[PRCo] Re: Interurban Route Speeds

[Herb Brannon]

You were probably riding on a "city" type PCC with the B2 trucks. They did bounce and sway if the operator was not careful. You could get a half-way decent ride out of a B2 equiped car if you took the time to learn the trackage and apply the brakes at those places where the most severe bouncing took place. I have said before that I prefered the 35 and 36 lines because you (at least 99% of the time) got an "interurban" type PCC with the better riding B3 trucks. Again, however, if the operator was attentive to the car, the roadbed, and the passengers then a fairly good ride could be maintained. 
Bob Dietrich <bdietrich at comcast.net> wrote:  For a time I commuted on the PCCs from Bethel Park into town. For my own
safety I always got into the center of the car, even if it meant standing
when seats were available. The motormen would wind those cars up between
Castle Shannon and Overbrook to the point where I thought they would shake
apart. The oscillation was tremendous; I wondered how anyone could sit and
read a paper during such a ride, let alone the motorman. It was all in the
track.

Bob 

-----Original Message-----
From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
[mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org] On Behalf Of Jerry
Matt Matsick
Sent: Monday, September 24, 2007 9:58 AM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: [PRCo] Re: Interurban Route Speeds

Fred your (perception is reality) is so true, I know when living and riding
the subways in
NYC the same "flying" sensation was evident, same way with the Philly
subway, now I
remember riding a car out to Paoli and thought we would take off, forgot
what line that
was back in mid 1960s? Also I was reading somewhere (hate to get off of
PRCo and into Philly traction) where the city put in or completely rebuilt
an old line (Germantown?) and
yet they are not running street cars on it? why is that?
Jerry Matsick.
--
Jerry "Matt" Matsick 
Jacksonville, Florida


-------------- Original message from fwschneider at comcast.net: --------------



> Remember too that "perception is reality." Excessive noise causes one to 
> believe they are going faster than they really are. When you are
accustomed to 
> riding in an automobile on rubber tires on an asphalt highway and you are 
> morphed into an interurban car riding on poorly maintained track, suddenly
it 
> seems like you have been placed on a rocket sled. 
> There is a document in the PTM library that establishes speed limits for 
> different portions of the PTM system. Most were because of track
conditions. 
> I do not have access to any of my files now but I do recall that motormen
were 
> told not to exceed 50 mph between Eldora Summit and Black Diamond Junction

> because of "passenger complaints." That document was issued in the days of

> 3700s and 3800s. The PCCs simply would not run that fast because, if
memory 
> serves, they had overspeed relays and would cut out. 
> 
> I recall my early perceptions about how fast the New York City subways
were. I 
> thought I must have been traveling at mile-a-minute speeds because of the
heavy 
> trucks and solid steel wheels in confined spaces. I later learned that the

> fastest part of the entire system was a short express track under the
northwest 
> side of Central Park where speeds approached 50 mph. Normal was a 30 to 40
mph 
> range. I suspect the old wooden elevated cars seldom got much over 25 but 
> their advantage was not being bogged down in traffic. 
> 
> fws3 
> 
> -------------- Original message -------------- 
> From: "Boris Cefer" 
> 
> > Some of the 1700 and 1600 series PCCs were designed to carry
acceleration up 
> > to a higher speed than the earlier models, that might be why you seemed 
> > flying. 
> > 
> > B 
> > 
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "Jerry Matt Matsick" 
> > To: 
> > Sent: Monday, September 24, 2007 1:50 AM 
> > Subject: [PRCo] Re: Interurban Route Speeds 
> > 
> > 
> > >I had the opportunity to ride the Charleroi Interurban and thinking
back 
> > >as a 10-12 year old boy, I thought the car was "flying", but in reality
it 
> > >probably wasn't, all I know on some of the open straight aways, it
seemed 
> > >like we were "flying", some thoughts on this? 
> > > and travel times from Pittsburgh to Li'l Wash and to Charleroi, the 
> > > conversations on this 
> > > group have been fantastic, keep it up! 
> > > Jerry Matsick 
> > 
> > 
> 
> 








Herb Brannon