[PRCo] Re: FW: Nice PA Trolley Museum article in today's Post-Gazette

[John Swindler]

What does this have to do with the article in the Post Gazette???

 


 
> From: fwschneider at comcast.net
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: FW: Nice PA Trolley Museum article in today's Post-Gazette
> Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2009 21:49:14 -0400
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> 
> Yup. We both know that.
> 
> The issue isn't the 99 lines. Who cars about that.
> 
> The real issue is the cost of doing business. If we don't try to 
> educate the journalists and they in turn don't try to educate the 
> public, does that presume that the public is brain dead?
> 
> Perhaps you should not answer that.
> 
> 
> On Aug 2, 2009, at 6:28 PM, Edward H. Lybarger wrote:
> 
> > Yes, but it's difficult to assume the public can or will understand 
> > any of
> > that.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
> > [mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org] On Behalf Of
> > Schneider Fred
> > Sent: Sunday, August 02, 2009 5:16 PM
> > To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> > Subject: [PRCo] Re: FW: Nice PA Trolley Museum article in today's
> > Post-Gazette
> >
> > I guess my only two comments are that there more than 99 routes 
> > because the
> > shuttle lines were not initially numbered until there were enough
> > abandonments to allow them to be given numbers.
> >
> > My other comment is that the fares prior to 1964 theoretically were
> > sufficient to permit the private companies to pay off the invested 
> > capital
> > (although the stock and bond holders often took a blood bath in 
> > various
> > bankruptcies) and to pay taxes to support government
> > operations. We have pictures of those earliest horse car drivers
> > with license badges on their lapels, just one form of taxation.
> > Another was the insidious 50 cent tax on every line pole (why do 
> > you think
> > they attached span wires to buildings?). That would be about $700 
> > to $1,000
> > a block annually in today's money.
> >
> > And today we have no real idea how much the fare is because so much 
> > of it is
> > hidden in taxes and lottery proceeds, but somewhere around
> > $8 to $12 per passenger per trip is close and not the $2 the
> > journalist suggests. The other flaw is that, because we never pay
> > off Federal government loans, the original cost of a subway or a 
> > bus or a
> > light rail car just stays there added to the cost of the next 
> > order ... we
> > simply issue new federal bonds and pay the interest year after 
> > year, century
> > after century, but we do not necessarily
> > attribute it to transit. We really don't know where it went.
> >
> > Furd
> >
> > On Aug 2, 2009, at 11:35 AM, Edward H. Lybarger wrote:
> >
> >> Thought I'd share Scott Becker's email about the P-G article. I 
> >> would
> >> add that the gentleman from the P-G, and the photograper as well, 
> >> were
> >> first-class. The reporter was intelligent, asked good questions and
> >> recorded the answers correctly. His is the transit beat and he
> >> acknowledged that he had to understand it in order to cover it. He
> >> was enthusiastic about his job.
> >>
> >> I wish more in the media had his sense of responsibility and ethics.
> >>
> >> Ed
> >> _____
> >>
> >> From: Scott Becker [mailto:sbecker at pa-trolley.org]
> >> Sent: Sunday, August 02, 2009 10:17 AM
> >>
> >> Subject: Nice PA Trolley Museum article in today's Post-Gazette
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> There was a nice article in today's Pittsburgh Post Gazette about the
> >> 150th Anniversary of Pittsburgh Transit event we are having this
> >> Thursday- Sunday.
> >> Please go to:
> >>
> >> http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09214/987830-147.stm
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> The cake cutting ceremony will be at approx 12:30pm on Thursday 
> >> August
> >> 6th at the Horse Car in the Trolley Display Building and you are all
> >> invited!
> >> If attending, there will be a streetcar leaving Richfol at 12:15pm.
> >>
> >> Thanks!
> >>
> >> Scott
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> 
> 

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