[PRCo] Re: One-man cars in Pittsburgh

[Schneider Fred]

Deadman control was not required by PUC edict until 1938.   I think  
the 5400s and 5500s at least came with it.   The 4200s through 4700s  
did not.   The design technology was there by 1916.   Self lapping  
brakes were probably one of those things which could have been built  
at any time but were not because no one said we wanted them until e  
started to put air brakes on buses and trucks ... the first air brake  
valves on the Brill trolley coaches were the same as on Birney cars  
and were mounted to work with the left hand.   When someone decided  
it might work easier if you used a foot, then the self-lapping valve  
came into being.   PRC put them on the low-floor cars when they wee  
converted to high speed cars and only then.   The reason that 3756  
and 4398 have them is that both were rebuilt as high speed cars.    
The cars running in Washington PA and Donora in 1953 were all low- 
speed double end cars and had manually lapped valves.

The route cards show schedule hours but not hours per day per man.   
Cannot answer that question.   Someone needs to look at union  
contracts and federal and state legislation.   I think you just  
volunteered.


On Jan 23, 2009, at 7:17 AM, Dennis Fred Cramer wrote:

> So the move to one man cars was well underway before the economy  
> hit the
> tank.
>
> How does the data reflect the changes in technology?  ie:  money vs.
> tokens, deadman controllers, self-lapping brakes, shorter work  
> hours for
> operators, & eventually PCC's?
>
>
> Dennis F. Cramer
>       Trombone
>
>
>
>