[PRCo] Re: Conductor Question

[Herb Brannon]

When I operated streetcars for PAT everything, of course, ran to or by SHJct. Therefore every time an operator change (called a "relief" -- and the place where it occurs is called a "relief point") took place it was at SHJct. When the entire PRCo system was operating the "relief points" were scattered over the city but as close to the car house as possible. This, of course, because not all car lines operating out of, say, Craft Avenue Car House, ran past Craft Avenue. Sometimes an operator would walk over to Fifth to "relieve" another operator on 71/73/75/76. Sometimes the relief was through the use of a "NSV", or Non-Service Vehicle. This was a bus, trolley, or other type NSV such as an auto which the operator making the "relief" would drive/operate to the "relief point". There the operator coming off-duty would take the "NSV" back to the car house.
   
  Just yesterday, here in Cleveland my run for the day was: 
  4:14PM--Leave Harvard Ave Garage with a "fresh" bus for rts 20A and 45R
  6:53PM--Get "relieved" by another operator at Public Square
  7:08PM--"Relieve" an in-service operator at City Hall
  12:44AM-Arrive Harvard Ave Garage and put bus in "Service Line" for cleaning/fuel/etc.
   
  It depends on the transit authority and the labor agreement as to how operators are to make and get paid for these "reliefs" and how they get to the "relief point". Pittsburgh uses the "NSV", Cleveland does not. Pittsburgh pays the operator for the time it takes to get from the garage/car house to the "relief point". Cleveland does not. Guess who has the better labor agreement? The Pittsburgh ATU local (#85) is one of the best, for the operator and mechanic, in the U.S. and Canada.
   
  Yes, you were correct. Most reliefs were at or near the car house. 
Joshua Dunfield <joshuad at cs.cmu.edu> wrote:
  
I don't know, but I'm forwarding this to the "PRCo" list, whose members no
doubt have the answer.

Best,
-j.

KJMDZME at aol.com wrote:
> I had a conversation with my Dad and Husband about Streetcar Conductors in 
> the past. I remember riding in street cars and having a "changing of the 
> guard" in other words a driver would get on and replace the other driver who 
> would get off. Bus drivers may have done this too in the past. I could be 
> mixing the two up in my memory. I was fairly young when the switch from 
> streetcars to buses happened. 
> 
> I pretty much road the Brighton Rd bus and streetcar before that and am not 
> sure if they switched out on the route or downtown. I am thinking it was 
> downtown. I even remember them carrying their little satchels and maybe some 
> even had seat cushions. 
> 
> My Dad doesn't seem to agree with me. I went online to research a little 
> and came upon your site about the Loops and so am asking you if you know about 
> how drivers switched off and on back then. My Dad seems to think they did it 
> back at the car barn.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Karen Z
> 
> 
> 
> ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.




Herb Brannon