[PRCo] Re: PRCo

[Boris Cefer]

They should be able to hold an empty 17xx even on Fineview when adjusted 
properly. But with more than 20 passengers onboard it migt be a problem!
The interurban 17s had different shaft brakes than the city 17s.

B

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fred Schneider" <fwschneider at comcast.net>
To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 9:03 PM
Subject: [PRCo] Re: PRCo


> There was, by the way, a study written by Transit Research
> Corporation in 1940 that compared the St. Louis 1500s with spring
> applied shaft or drum brakes with the air cars and the conclusion was
> that spring brakes would not work on all of Pittsburgh's grades.
> They did seem to work satisfactorily on most lines, however.   I can
> assure you that they did not work well on Fineview because I arranged
> to take 1707 up there in 1958 and the shaft brakes were inadequate to
> hold it.   PRC normally rate 1600 air cars on it with boosted air
> pressure.   PAT apparently had some dissatisfaction with 1700s on Old
> Washington Road (Arlington Avenue) on the tunnel bypass although we
> know they ran there all the time and that grade was not as steep as
> roue 8 that had 1700s all the time.