[PRCo] Re: Pgh Railways Street Car Operators Wanted Ad

[Schneider Fred]

I thought at one time USPO did have some restrictions.   They may  
have ended about the time women were hired.


On Oct 23, 2009, at 10:51 PM, Mark McGuire wrote:

>  I was unaware of any height or weight restrictions in the Post  
> Office. I have seen everything from the very obese, to the scrawny  
> little woman. Even healthy young bucks have come in to the system  
> and are unable to do the job. We had a friendly bet going about 12  
> years ago about how long this very obese guy would last. He's still  
> there to this day. He's still obese, but he lost quite a bit of  
> weight from when he started the job. I consider him a friend and he  
> knows about the bet.
>
> ---------- Original Message ----------
> From: Schneider Fred <fwschneider at comcast.net>
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Pgh Railways Street Car Operators Wanted Ad
> Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:02:24 -0400
>
> Why does the post office or the police department have weight and
> height standards?
>
> I suspect it would be difficult to run a streetcar if you were not
> around 68 inches tall.  It isn't just standing behind the controller
> and the brake valve and making change.  Remember, you have to reach
> up to attack the destination sign crank up on the canopy of a yellow
> car.   The canopy switch (600 volt main switch) is above the
> windshield on many older cars.  It is called a canopy switch because
> on many older cars it was mounted on the roof canopy.    On a 4300,
> the transfer switches used to change ends are in a case above the
> front left side window ... you have to be tall enough to reach it.
>
> Philadelphia lowered the destination sign boxes during the war so
> that women could reach them.   As I've aged I'm shrunk from 70 inches
> down to 69 inches.   Even at full height, without the collapsed
> vertibrae in my back, I could not reach the heater switches on a
> Philly double-end car (like 5326 at Arden) without having a stool on
> which to stand.
>
> Eventually, and I don't know what year, Pittsburgh Railways painted a
> 1400 as an advertising car asking for women to apply for motorman's
> jobs.   It was sometime during the war.    When you can't get men,
> you take women.   Even the military does that today.   And guys ...
> no I am not a guy who rejects women ... just a realist.  Frankly I
> think its great that Bob Dietrich's daughter is enjoying working as a
> bridge inspector.
>
> Did I answer the question with sufficient clarity?
>
> On Oct 23, 2009, at 1:35 AM, Mark McGuire wrote:
>
>>  Makes perfect sense...in that era. Could you imagine posting an ad
>> like that these days?
>>
>> ---------- Original Message ----------
>> From: robert netzlof <wb3iqe at rocketmail.com>
>> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Pgh Railways Street Car Operators Wanted Ad
>> Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:20:50 -0700 (PDT)
>>
>> --- On Thu, 10/22/09, Mark McGuire <macmarka at netzero.net> wrote:
>>
>>>  Interesting that if indeed a woman,
>>> you'd have to be fairly tall by womens' standards. I'm
>>> wondering why you had to be 5'8" or taller.
>>
>> So as to avoid hiring women without coming right out and saying so?
>>
>> Bob Netzlof a/k/a Sweet Old Bob
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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