[PRCo] Re: West Penn Street Car??

[Richard Allman]

vague, John? that's what I do best!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Swindler" <j_swindler at hotmail.com>
To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
Sent: Saturday, June 21, 2008 11:41 PM
Subject: [PRCo] Re: West Penn Street Car??


>
>
> Actually, Rich, I was rather depending on memory of the East Penn group to 
> correct my vague impression.  The vague recollection is comment about 
> conductors being taken off of one route, and placed on 53 due to decline 
> in number of conductors needing jobs.  My guess is that it was something 
> in Headlights late 1950s, or early 1960s, but very unsure of time frame, 
> details and source.  It was more a question being asked rather then 
> statement of fact.
>
> did I mention that this is all very "vague"?  (:>)
>
> John
>
>> Date: Sat, 21 Jun 2008 19:42:47 -0400> From: allmanr at verizon.net> 
>> Subject: [PRCo] Re: West Penn Street Car??> To: 
>> pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org> > John-as a small kid in early 1950's 
>> vaguely rememeber conductors on Route 13 > and 42 on Chestnut and Walnut 
>> Streets; 53? if you say so, since you do your > homework more than I do, 
>> though think about it, even by 1950's that was a > less heavy route than 
>> many others. 53 was the route that was the testing > ground for first 
>> PCC's, Brilliners, etc. RICH> ----- Original Message ----- > From: "John 
>> Swindler" <j_swindler at hotmail.com>> To: 
>> <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>> Sent: Saturday, June 21, 2008 5:48 
>> PM> Subject: [PRCo] Re: West Penn Street Car??> > > >> > What about two 
>> man cars on route 53? Without digging out old issues of > > Headlights, 
>> didn't PTC still have some conductors on the payroll into the > > 50s - 
>> and maybe even 60s. The dwindling number of conductors would be > > 
>> assigned different routes based more on how !
> many were still employed > > rather then actual need. This is just vague 
> recollection very much open > > to needed correction.> >> > John> >> >> >> 
> Date: Sat, 21 Jun 2008 16:45:40 -0400> From: allmanr at verizon.net> > >> 
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: West Penn Street Car??> To: > >> 
> pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org> > Fred-not sure anyone would want the > 
>  >> inch by inch narrative for Liberty Bell > line, thoough if there's any 
>  > >> hue and outcry, I'll do it. Two man operation > in PA after 1951? Red 
>  > >> Arrow Center Entrance cars and some West Chester rush > hour service 
> as > >> well carried a conductor, sitting right behind the motorman > on 
> the drop > >> seat. RICH> ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Fred 
> Schneider" > >> <fwschneider at comcast.net>> To: 
> <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>> Sent: > >> Saturday, June 21, 2008 
> 11:54 AM> Subject: [PRCo] Re: West Penn Street > >> Car??> > > > The one 
> titled Philadelphia with the red cars is not > >> properly> > labeled. It 
> is entirely !
> Lehigh Valley Transit Company's> > > >> Philadelphia Division circa 19
> 50-1951. I recognized a lot of the> > > >> locations but nothing, of 
> course is in Philadelphia because after> > 1926 > >> the company never 
> entered!> > the city of Philadelphia and after> > 1949 the cars did not 
> run south of > > Norristown. I saw pictures on> > the South Allentown 
> viaduct over the > > Reading Company ... they may be> > the northern most 
> pictures. Rich Allman > > could easily give us a> > minute by minute 
> diatribe on that film.> >> > > > The one titled Reading shows the last 
> remaining line of Reading> > Street > > Railway. For those unfamiliar, 
> most of the suburban routes> > were shut > > down in the 1920s and 1930s 
> owing to the usual lack of> > riders and too > > many automobiles out on 
> the farms. I think the Oley> > Valley Division > > from Boyertown west 
> toward Reading may have been the> > first casualty > > about 1926. 
> Birdsboro quit about 1932. The RSR line> > to Adamstown in > > Lancaster 
> County lasted until 1933, one year after> > the connecting cars >!
>  > to Lancaster expired. The Lebanon Division was> > gone in 1931. The > > 
> Norristown operations were eradicated by 1933 ...> > that's SEPTA's > > 
> Frontier Division today. And most of the city of> > Rea!> > ding was 
> replaced by buses in 1947. However, one route, from> > Readin> > g to 
> Shillington and Mohnton remained because the company was> > seemingly > > 
> unable to break the 999-year lease with the Reading and> > Southwestern > 
>  > Street Railway. The courts finally ruled in favor of> > Reading Street > 
>  > Railway and the last poles were hooked down in January> > 1952. All of > 
>  > that line was street running in the City of Reading and> > in the 
> Borough > > of Shillington. There was a short portion of side of> > the 
> road operation > > in Cumru Township, Berks County, between Reading> > and 
> Shillington, and > > it is illustrated briefly. But most of the> > private 
> right of way you see > > in the Reading film is between the south> > 
> borough line of Shillington > > and the town !
> of Mohntown. Every other> > car ran beyond 16th St., > > Shillington t
> o Mohnton ... about every 20> > minutes as I recall. Today I > > think it 
> is 30 minutes to Shillington> > and hourly to Mohnton in spite of > > a 
> population three times larger> > than when the trolleys ran!> >> > Now > > 
> I'll ask one question. Don't you find it st!> > range that Reading> > was 
> running those cars with two-man crews in 1951? > > Outside of> > 
> Philadelphia, it was probably the last operation with > > two-men in> > 
> Pennsylvania and without any doubt in my mind, the last > > two-man cars> 
>  > in a small city anywhere in the United States.> >> > Oh, > > the one 
> quick snap of a steam train at the start of the Reading> > > > flick... 
> that was at 7th and Penn. Penn Street was the main business> > > > drag 
> ... t'aint no mo. Seventh Street was the mainline of the> > Reading > > 
> Railroad from Philadelphia to Reading. All of those> > buildings were torn 
>  > > down in one of those ill-conceived urban ruinall> > schemes a few 
> years > > back. My last assignment with the state o!
> f> > Pennshylvania was at an > > address called 625 Cherry Street in> > 
> Reading ... the state office > > building ... which was a brand new> > 
> building in the eastern half of the > > block surrounded by 6th, Penn,> > 
> 7th, and Cherry. It butted right up > > against the railroad. But by> > 
> the time I got there, Conrail h!> > ad decided it wasn't going to run> > 
> passenger trains on the old Readi> > ng that were not subsidized, and> > 
> SEPTA made an offer to Berks County to > > continue the service and Berks> 
>  > refused to pay saying it would help > > Philadelphia. So across the> > 
> street from me was the deserted old > > Franklin Street Station.> >> > You 
> should see the traffic coming in from > > Reading every day on the> > 
> Turnpike and on US 422.> >> > Thanks Jerry for > > letting me see the 
> Reading film. Brought back a> > lot of memories. Just > > after we moved 
> from Pittsburgh, that was> > briefly where we would go on > > Saturdays 
> afternoons to shop. Was only> > 25 miles from!
>  the house we > > rented until we bought a place. I> > remember the Mo
> hnton Streetcars. I > > also remember steam on the> > Shamokin - Tamaqua - 
> Reading - Philadelphia > > passenger trains and on> > the Jersey City - 
> Reading - Harrisburg trains. > > Even remember pooled> > CNJ Pacifics on 
> the Harrisburg service. Had we > > been there just one> > year earlier, 
> there would still have been a > > Lancaster - Reading -> > Birdsboro - 
> Coatesville gas car!> > .> >> >> > On Jun 20, 2008, at 7:30 PM, Jerry MATT 
> Matsick wrote:> >> >> > > Ed, Fred, Derrick - Is this in fact a film on 
> the West Penn ?> >> > > http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eIGHcHeZwrw> >> --> 
>  >> From the RIVER CITY > > by the Sea!> >> Jerry "Matt" Matsick> >> J A C 
> K S O N V I L L E, Florida > > !> >>> >>> >>> >> >> > > >> > 
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