[PRCo] Shovel__Car--__--Work__Equipment

[Jim Holland]

               I have an 81 page listing of all  'Rolling__Stock'  
owned by PRCo on letter sized paper, done by typewriter, 
single-spaced.       Some of the listings are tables of cross-references 
showing the original owner and car number  (like Ardmore St. Railway;  
Pittsburgh & Birmingham St. Rwy. and their respective car numbers)  and 
the numbers assigned after  PRCo  takeover   i-f   the numbers were changed.
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               A dozen of these pages list the  'M'  equipment in 
Landscape mode so more information can be provided for each car.       
Unfortunately, I do not see the Shovel Car listed here And I do Not See 
some rail grinders that I know PRCo had.       These unlisted items may 
have been  'Miscellaneous__Equipment'  which had to be carted to the 
sight  "ON"  something else and could not operate under its own power or 
be towed at normal operating speeds among other TrolleyCar or street 
traffic as standard  'M'-cars could.       More about this later.
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               Believe that the  'M'  designation in front of a number 
on a TrolleyCar stands for  'Maintenance or Maintenance of Way'  
Equipment,  Not Miscellaneous    ----    Please Verify or Correct if 
Wrong!!!       The listings start with M1  (now at PTM)  and end with 
M701 in addition to M1276,  F1 through F9,  a few Named Vehicles,  and 
about a dozen unnumbered vehicles.       The listings are not 
consecutive but the gaps are rather insignificant and some numbers were 
used more than once.       As already mentioned, these  'M'-Cars could 
operate on their own or be towed by motor cars in mixed traffic with any 
other vehicles on streets or prw.
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               Ed made a comment the other day about one of the work 
cars that a number was only assigned to one car at a time.       I 
wondered about this comment for a while and then realized that I may 
have given the impression that more than one car could have the same 
number.       My apologies for this was not intended;  a close check of 
the dates for number usage where such was posted would reveal 
this.       Lettuce look at an example:::::::
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               There were three different TrolleyCars which bore the 
M11 number but never at the same time.       The second car to bear the 
number M11 was actually built one year before the first car to bear M11 
but the conversion of the second car to M11 didn't happen until 3-months 
after the first M11 was scrapped.
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01.>--                The Original M11 was a test car built by  PU  
(Pullman) for Pittsburgh Allegheny & Manchester St. Rwy in 1904 with 
their car number of 35.       This Test TrolleyCar was 15'6" long and 
was scrapped by Burning at Tunnel on 1926.07.21  --  that is all the 
information that is listed for this car.
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02.>--                The  2nd  M11 was built in 1903 by Laclede and was 
apparently used as passenger TrolleyCar 3271 which was converted to M11 
Meter Test on 1926.10.03,  Less__Than  3-months after the first M11 was 
scrapped.       This second M11 was scrapped by turning at Ingram on 
1946.03.06
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03.>--                The 3rd and last M11 was built in 1936 as PCC 100 
which was converted to Instruction Car M11 on 1949.06.xx
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04.>--                The 1st and 2nd M11 cars were on the property at 
the same time but sported different numbers  --  M11 and 3271.       
Three months after scrapping of the first M11 we find that 3271 was 
converted to M11.       Similar with the 2nd and 3rd M11s!!!
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UNLISTED____Equipment:
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               I do not see the  "Shovel""   that Ray discovered on 
this listing of  'M'  Cars;  I also know of rail grinders that are not 
on the list as well.       There are only 3 rail grinders listed,  ALL  
were conversions from former passenger cars  (3497,  3218,  and 3264)  
and all were scrapped by 1950.       The rail grinder I saw in operation 
in the latter 1950s was hauled to the site on a trailer behind an PRCo 
truck, had a trolley pole for its own power with a swivel wheel, would 
operate on rubber tires off and onto its trailer as well as to clear the 
track to allow a TrolleyCar to pass  (thus the Trolley Coach swivel 
wheel on the trolley pole)  And would operate at very low speeds on 
steel wheels on rail to grind the rail.       The shovel from Ray could 
probably set on rail but apparently didn't operate under its own power 
or had very limited capability so to do; it also had to be carted to the 
site  ON  some other piece of equipment.       This equipment thus did 
not qualify as  'M'  equipment as we know it but probably some 
miscellaneous category where the name of the vehicle would be sufficient 
for identification.       ED  has that list of strange equipment ready 
for sending!!!!!!!
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OVERVIEW____Of___M--Cars!!!
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M1 was a Pay car built for United Traction by Pullman in 1894!!!       
Other than being sold to  PERC  on 1949.05.02, other information is not 
listed.
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M3 was a Horsecar built in 1893 by Stephenson for United Traction as 
their number 101.       It was on display in South Park  (34 is listed 
and don't know if that was a number or the year it was taken there  --  
I remember seeing this car in South Park.       A handwritten note seems 
to indicate that it was stored after 1971 at some Village  --  doesn't 
appear to be SHV.)
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M5 thru M9 consecutively were Money cars, there were three M10s and M11s 
and M12 was a Money Car.
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M12 through M56 consecutively were Sweepers by a variety of builders and 
all but M50 through M56 were initially built for a railway other than PRCo.
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M65 thru M69 were Sprinklers.
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M80 thru M88 were Express-Work cars.
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M90 through M99 were Freight Cars.
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M100 was built for Consolidated Railway as car 199; date of building and 
conversion not listed nor is the type of work listed; scrapped 1925.02.08
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M103?  --  M104 Ash Car  --  M105 & M106?
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M110 thru M124 were Wrecker Cars.
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M125 through M134 numbers were used more than once on either a Tool Car 
or Wrecker with the last two being Traffic Painting Cars!
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M135 thru M164 were Sand Cars.
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M165 through M195 were Shifters.
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M196 through M200 were Tow Cars.
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M201 thru M209 were Tower Cars.
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M210 thru M433 were various Flats with some having Snow Scrapers Added, 
some specially used as Ash & Coal cars, several for Advertizing, a 
couple as Car Cleaner, one a Horsecar,  M280 thru M285 as Cranes, a 
couple as Wreckers, some as Line Cars and one or two for welding.       
The Original M400 was a Hand car built at Rankin  by PRCo in 1911 and 
scrapped there on 1921.03.25.
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M450 thru M459 are former 4000s and 4100s used as Snow Scrapers, also in 
towing.
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M500 thru M539 have some listed as Dump Cars, others don't indicate 
particular work specification.
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M540 through M549 find the 3 rail grinders, welding cars, rail car, 
compressor cars.
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M550 thru M555 are Dumps
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M600 thru M619 are Sand Cars.
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M700 and M701 are Rail Cars.
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M1276 was the PCC snow plow.
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F1 thru F9 were freight, with F8 and F9 Also Snow Plows.
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Plain Old  "1"  was a portable Substation.
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"Pittsburgh"  was the name of a vehicle for Officers.
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"Duquesne"  was the name of a vehicle for Officers.
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109 was an Exhibit Car.
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There were 2 Express-Work cars without M-numbers.
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There were two other cars without M-numbers and without work description.
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The final listing is for 10 cars without M-numbers which are listed as  
""Gwd.__Dinkey""
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Jim___Holland