[PRCo] Re: Good Old Days

[Edward H. Lybarger]

Roth Carpet is indeed still in business.

Nice memoirs!

-----Original Message-----
From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
[mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org]On Behalf Of Jim
Holland
Sent: Friday, August 31, 2007 7:31 AM
To: - 1714 PRCo__WP__JTC -
Subject: [PRCo] Re: Good Old Days


 > Dennis Fred Cramer wrote::
.
 > Ah yes! We all get to remember the good old days focusing on those 
things we knew and loved.

-------  [snipped]  -------

 > I miss the orange sky's at night in the Mon Valley. I did get to ride 
the Jack Rabbit, Racer, walk through Noah's Ark and ride the train at 
Kennywood last Sunday. That will probably be the last time I go. I 
stopped paying to go to amusement parks long ago and my job is the 
reason I still attend.

 > Those of us in the world who have positive thoughts, that includes 
those on this list, remember the good and the bad. We just tend to focus 
much more on the positive. I think it has something to do with education 
level and life experience.
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Individuality and gifts of the individual determine the thoughts  --  
And Quite Often many people with lives that would be considered 
absolutely horrible by the masses have Nothing But Pleasant 
Thoughts!~!~!     Tough Times and Challenges are very often Quite 
Humbling and are the stuff that build Character!~!~!      A Big Theme of 
the 1950s was that Parents didn't want their Chilli Peppers to go 
through what they went through.     Unfortunately, this is Bad!~!~!     
Challenges are real and having a parent Stand By // Beside for guidance  
*-Through-*  Challenges rather than avoiding same is  THE  best way to 
build character.
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West View Coaster nothing to sneeze at  --  excellent ride as well.
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Picnics in North Park with::
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.......those Angelic Deviled Eggs!~!~!
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.......Chipped Ham from Isaly's in Sandwiches
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.......Heinz Pickles to Top Off the Sandwiches!~!~!
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.......Heinz Ketchup and Mustard on those Sandwiches as well!~!~!
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.......Real HomeMade Potato Salad!~!~!
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.......""The__Dad's""  Playing Ball  --  or attempting to!~!~!
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.......or  ""The__Dad's"" taking out the canoe, and swamping it!~!~!
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Remember debut of 7-Up in Pittsburgh  --  SinFully Delicious and 
definitely different from Coca-Cola!
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The Big Isaly's Plant with what seemed like Miles and Miles of seating 
at what looked like student desks!~!~!
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Coca-Cola - """50-million times a day, at home at work or on the way, 
everyone drinks Coca-Cola, everyone drinks Coke!~!~!"""      This Jingle 
Actually a part of Coke advertizing in the 1950s!
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Get your rugs cleaned at Roth  --  Emerson 2-2800  (Zeros pronounced as 
Ohs! in this TV Jingle which I can Still Recite To This Day  --  Are 
they still in Beezness?~!~?)
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The Hot Dog stand in E.Liberty that claimed to have sold millions of 
Foot Long Hot Dogs.
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The roller skating rink nearby where USS often had Family Night!~!~!
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Running with my Aunt for the TrolleyCar  --  Ops  *-Always-*  Stopped 
for her!~!~!
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Mom taking my sister and I for a ride on the 87-Ardmore Just To Ride The 
TrolleyCar!
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Mom and Dad taking my Sister and I on the Washington Interurban before 
it was cut back!~!~!
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.......Distinctly remember the Houston Leap!     We were heading 
southbound, took quite sharp left turn at considerable speed and 
remember thinking that a city trolleycar would easily dewire at such 
speed.     We raced across this trestle and dropped so fast into Grant 
at the other end that it left the stomach in the air  --  m~u~c~h  
better than Any Roller Coaster!~!~!       Motormen probably did this 
porpoisely!~!~!
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.......As was typical with our family, we had to run to catch the 
Interurban Already Backing out of the wye!~!~!
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.......On the way back my father had to ask the motorman to stop the car 
so he could take me Out In The Bushes!     """Not On The 
Wheels!~!~!"""     exclaimed my father!~!~!
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Riding by Richfol in the Family car Multitudes of Times!~!~!
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Visiting Cousins near Pleasant Hills and riding out along the Charleroi 
Interurban in various places.
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Downtown shopping with Mom and Insisting that we wait for one of the Old 
TrolleyCars in rush hour to ride home.     She didn't like that as she 
got her heels caught in the slatted floor  --  but we did ride one of 
those Old TrolleyCars Home!~!~!
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Mom and I walking to Horne's - more like she was dragging me - as I saw 
an Interurban coming along Wood and wanted to wait and watch it go by!~!~!
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Clark Candy Bars!~!~!     *-AYE-*  --  Want  A  Clark  Bar!~!~!
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Annual School Picnic where Dormont Chartered about 20 TrolleyCars for 
the ride to Kennywood - quite a sight to see them all come out the 
38-Mt.Lebanon line - we loaded in front of the Presbyterian Church on 
Washington Rd just opposite Bower Hill Rd  (and inside Mt.Lebanon, Not 
Dormont!~!~!)
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HORRIBLE    1955 TrolleyCar Fire in Homewood  --  Paternal Grandparents 
lived just 3-blocks away.     I saw the carnage firsthand!~!~!
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Candle Light Christmas Eve Service at the Lutheran Church on Grant 
Street at Midnight followed by Dinner downtown!     Then riding the 
42/38 Owl TrolleyCar Home  --  The Only Time we saw 42/38 on a 42-car in 
Real TrolleyCar Days!~!~!     Had to catch it on Smithfield or Wood, Not 
Grant!~!~!
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Riding my first PERC charter on M11  --  That Accelerator Got Hellishly 
Hot!~!~!      We went out on Library Interurban, had M11 flat out on the 
floor coming back in but the Revenue Car from Library caught us at 
Shannon!~!~!     We backed into 37-loop to allow Revenue car to pass.
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Riding on a Baltimore charter on PRCo with Rocky Engleman on 1646 and 
1709  --  operator looked and talked like actor Lee Marvin, was former 
Interurban operator to Charleroi // Washington, and was featured in 
newspaper with photo for their annual former Interurban Operator 
Get-Together.     Op allowed Rocky to run the Interurban in Buttermilk 
Hollow on the 56-McKeesport.     Have much of this on movie film and video.
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On the above charter we went outbound on the 10-West View and Inbound on 
the 15.     We charged down the center of highway prw toward one of the 
Very High TrolleyCar trestles converted to accept rubber tired vehicles 
and the Out of State auto approaching from the other side backed off the 
trestle when he saw the Interurban coming At Very Real Speed!~!~!
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Racing outbound on Forbes(?~?  --  64/67 lines)  and crossing trestle 
over Frick Park and Passing All Traffic on the above Charter!~!~!
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My Dad and I going from Dormont to Homewood by TrolleyCar to visit 
Paternal GrandParents.     Coming home we get off at 10th, walk up to 
and along Liberty to Smithfield where we spy a 42 about to turn onto 7th 
- we bolt to catch the car only to watch it Split The Switch with the 
back end heading straight down Smithfield.     So Much For Our Ride 
Home!~!~!
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Going to Grandma's myself on the 88 and racing out Liberty along the PRR 
retaining wall  --  Really Racing in an old 1000-series car as there had 
been a delay.
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Dad and I going to Forbes Field on TrolleyCar to watch Pirates - coming 
home on 42-Dormont 1454  (house number across the street from us - 
reason I remember the car number on this one!~!~!)  the trolley pole 
dewired outbound at Dawn Jct  --  donut remember NoThing about the game 
except that it was Very Slow!!!
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Could tell series of PRCo PCC from 1/4-mile away and could tell series 
by sound!~!~!
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Remember 1601-series Interurban filling in as tripper on 42-Dormont 
Displaying  PITTSBURGH  in the destination sign because it Didn't Not 
have a 42-sign  (yet!)  --  Interurbans originally sported destinations 
strictly for Interurban lines Only until some time Well After cutback in 
1953.
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Remember the Interurbans using the 38-Mt.Lebanon back to the barn in the 
PM rush hour.      Would try to catch one of the Interurbans if going to 
an PRMA meeting at the downtown Y.
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Remember riding PCC Interurban 1705 inbound on the 42-Dormont when going 
to PRMA meeting downtown on one very snowy evening  --  Op told me they 
put the Interurbans out on the other lines after the rush hour because 
they were Heavier and tracked better in the snow.     Think he tried to 
Snow Me with that one as the 17-series Interurbans were about 500-pounds 
lighter than the City Cars!~!~!
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Gulf Building Weather forecasting  --  blue / red, solid / flashing  --  
never could remember what it meant and was Much Easier Just To Look At 
The Sky to see what was Happening!~!~!
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Pirates winning Series in 1959 caused Gridlock in the city and a few 
deaths because ticker tape thrown out windows locked up TrolleyCar 
wheels which burned Overhead Down with 600-volt wire landing on lady - 
TrolleyCar service essentially shut down.
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Pleasantness of TrolleyCar ride through Tunnel in Summer!~!~!
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Beautiful smell of Ozone in Mt.Washington TrolleyCar Tunnel!~!~!     
That's a High to be Experienced!~!~!
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Riding 1723 outbound on Drake one Mother's Day when she split the switch 
at Bon Air  --  rear truck went on the ground and back wheel ran up on 
track brake which stopped us Instantly.     Many people, esp kids, hit 
their mouth on the seat in front.     I was sitting in center of back 
seat and found myself running up the aisle!~!~!
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Walked back to SHJ to find a Drake Car Sub for 1723 having been sent 
around town just coming out of Tunnel.     Jumped on board and rode 
outbound Express on the 38-Mt.Lebanon.      Motorman normally a sleeper 
but he Really Moved It!       Had it on the floor into one of the broad 
sweeping curves to the right  --  Interurban heaved to the left, 
motorman released the power, car then leaned to the right, motorman put 
power back on floor, Interurban leaned back to left and stayed there as 
we negotiated the curve At Speed!~!~!
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Auto parked on track at Clearview Loop so motorman blasted away on the 
Horn.     Chinese Laundryman came racing out of his shop totally panic 
struck at a TrolleyCar Honking at his auto!~!~!      Someone was at 
Shannon to set switches so we went straight outbound to Wash Jct without 
having to back around Shannon loop.       When we got to Highway 51 
crossing inbound the disabled 1723 had just cleared the single 
track!~!~!       (Motorman was operating 1601-Interurban on Dinky when 
it had cornfield meet with 1261!~!~!     Said it looked like it was 
coming at him sideways it was such a surprize - coming around one of the 
gentle curves!~!~!     Nachod Failure!~!~!)
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Riding in Family 52-Chevy one summer along 88 at Pioneer Ave  (Elwynn 
Stop on Interurban)  with all windows down about twilight - most 
vehicles had lights on but wasn't really  *-necessary-*  yet.     We 
were stopped in heavy traffic when we heard the thunder of an 
approaching 17-Interurban  --  Roof Light Lit.      It hit the trestle 
at speed with Roaring Thunder, back end bounced up and down, trolley 
pole appeared to scrape along low overhead causing a fireworks type 
display, pole never dewired, and PCC Interurban thundered off faster 
than it arrived on scene.     """Wish we had been on that 
TrolleyCar!~!~!"""   Exclaimed Mom.
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Mom and Aunt would Always Say that Half the fun in going to picnics was 
the ride on the TrolleyCar!~!~!
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Would be Gopher for motormen in the summer and would ride Many Round 
Trips on the *-Cars-*!~!~!
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It was Extremely Rare to experience a Trolley Pole Dewirement in 
Pittsburgh  --  probably saw / experienced as many trolley pole 
dewirements daily here in San Francisco in mid 1970s as I did for first 
20-years of life in Pittsburgh!~!~!      Trolley Overhead in SF in 1970s 
was absolutely abysmal!
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A~L~L    this is Just The Tip Of The Iceberg  --  There  I~S  Much  
More!~!~!
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Jim__Holland