[PRCo] Re: Pennsylvania Trolley Museum Vosit

[fredbruhn at aol.com]

Fred, it sounds like you had a tiring but enjoyable weekend.  Your dining experiences probably were not up to your standards.

The museum is fortunate to have people like you who are skilled and willing to volunteer.



The maps showed up and I am most appreciative.  I'll have some questions when I dig into them and match them to pictures I have of Johnstown.  I'm having a great time exploring this new --well almost new -- system to me.



Fred Bruhn


-----Original Message-----
From: Schneider Fred <fwschneider at comcast.net>
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org; Bente Bruce <bbente at bellsouth.net>; Swindler1 John <j_swindler at hotmail.com>; Merson Carl <TROLLEYOP at AOL.COM>; Hermesky Michael James <mjh007 at verizon.net>
Sent: Mon, Oct 19, 2009 3:02 pm
Subject: [PRCo] Pennsylvania Trolley Museum Vosit




Then you make a typographical error in the subject line and you  
ealize it can be funny you leave it...
 Visit becomes a Vosit when you are so damn worn out by the weekend....
Saturday was particularly grueling because we had our own pumpkin  
rolley operation plus we were running a shuttle service to the craft  
how at the fair grounds.   Essentially we were a museum masquerading  
s a transit company or vice versa.   I was working the shuttle on  
aturday ... we ran the south end every 20 minutes ... that's 17 or  
8 minutes for the round trip plus 2 or 3 minutes of recovery time at  
he museum site (and the run to the bath room) .... 9 hours and no  
unch break.   The other guy and myself just kept swapping back and  
orth between the motorman's job and the conductor's job.   At the  
nd of the day we had something like 370 people on the manifest.  The  
ift store collected most of the money but we still had to punch  
ickets.   We still had sold 94 fares to people who got on during the  
fternoon at the Fair Grounds.   I went to have a quick Mexican  
inner on Saturday night and went back to the motel about eight  
'clock.   I made an attempt at "Keeping up appearances."  I got  
hrough Mrs. Bucket.   But I only remember part of Are you Being  
erved.   Next thing I remember it was 11:30 and the boob tube was  
till on.
Sunday?   I let two other fools have the shuttle car and I took the  
ast end car figuring that would be easier to just haul the parents  
nd kids who came to get pumpkins.  Well about 3:00 Don Anderson, a  
ethodist minister with whom I haven't worked in a couple of years  
howed up with his new wife and all the kids and grandkids and he  
anted to run.   I said I would be delight to leave and let him  
inish the day.   Whoa, Schneider.   You aren't getting out of here  
hat easily.   The restoration crews had moved 4398 out of the shop  
nd Bernie wanted me to move 1711 over the pit.   Then take 2711 out  
f the barn and move it down in front of the shop for an evening  
un.    Then I got a chance to get my first ride on the  
emanufactured Pittsburgh 1917 car ... one of those old yellow cars  
ompletely remade from the wheels up.    Then what happened?   Would  
ou believe several cars were used for an after hours charter for 100  
ttention deficit disorder kids.    Frank, the house cat was locked  
p for his own protection.
There is a play-house trolley in the visitors center with two bells  
ctuated by pull cords.   Can you imagine what 100 ADD kids can do  
ith that?
After a walk through that I didn't even think of going out to  
omething resembling dinner.   I passed through Burger King last  
ight and went to bed.
Regarding 4398:   The bearings are still running hot.   The axles  
till do not quite fit the new journal bearings perfectly.   It may  
equire more machining.   The spur gears are noisy as H-e-double  
ooth picks.   I remember a low-floor car during the war when I was a  
ery large toddler ... it had so much gear noise that I was crying  
rom the pain and to this day I can remember riding on it.   All I  
an remember was that my mother had taken me dawntawn to see Snow  
hite and the Seven Dwarfs ... it had to be a rerelease because the  
riginal film came out in 1937 and I wasn't born until 1940.    
fterwards we rode out on the 8 car to Grandma's.    To this day I am  
ewildered that I am a railfan after listening to those howling  
ears.   Well, the ones on 4398 are loud enough that you cannot hold  
 conversation over them.
By the way, I've been told that the museum cat ... the animal who  
dopted us and now allows us on his property ... has been named after  
rank Julian Sprague.   I discovered this weekend that he does answer  
o the name Frank.