[PRCo] Re: Restored Signals

[Fred Schneider]

Herb went around the East Loop and commented that the track gauge was  
a little tight ... that he could feel it in his bones.   I had to  
agree with him.    I felt bad taking the car away from him when we  
crossed North Main Street but rules are rules.   Truth of the matter  
is we have both had about 20 years running streetcars but my 20 years  
in museums ... in miles ... is about equivalent to 20 to 25 days of  
his years.   I'm not the least bit surprised that Herb hasn't  
forgotten.  That was why when Merritt Taylor, Jr. of Red Arrow, their  
last President, came to rededicate the rebuilt No. 78, he sat down at  
the controls and ran it like he had just gotten out the seat at the  
end of his shift the night before.   His father told him he could be  
president but he had to also learn to be a janitor and a motorman and  
a bus driver and all the other jobs first.  And if you do them all  
well enough and long enough, you don't forget.

And after four days at PTM it begins to feel like working for a  
living.....

It was nice having you Herb.   And I hope we'll all see you in November.

Mark:   I believe an operator dropped sand which insulated a car from  
the rails and gave an opposing operator a clear signal coming into  
the block.   They met head on and locked horns ... two 3700s at  
Brookside ... Ed could fill in the details.   I think both cars burnt  
up.  I've seen the newspaper account.  I also remember someone  
telling me a tale about garter snakes in a relay case but I'm more  
likely to believe the sand.

fws

On May 13, 2007, at 2:54 PM, Herb Brannon wrote:

> Fred is at PRM today, maybe tomorrow too. I saw him yesterday and  
> rode with him on the New Orleans car. He also rode with me on PRCo/ 
> PAT pcc 1711 !!!! I got in the seat and ran the car as if there had  
> only been 24-hours since the last time I ran a pcc. However, it had  
> been 24-years. Just like riding a bicycle..............you never  
> forget how to do it.
> Fred will probably be back online tomorrow or Tuesday.
>
>
> Herb Brannon


>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Mark McGuire <macmarka at netzero.net>
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2007 1:22:52 PM
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Restored Signals
>
>
> I'm not familiar with the accident north of Drake, Fred. Please
> explain. Thanks!
>
>                              Mark
>
> -- Fred Schneider <fwschneider at comcast.net> wrote:
> Does that include "Don't drop sand?"    <I'm grinning but only
> partly
> so.>
>
> I guess I'm a little skeptical of color light signals on a museum
> trolley line knowing how much trouble railroads had with signals if
> the rail wasn't heavily used and polished.   The big boys never had
> a
> problem with 50 car freight trains or 15 car passenger trains ...
> there were enough axles and wheels to shunt signal circuits.  The
> problem happened when you had a single switch engine or an gas-
> electric car or an RDC car or a trolley car with only two or four
> axles and four or eight wheels and rail that was used infrequently
> and was rusty.   And then someone got a clear block when he should
> not have.
>
>   I remember that CORK interlocking tower on the PRR used to have
> "RUSTY RAIL" clips that could be placed over signal levers as a
> reminder not to trust certain signals if they hadn't had a train
> over
> them in a while.   The Reading Company used to have selected RDC
> cars
> that were allowed to be used as singles between Reading, Schuylkill
> Haven and Pottsville that had tread brakes that were used to polish
> the wheels to make sure the signal circuits worked.   And we all
> know
> the story of the accident north of Drake caused by sand left on the
> rails that shorted out the signals and gave a motorman a clear block
> when someone else was in it.   The people who worked in this
> business
> for a living understood the pitfalls.
>
> Frankly, I don't think I'm going to trust the US&S signals any more
> than I do the Nachods, especially after a week of rain or in the
> first months of the year when we're not running a seven day week.
> They were semi OK for Pittsburgh Railways because they ran a minimum
> of four cars an hour, 18 to 20 hours a day through each block and
> because the motorman also knew from experience where they were
> supposed to pass a car and if they didn't see the car, they got
> antsy
> and got on the horn and asked the dispatcher.    When we have 7
> visitors on a Friday in May after the April rains ...  Let me ponder
> that situation.
>
> There is still no substitute for knowing where every car on the
> museum property is at any given moment.    Beats paying claims.
>
> On May 8, 2007, at 5:52 PM, Edward H. Lybarger wrote:
>
>> Jeff King has already done this (the rules, that is).
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
>> [mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org]On Behalf Of
>> Fred
>> Schneider
>> Sent: Monday, May 07, 2007 4:33 PM
>> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Restored Signals
>>
>>
>> They're winking and blinking but I asked Tim if I had to pay
>> attention to them this coming weekend and he said they are not
>> officially being used yet.  Only a few of us who knew Pittsburgh
>> Railways would understand how to use them anyway.   He'll have to
>> create a new rule book before County Home siding can be placed in
>> service.
>>
>> On May 7, 2007, at 12:15 PM, Matt Barry wrote:
>>
>>> Story on the restored signals at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum,
>>> with
>>> pictures.
>>>
>>> http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/mostread/
>>> s_506278.html
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>