[PRCo] Re: Real Tales--No. 1/Unscheduled Meet

[hrbran99 at adelphia.net]

It was the one at the top, according to the line crew. When the wind would gust, contact was made and cars were counted out, by the upper outbound contactor,  even though they had just entered the single track. A very serious problem that went unchecked until Daria Washington and I had the meet!! Typical transit authority (all of them, not just PAT) non-attention to any problem. 
--
HrB

---- Jim Holland <prcopcc at p-r-co.com> wrote: 
> 
> > hrbran99 at adelphia.net wrote:
> > .
> >
> >>> ... Daria Washington had come to the single track, got a 'good' 
> >>> light and proceeded down the hill. The wind was heavy with gusts. A 
> >>> hard gust of wind came along and made the overhead wires bounce. 
> >>> They bounced so much that the old, well worn contactor made contact 
> >>> with itself (You need to know exactly how these contactors worked to 
> >>> understand what happened) and counted her car out even though she 
> >>> was still coming down the hill. I approached the single track at the 
> >>> bottom and came upon a dark light. When my trolley pole ran through 
> >>> the contactors the signal came to life and counted me in as it 
> >>> should. Do to the curves in Arlington Avenue I could not see Daria 
> >>> until after I got in the single track and she rounded the last curve 
> >>> near McArtle Roadway......
> >>>
> >>> Herb
> >>> HrB
> >>
> 
> >>> Jim Holland wrote:
> >>
> > .
> > ... PCC Car Fought Back pg.196 shows PCC Interurban 1707 just below 
> > one of these contactors in Allenport. Pg.189 top shows a variation of 
> > this type contactor.
> > .
> > In PCC Coast to Coast is a similar contactor pg.153 top right.
> > .
> > http://206.103.49.193/pitts/htm/bvp140.htm -- at the siding on the 49 
> > on Climax these contactors are in evidence.
> > .
> > http://206.103.49.193/pitts/htm/bvp082.htm -- on the Dinky Track at 
> > Castle Shannon!!
> > .
> > It Would Seem that the contactor that failed was the Count Out 
> > Contactor near Carson -- failure at the Count In Contactor where it 
> > keeps touching the overhead would continually count cars into the 
> > single track. Failure at the Exit Contactor near Carson would count 
> > the cars out.
> 
> .
> Been giving this one some thought  --  could be count out contactor at 
> the top of the hill failed and counted out the car that the one Count In 
> Copntactor adjacent had just counted in  --  i.e., any count out 
> contactor would count out a car from either direction.       What caused 
> me to reconsider is that work equipment would reverse at sidings to 
> clear the line to allow a following or opposing vehicle to pass.       
> Work car goes into the siding, then exits siding on the far end, 
> reverses, and reenters the siding.       Those track sections operated 
> by Nachod would then have overhead contactors and it is  *_Possible_*   
> that any count out contactor would do so for any car counted into the 
> system.       Thus the work car would set the opposing Nachod to red and 
> by backing through the adjacent count out contactor for the opposing 
> position would then cancel that red.       O--R       there is a reset 
> switch at each siding for such purposes!
> .
> Maybe Ed has such Info!!!
> .
> .
> .
> Jim___Holland
> 
> 
>