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

[Phillip Clark Campbell]

Mr.Schneider;
During the 'war' the PO was probably like the railway;
women were hired because men were in short supply.
Some of the women operators continued their careers
after the war;  they probably did the same with the PO.
I remember the public speaking proudly about the
women operators.


 Phil

________________________________


________________________________
From: Schneider Fred <fwschneider at comcast.net>
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Sent: Sat, October 24, 2009 12:04:56 PM
Subject: [PRCo] Re: Pgh Railways Street Car Operators Wanted Ad

That's kind of what I thought ... and they had to get rid of them  
when women had be hired.   I remember female letter carriers at least  
as early as 1963.

> On Oct 24, 2009, at 2:35 PM, Phillip Clark Campbell wrote:

> Mr.Schneider;
> I concur that the PO most likely had such requirements
> possibly well into the 1960s if not later.
>
>
>
> Phil
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Schneider Fred <fwschneider at comcast.net>
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Sent: Sat, October 24, 2009 10:55:23 AM
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Pgh Railways Street Car Operators Wanted Ad
>
> 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