[PRCo] Re: Ancient trolley cars

[Phillip Clark Campbell]

----- Original Message ----

> From: Ken & Tracie <ktjosephson at embarqmail.com>
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Sent: Saturday, July 26, 2008 7:09:18 AM
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Ancient trolley cars
> 
> As I recall, there were about 127 cars still in service after the East End 
> lines closed in 1967. The GE equipped 1700s, 1775-1799 were removed from 
> service and scrapped around 1968-69, making the system all Westinghouse.


Yes Mr.Josephson - the GE 17s were the only cars scrapped in 1969.

The last GE cars in service were 1496, 1550, and 1561 and these were scrapped in 1968 weren't they.



> The Early Action Program called for 90 cars to be rebuild as an interim 
> measure as Skybus was still on the table. There were less than 75 1700s 
> left,


1701, 1725, 1755, 1770, 1774 were missing weren't they, the last 2 as a result of accidents or damage not long before the overhaul began.



> The very last car to be completed in the overhaul program was former 
> interurban PCC 1613, which was renumbered as 1799. The car is currently at 
> PTM. So a 1600 was shopped in 1979.


The interurban 1601s were some of the first 16s to be rebuilt apparently because they saw little service, even less road salt, and were thus good candidates in the best condition 'relative to' the other 1601s.

While 1776--1799 were used for renumbered 1601s, there were 2-exceptions to this weren't there  --  77/54-ex-1635 and 1976-ex-1784-ex-1603.  While there were buses in the 1900-series the 1976 was destroyed in the Tarentum garage fire so the number was available; 1976 was used to 'balance' the bicentennial 1776.

1672 was the one that was torched by local children in 1975 on the end of the 40-line stub; Pat
allowed it to sit there for 5-years before scrapping it in 1980 apparently as a 'monument' to the contributions by the community.

1797-ex-1644 along with 1754 were trucked to the newly built subway to check clearances and catenary.  Then 1792-ex-1652 also went to the subway and these two 1601s finished air-car service in Pittsburgh on the old 49 now 52 didn't they apparently because some claimed the braking was better on the hills.  This ended on Aug-11-1986 or 22-years ago already next month.  Pat kept 1799-ex-16613 for historical purposes.  Except for 1644, 1613, and 1603 the 1601s were scrapped in December-1986.



Phil