[PRCo] Re: West Penn 832

Schneider Fred fwschneider at comcast.net
Wed Nov 26 18:26:33 EST 2008


I do not wish to contest the supreme being when it comes to West Penn  
knowledge.   Ed has done more research on that subject than anyone on  
the planet.    Much of the other stuff out there was simply given to  
the club and printed by Bob Brown.   Ed has been seriously digging.

However, it has been reported that 832 was the only car rewired.    
Obviously this had to be done if any cars were to be retained because  
what we now call "mid-life overhauls" were needed.   Each of the 830s  
had nearly a million miles on them by the late 1940s.

And one other car was selected for rewiring and had been stripped  
down and the body was repainted in primer.   I have seen a picture of  
it in gray primer.   I thin the car was 833.   Then the project was  
canceled and that car was stored until scrapped in 1951 or 1952.    
(Half of the 830s were scrapped in each of those two years.

Now if there was a second car planned for overhaul, then how does the  
accident with 292 figure into 832's logevity?   Or did the was the  
survival of 832 predicated, as we have earlier suggested, more simply  
on the paternalistic attitude of West Penn.   In other words, we kept  
it because Motorman Ivan liked the car and we all liked Ivan.

Now that it has come out that West Penn installed dropping resistors  
in the propulsion circuit to run those cars on 700-750 volts in the  
Coke Region, it becomes even more curious that the corporation  
retained cars on which you were always running in resistance and  
wasting energy.   The savings because of the weight in the depression  
had to be so compelling over running heavier 700s that the wasted  
energy by running on resistance didn't matter.


On Nov 26, 2008, at 8:41 AM, Edward H. Lybarger wrote:

> Yes, it was pretty bad before the repaint, which probably wouldn't  
> have
> happened if 292 hadn't had its end destroyed in a collision  
> somewhere in
> this time frame (I'm only through 1940 in reading the newspaper so  
> don't
> have the date).  West Penn then needed 832 as the spare car on South
> Connellsville; the other 830s were gone (or at least going) by this  
> point in
> time.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
> [mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org] On Behalf Of  
> John
> Swindler
> Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 11:11 PM
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: West Penn 832
>
>
> There were four pic of 832 on the Fairbanks collection of  
> pictures.  It
> looked dreadful in a 1949 pic.  I should have provided a link.
>
> Sorry
> John
>
>> From: trams2 at comcast.net> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>  
>> Subject:
> [PRCo] Re: West Penn 832> Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:44:01 -0500> >  
> 1949
> photo? I think John means 1952. 832 was painted in the Fall of>  
> 1949...I
> have a shot of it with absolutely immaculate paint taken in>  
> November 1949.
> It didn't take 3 years for it to look less good! > > -----Original
> Message-----> From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org>
> [mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org] On Behalf Of  
> John>
> Swindler> Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 4:21 PM> To:
> pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org> Subject: [PRCo] Re: West Penn  
> 832> > > It
> was trucked to Charleroi, then operated as a fantrip from Charleroi  
> to>
> Ingram. The motorman was John Baxter. There was a photo stop at  
> Castle>
> Shannon.> > That 1949 picture is interesting for its implications  
> on the
> cars condition> at the end.> > John> > > > > > From:  
> mrb190 at pitt.edu> To:
> pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org> Date: Tue, 25> Nov 2008 14:3!
>  6:57 -0500> Subject: [PRCo] West Penn 832> > Hello all,>> Attached  
> is a
> photo of West Penn 832 being trucked. This photo is from the> Historic
> Pittsburgh website. The description states:> Title: West Penn>  
> Railways 832
> III> Date: November 29, 1952> Creator: Fairbanks Jr., Frank B.>>
> Description: Moving to Charleroi barn, Pittsburgh Railways.>  
> Subjects:>
> Transportation--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh,> West Penn Railways.>  
> Identifier:>
> 411-832-03-9> Collection: Frank B. Fairbanks Rail Transportation  
> Archive,>
> Pittsburgh History & Landmarks>
> Foundation<http://images.library.pitt.edu/f/fairbanks>> > Is this  
> accurate?>
> I thought that 832 went to Ingram Car House, and then moved out  
> under its>
> own power to Arden.> > Matt> > > > -- Attached file removed by  
> Ecartis and>
> put at URL below --> -- Type: image/jpeg> -- Desc:  
> WestPenn832_trucked.jpg>>
> -- Size: 72k (74526 bytes)> -- URL : http://lists.dementia.org/fil!>
> es/pittsburgh-railways/WestPenn832_trucked.jpg> > >>  
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