[PRCo] Re: Photo from Yesterday

[Edward H. Lybarger]

What we found when we researched the low floor design in service was that
the public enthusiastically preferred the wider center entrance at the lower
level.  The company preferred the faster boarding times and fewer
boarding/alighting accident claims.

I don't think we can single out either width or height as THE factor; they
worked together to make a very serviceable design.

It will be some time before 4145 enters service, in light of the work
needed.  But it will be worth the weight, for it is a beautiful car.

Ed 

-----Original Message-----
From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
[mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org] On Behalf Of Phillip
Clark Campbell
Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009 2:55 PM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: [PRCo] Re: Photo from Yesterday


> ----- Original Message ----

> From: Edward H. Lybarger <trams2 at comcast.net>
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2009 5:37:33 AM
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Photo from Yesterday
> 
> I believe these are the original design doors.  They are not very 
> wide, and it is easy to understand why we found news articles about 
> the passengers flocking to the trailers first.
> 
> The cars last hauled trailers in 1937, but some were also in 
> single-unit service into the late '30s.  Considering that they could 
> not be run as one-man cars, their use would have been limited to very
heavy traffic times.
> Thirteen were converted to snow scrapers in 1940, so they wouldn't 
> have been totally rare during the '40s.  It snowed here in those days!
> 
> 
Mr.Lybarger;


The low-floor trailers were probably popular because of their name as
opposed to high-floor 4145.  It is an impressive car isn't it.

I graduated from high school 1950-51;  while I was out and about on my own
well before that, a trip into Pgh was always a very special treat but not
often traveled.
I don't remember seeing the high-floor M-cars on the interurbans;  we had
the f-cars for snow duty and actually 'catching' one of them at work was
elusive.
I know many were stored at South hills in Palm garden but I didn't ride the
38 that often.

I had forgotten these high-floors were 2-man operated;  this certainly
doomed them.  Look forward to more photos as 4145 performs at the museum.

Thank you very much for this information.


Phil


> 
> > ----- Original Message ----
> 
> > From: Edward H. Lybarger
> > To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> > Sent: Friday, May 8, 2009 2:43:12 PM
> > Subject: [PRCo] Photo from Yesterday
> > 
> > Content-Type: text/plain;
> >     charset="us-ascii"
> > Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
> > I thought list members might enjoy one of my photos from yesterday, 
> > with PRCo 4145 up on the jacks and the trailer being pulled out so 
> > the shop trucks could be placed.
> > 
> > Ed
> > 
> http://lists.dementia.org/files/pittsburgh-railways/02-DSC_0101.JPG
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
> [mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org] On Behalf Of 
> Phillip Clark Campbell
> Sent: Saturday, May 09, 2009 2:49 PM
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Photo from Yesterday Mr.Lybarger;
> 
> 
> This 'is' a high-floor car isn't it;  watch the last step please!  
> Painted as M cars they seem to lose much of their character;  painted 
> for PRC and the camera angle gives 4145 a beautiful if formidable 
> appearance.  Living on the interurbans I didn't see these cars much 
> and just have vague recollections of them in the 1940s but none were
revenue cars at this time.
> 
> Are the doors a modification of the original by PRC?  They look such 
> don't they.
> 
> 
> Phil