[PRCo] Re: Cleveland

[Herb Brannon]

WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING
  USE 'DELETE' KEY IF NOT INTERESTED IN CLEVELAND
Jim Holland <prcopcc at p-r-co.com> wrote:
    
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NOTE: Am including several photos to Set The Stage for 
Cleveland. PRCo 1095 was shipped to Cleveland for Demon. purposes 
and was Even Repainted into Camouflage colors for that demon.
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  PCC From Coast to Coast has, in addition to the photo outside Rocky River Station, a photo of the interior of that car. It was the dark mohair with the art deco wavy lines in a light color. Also, when the car arrived in Cleveland it was repainted in the light green/dark green/gray Raymond Lowey design. (Raymond Lowey was a nationally known and respected industrial designer of that era.) Also, and I believe we may have discussed this several years ago, a conductors station was built into the car. Thus, in Cleveland, it was a "Peter Witt" type PCC. The car stayed in Cleveland (with Washington, DC standard guage trucks) for forty-seven days beginning sometime in Fall, 1938.
  
SF has 24-hour service on over a dozen routes and some of the Owls are 
combinations of several routes with a new number. We even have 
crosstown routes with Owls. We have 24-hour rail lines but they 
are worked by motor coaches for Owls; 5-, 14-, 22-, 24-Trolley Coach 
Lines are Owls and parts of other TC lines are included in other Owl 
Lines. SF is a small area -- 7-miles each way!!
   
  No rail service in the 'owl' period here. All bus. One crosstown line runs 24/7. The remainder are through from Public Square.
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My line, 3-Jackson, runs Pacific Heights -- Getty and the likes live 
up here, Not that he rides the bus!! When they changed the 
41-Union trolley coach to rush hour only in 1988, a former 24-hour line, 
they had to add extra Very Early Morning runs to accommodate the Stock 
Brokers who complained they didn't not have a ride downtown!!!
  Bay Village, Beechwood, Olmstead Falls, Chagrin Falls, and a few other  very "upscale'' suburban towns give a good number of weekday am/pm peak riders to and from the city. 

BRT is being considered for Van Ness, THE highway 101 in SF as we have 
very little in the way of Freeways In The City, and BRT being 
considered for Geary as well.
   
  I live on Prospect Avenue (one block south of Euclid Avenue) in downtown. Euclid has been completely torn up for over one year from Public Square to East 105th St. It is now beginning to come together. The vehicles (MAN BRT type buses w/ doors on both sides) are being constructed now. It should be a good system when it begins operation in 2008. 
   
  > new equipment (buses) are purchased annually;
This is Highly Unusual.
   
  Prior to 1999 the RTA bus fleet was made up of 'museum' quality vehicles. It looked like San Francisco in the 1960's/70's when all the Muni Mack and GM old looks were running. Every year since 1999 at least 65 buses have been purchased. These fleets include the 9900/1000/2100/2200/2300/2400/2500/2600/2700 and 2800 series. 

  We 'usually' have a General Annually where we can change Barns AND 
we take our seniority with us. Some places allow changing barns 
but then seniority starts Over from the Bottom at the new 
location!!! I am #0002 in my division -- Presidio Trolley 
Coaches -- and about #0014 out of 2200 on the whole system.
   
  Lucky you! Nice senority numbers!!!! I am 250 out of 405 at Harvard Station. Although I am trying to get transfered to rail operator do to my asthma. The smoke, dust, and fumes in the garage every morning do a number on my breathing. Hopefully I will get the transfer. My Station Superintendent just last week OKed the request. Now it goes to the head office for approval. 
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> Will tackle the SHRT question later.

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Look forward to this!!!
   
  SHRT will come later. Must keep this Cleveland thread going. I'm sure everyone on the list is 'all ears.'
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Included are 3-photos:::::::
   
  I will check out the overhead wiring items you wrote about. Will check other photos for similar. Thanks for the pics.
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Herb Brannon