[PRCo] Welcome Phil.

Fri Sep 28 11:50:48 EDT 2007

Phil and the rest of you:
Fred isn't gun shy about the list.   Some of you know what has happened to Fred and some don't.  Fred was evicted from his home two weeks ago  by his wife of 37 years under court order.   He is now living in an apartment and finding out who his friends and enemies are.  He just can't routinely participate.   He is trying to buy furniture, pots, pans, got to court appointments, the normal routine doctors appointments, and try to keep a decent mental outlook.

Some of you guys like Bob and Mark and Rich Allman and Ken and Herb knew about it off list.

So far he has found some wonderful friends.   His heartfelt thanks go out to his long time friend Ed Lybarger who drove from Pittsburgh dragged most of his clothes and computers out of the house last weekend.   I expect to have the computer on line Monday afternoon.   In the meantime, the manager at the Travelodge where I stayed for two weeks is generous enough to allow me to pop in from time to time and check my e-mails.  There are also some wonderful people in my church and some great people on my high school 50th class reunion committee who have been very non judgemental.   

But Fred doesn't have access to the route cards, his photo files or anything else.   However, his bride did tell Ed that she understands that I wanted everything to eventually go to the PTM library and she doesn't plan to make that an issue.   But there are psychological issues ... when you can't use the files, have no cable connected, etc., etc., etc. ... it's hard to do much in the evening except curl up and go to sleep.    

More often than not I find myself at a local Chinese restaurant that I'm been patronizing for more than 20 years because I have always felt like part of the family ... a place where I don't sit with the regular customers but with the owners and the waiters.   I remember the day when I ordered something totally off the wall and the owner came out of the kitchen to find out who ordered it before wasting stock making it, his wife pointed to me, and he muttered, "Oh, he's half Chinese anyway."   I took it as a compliment.   They help to keep my spirits up.   Mama called me Pop the last night.   Smiled.  Said I'm her family.     The people at the local Indian restaurant are just as nice.

OK guys.   I always said we were friends on this list.   So this blather has nothing to do with Pittsburgh Railways.   It just has to do with one of us on a downer.   

Life will get better.   It always does.   And it's a lot better today than it was two weeks ago.   This is really an after the fact explanation of why I haven't been as active on the list.

Now, Phil, tell us about yourself.

Fred Schneider 

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: "Bob Dietrich" <bdietrich at comcast.net> 

> Phil: 
> 
> Are you new to the list? If so welcome, it is always good to get new, 
> knowledgeable, members. My guess is Fred III is a little gun shy because a 
> little while ago one of the members changed e-mail addresses and Fred 
> thought he was a new member. Your explanation sounds very much like what 
> Herb Brennan would say so the mistake is understandable - at least it is to 
> me. 
> 
> Could you introduce yourself - where did all that knowledge come from? 
> 
> Bob Dietrich 
> 
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org 
> [mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org] On Behalf Of Phillip 
> Clark Campbell 
> Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2007 5:13 PM 
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org 
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Derail 
> 
> My name is Phil isn't it. 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ---- 
> From: "fwschneider at comcast.net" 
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org 
> Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2007 1:49:10 PM 
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Derail 
> 
> Ah, but some, like the one on Fineview were simply sprung to restore to the 
> derail position after the car went through it. Such derails were used to 
> prevent cars from rolling backwards. 
> I thought the one at Tunnel was a timed derail using two contactors but Herb 
> appears to have corrected that false impression. 
> -------------- Original message -------------- 
> From: "Boris Cefer" 
> 
> > Yes, Fineview had a derail on Carrie Way. An another derail that "I 
> > remember" was on 5-Spring Hill near the foot of Itin Street. 
> > Thanks for the description! I haven't heard it yet. 
> > 
> > Boris 
> > 
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "Phillip Clark Campbell" 
> > To: 
> > Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 9:10 PM 
> > Subject: [PRCo] Re: Derail 
> > 
> > 
> > > The derail worked similarly to any track switch in that it was 
> controlled 
> > > by the operator through a contactor in the overhead. For Prc it was 
> > > coast through the contactor to set/maintain the straight through or draw 
> 
> > > current through the contactor to set/maintain a diverge movement at 
> > > turnouts on the system. 
> > > 
> > > The Derail was a special situation - it was a diverge movement to derail 
> 
> > > and a straight through movement into the tunnel when set properly but it 
> 
> > > was necessary to draw current through the contactor to set for this 
> > > straight through movement. This was a spot for crew changes wasn't it 
> > > and if a car rolled when the operator was not present it would coast 
> under 
> > > the contactor and not set the point to travel into the tunnel - the car 
> > > would technically derail but there was a block there to prevent this and 
> 
> > > stop the car instead. 
> > > 
> > > On the old cars the operator could use a combination of power and brake 
> > > simultaneously to draw the current through the contactor; on Prc Pccs 
> > > there was a toggle on the dash which drew current through a resistor to 
> > > set points for diverge. It was forbidden on Prc Pccs to set points by 
> > > using the power pedal. Thus the operator had to take specific action to 
> > > set the point straight at the derail. 
> > > 
> > > The derail had a time delay feature as well -- the track point would not 
> 
> > > set immediately upon passage through the contactor. This could possibly 
> > > catch a car with slack brakes. 
> > > 
> > > After the car passes through the derail successfully there is a simple 
> > > contactor in the overhead (like those used to activate Nachod signals) 
> > > that resets the point for the derail position. It doesn't matter if the 
> > > car coasts or draws power through this contactor. 
> > > 
> > > This junction and derail were interlocked with outbound movements.. If a 
> 
> > > 44 or 48 car had already set its point and proceeded through the turnout 
> 
> > > it prevented operation of the interurban derail until the 44 car 
> cleared. 
> > > 
> > > As originally built the derail was a RR point and possibly operated by 
> the 
> > > man in the tower -- but this would not catch equipment with slack brakes 
> 
> > > would it. Don't remember when Prc first used electric turnouts; believe 
> > > it was in the 1920s but don't have my notes. 
> > > 
> > > I have often wondered why there weren't derails in the outbound tracks 
> as 
> > > well since crew changes happened in this direction; a car could roll 
> > > backward into the tunnel. Such a derail is a simple sprung point. 
> > > 
> > > Prc had derails at other locations and some reverse derails for cars 
> that 
> > > would roll backward. There were derails on the 46 aka 49 on New 
> Arlington 
> > > but being single track they have to be for rollbacks in one direction. 
> > > Didn't the 21 Fineview also have derails to prevent rollbacks? 
> > > 
> > > Phil 
> > 
> > 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ____________________________________________________________________________ 
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