[PRCo] Re: Pittsburgh 1948

[Edward H. Lybarger]

We have a copy of the Lougee Report in the PTM Library, and I've been
familiar with its contents, in general, for a number of years.  The study
was commissioned to determine if bus substitution would indeed be more
economical than the continuation of rail service, and Lougee's conclusion
was that in many cases the answer was "NO."

Another factor not apparent here was the reliance of fixed facilities such
as track and overhead for fare purposes.  The company was permitted a fare
which allowed X% return on its investment.  If you scrap the investment, the
rate base goes down, and the city can argue that you need a lower fare.  The
company did not want that to happen, so it naturally favored the retention
of rail wherever it could.  Those decisions often had little to do with
route length and traffic densities.

At PTM, we hammer on the theme of interpreting things in their own time.
That means you don't measure a company's actions in the 1920s or 1940s by
today's standards.  In those days, companies had to make money.  You didn't
have transit planners in the same sense as we do today in the world of
seemingly limitless subsidies.  So let's be careful how we interpret the
data if we're trying to apply any of it to the present circumstances.  That
doesn't mean that none of it fits, but you have to know what does and waht
doesn't.

Ed

-----Original Message-----
From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
[mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org]On Behalf Of Bill
Robb
Sent: Sunday, September 02, 2007 7:44 PM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: [PRCo] Pittsburgh 1948


Hi guys,
I just sent you a series of about 14-20 emails on Pittsburgh Railways in
1948.  Most of the posts were by Leroy Demery, who I believe is a transit
planner.  He's doing a research project on transit density (daily passengers
mileage/route mileage) which is a measure of how viable particular lines
are. As part of this Leroy has estimated the average travel distance. Also
included are several replies from Ed Tennyson who was employed by Pittsburgh
Railways during this time frame.  The source document is the 1949 Lougee
report on the conversion of streetcar lines to bus operations.  Enjoy!

Bill Robb





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