and  
possibly some Pittsburgh cars.

And there is our friend Ed Mitchell down in Uniontown who was  
creating his own ferrous-oxide deposit.

And you know PTM has 1138, 1467, 1614 (1799), 1711.    Did I miss  
anything.   That's probably already two cars too many.    Oh, yes,  
the 4000 series rebuild ... three cars too many.

In deference to PCCs, at least they can be made to run in the future,  
which is more than we can say for cars built after 1970 with  
electronics.   Those new LRVs in museums will simply be static  
displays unless the museums have the software and computers to debug  
them when the break down, and the computer chips, control cards, and  
so forth.   It will not be like casting new bronze control tips to  
keep a K-35 controller working.    The Birney I'm responsible for in  
Manheim burnt out a resistance grid on Saturday ... I  can find a  
replacement for that and keep the car running.   But a simple failure  
on some of those newer cars will be a permanent failure.

fws



On Nov 14, 2006, at 3:45 PM, <mtoytrain at bellsouth.net> wrote:

> In as much as there are no "active" or operating PCC street Cars in  
> Pittsburgh are there any of the PRC PCCs active anywhere,  Also  
> what Trolley museums would one be able to find a car.  I understand  
> the Heinz Museum? in downtown Pittsburgh has a refurbished car/    
> Any response
> is appreciated.
>
> Jerry Matsick
> in Trackless Jacksonville
>
>