[PRCo] Re: Drum__Brakes_--_All-Electrics,__etc........

[Fred Schneider]

Why would you expect the hand brakes to be effective?  They only work  
on the front truck.  There was no easy way to channel the brake cable  
the length of the car.   Too much other stuff under a PCC.   Ah, I'll  
bet the instructors never told you.

My question would be why did you loose air unless you were running  
the car all the way down the hill below the threshold where the  
dynamics cut out ... say below 8 to 10 mph with most air cars.   Some  
Pittsburgh cars had extended dynamic brakes but I think they were  
mostly on 1400s and 1500s.   Some of that is archived on a list I  
sent around.   The compressors on PCC cars were not designed to put  
out a large volume of air that would be needed to stop a car without  
dynamics but then you don't need a large volume of air on a PCC ...  
just enough to bring it down from 10 mph to a stop and hold it.   You  
don't have a lot of problems with stupid operators fanning air like  
you do in New Orleans.   Therefore I'm questioning if there was a  
compressor failure or a bad air leak.   You're talking the PAT era so  
my reaction is "anything maintenance failure could have happened."   
I'm not willing to blame the car's design.

f3

On May 26, 2007, at 9:47 PM, Herb Brannon wrote:

> Strictly from a PCC operators viewpoint and in regard to New  
> Arlington Avenue, I would always change out a 1600series Air- 
> Electric for a 1700series All-Electric when working the 49 line. I  
> never had a problem with the All-Electrics holding on the hill. In  
> fact, the only problem I ever had was with 1776 the AIR car, after  
> its number was changed and it was painted red/white/blue for the  
> U.S. Bicentennial. It lost enough air pressure one time going down  
> the hill that I had to use the hand brake to get it stopped. BTW,  
> the hand brakes are not THAT effective. I recall slowly 'gliding'  
> through the red traffic signal at the intersection of New Arlington  
> and the McArtle Roadway. It was night and auto traffic was light.
>
>
> Jim Holland <PRCoPCC at P-R-Co.com> wrote:
>   .
> And a year later (1959) Rocky Engleman from Baltimore chartered
> PRCo__All_Electric__PCC__Interurban__1709 and we did not experience  
> any
> problems on any hills, Fineview and New Arlington included. Believe  
> the
> pole dewired through the frog entering single track upgrade on New
> Arlington and the car stopped and held just fine. I was sitting in the
> back seat so reset the retriever and replaced the pole by reaching
> through the window!
> .
> A-N-D__.......-- This Info has been disgusted here before so it IS in
> Noah's Ark Ives for this list!
> .
> .
>
> Rise Up -- Go Cavs
>   Herb Brannon
>
>
>