[PRCo] Re: Pittsburgh MU Car Operation

[Edward H. Lybarger]

30 cars on Knoxville?  It was only a 3.3 mile-long line!  And 15 trains
would provide 4-minute headways.

Yet only 26 cars on Carrick, which was twice as long?

Something does not compute.

-----Original Message-----
From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
[mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org] On Behalf Of
Schneider Fred
Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 2:11 PM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Cc: Siebert Chick; Bromley John; Holland B. James
Subject: [PRCo] Pittsburgh MU Car Operation

I have previously stated on this list that the Pittsburgh Railways route
cards showed multiple unit car operation only for a few months after the
5000s were delivered and that the operation ended on route
88 FRANKSTOWN before the 5100s arrived.

Chick Siebert told me that he had ridden on an MU train on route 82 LINCOLN
but the route cards did not show any such train operation.

The only known picture of an MU train signed for route 82 was a publicity
photo taken not on that route but on the route 63, 64, 66,  
67 trunk at the east end of Frick Park.   That picture was published  
in a PRMA booklet.

One of the problems with the above information is that there was also a
photograph floating around that shows a 5100 in train service on  
route 88 in East Liberty.   But according to the route cards, the  
service ended long before those cars were delivered.   And we know  
that the "Scribe de Jour"  (That's a fabulous Lybarger term) wasn't  
always perfect when recording the facts for the "Railways Company."    
So I didn't want to totally dismiss it.   When I typed the route  
cards into the computer, I typed what they said but my mind was still
saying, "Not everything here is correc-e-mundo."

Well, guys, new facts.   If you have a copy of A. E. R. A. PROGRESS  
IN CARS, subtitled "Report on Committee on Essential Deatures on Modern
Cars, 1926, published by the American Electric Railway Association, 292
Madison Avenue, New York City, then turn to page
63 ....  and we have a contemporary published document that shows that PRC
was running 160 multiple unit electric cars (5000-5099 and
5100-5159) and that they were running a base service of every 6 minutes in
trains on Frankstown using 34 cars, and a rush hour  
headway of 3 minutes using 64 cars.   Lincoln was using 30 cars in  
the AM and PM rush hours to provide a 6 1/2 minute headway with  
trains but single cars in the base.   And get this ... Carrick was  
using 26 cars to provide a 6 minute headway with trains in the rush  
hour and single cars in the base.   MU trains on Carrick?   First  
time that was ever documented.   Another first:  The remaining 30  
cars were assigned to KNOXVILLE for a 6 1/2 minute rush hour only headway in
train operation.

But that adds to 26 + 64 + 30 + 30  = 160 cars out of the 160 car fleet at
that time.

Now find me a pitchur of a train of 5000s or 5100s wending its way up South
18th Street!!!!!!!!!!!!

Separate copy to Bromley since he is off list for vacation ... maybe it will
catch up to him in some hotel in die Schweiz.