[PRCo] One man cars

[Schneider Fred]

Even a more astounding conversion that Pittsburgh ...

Bernie Linder just provided me through his son with a transcript of  
Third Avenue Railway's conversions in Manhattan, The Bronx and  
Yonkers.   When the mayor says you must live on a nickel come hell or  
high water, you learn to do it.   (And Edward, do not jump on me  
about the use of the definite article.  It is officially The Bronx.)

Third Avenue Railway converted it's entire system between 1918 and  
1932 to one-man cars.   The last conductors were, of course, on the  
some Bronx and Manhattan lines.  The very last was the heavy 42nd  
Street crosstown line on July 15, 1932.   Broadway was June 1931.    
Tenth Avenue was May 1931.  Third Avenue was 1930.  The 125th St.  
Crosstown in Harlem lost conductors in 1929.

Remember that a third of all the transit fares in the U. S. were in  
New York City.   These were heavy lines!!!!!!

New York Railways had to be using conductors later than that because  
they were running open cars until 1936.

Had a conversation with Ed Miller tonight.   He claims that Wilkes- 
Barre and Scranton were both converted in the 1920s but that there  
were exceptions.  He remembered Wilkes-Barre Railways putting an  
extra man on the West Pittston line during the week before Christmas  
who would do nothing but run cars while the motorman collected  
fares.   The extra motorman would run until he met an opposing car  
and then he would transfer and run that car while it's motorman  
played conductor.