[PRCo] Re: Trach collection in the Burgh

[Bob Rathke]

I remember those trucks, and concur with Bob D's recollections, but I recall 
that the ramp dragging from the back was a heavy piece of lumber that sagged 
under the weight of the garbage men.  After the truck was full and the sides 
bulging outward, a canvas tarp was placed over the garbage for the trip to 
the landfill or wherever.

On Spring Hill these trucks ran on the alley behind our house, and our 
garbage cans were placed near the gate to the yard.  By the 1960's, I 
believe that the open trucks were used  only on the North Side, and they 
were operated by the city of Pittsburgh, whereas other areas of the city 
used contract haulers who had closed trucks. This changed in early 1966 when 
the city also began using closed trucks on the North Side, and there also 
may have been a switch to contract hauling there. I know it was early 1966 
because I remember seeing the first new closed trucks on Federal St. and 
Perrysville Ave. when I was photographing the last weeks of 21-Fineview.

I never photographed the old open trucks, but I do have a photo of my 
grandfather painting the garbage cans in our backyard in the 1950's.  Must 
have been a day between garbage collections.

Bob 3/1/08




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob Dietrich" <bdietrich at comcast.net>
To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2008 9:44 AM
Subject: [PRCo] Trach collection in the Burgh


>I know some of you remember, but do you have any pictures.  I'm talking
> about the old trash trucks with the metal ladder dragging behind.  In my
> minds eye I see a dark green open-top truck with sheet-metal sides that
> seemed to flop around.  Garbage men would drag a large burlap sack into 
> your
> yard and empty the trash cans into it, pull up the corners into a sack, 
> then
> heft this large sack up the ladder and heave it into the truck holding 
> onto
> one corner in order to retrieve the burlap.
>
> The reason I'm looking for pictures of a truck is I want to build a model 
> of
> one.  I found one in the Pitt digital library by searching for refuse in 
> the
> city photographer collection, but it is a smaller truck from the '30s. 
> I'm
> looking for a '50s version.  Any help will be appreciated.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Bob
>
>
>