[PRCo] Re: PTM November 2009

[Edward H. Lybarger]

Another literary light of the highest magnitude, of course [gag]. 

-----Original Message-----
From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
[mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org] On Behalf Of Dwight
Long
Sent: Monday, July 19, 2010 10:51 AM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: [PRCo] Re: PTM November 2009

Fred

It was Harry Christiansen.

Dwight

  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Fred Schneider
  To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
  Sent: Monday, 19 July, 2010 08:00
  Subject: [PRCo] Re: PTM November 2009


  The condition of the roadbed in many of our museums is vastly superior to
the actual railways we attempt to portray.   

  The original history (and I have managed to forget the author's name) of
the Lake Shore Electric describes how you could walk along the line in 1937
and simply lift the spikes out of the crumbling ties with your bare hands
yet they were still running cars at mile-a-minute speeds.  

  Before its abandonment in 1957, the track gangs on the New York, Ontario
and Western Railroad were moving cinders from one place to another to try to
hold the track ties up for a few more weeks ... they could not afford
ballast.  

  I remember Wendell Dillinger telling me how he caught hell from the lady
who owned the Iowa Terminal Railroad because he installed tie plates under
the rail to protect the ties from being hammered by the heavy tank cars they
were hauling.   She simply didn't want her money spent.   

  We all remember Pittsburgh Railways.   I remember a motorman out on
Charleroi in 1953 telling me, as he slowed for a major kink, "They quit
fixing anything out here when they decided to abandon."   Frankly, who could
blame them.   You don't throw money down a rat hole.   

  I remember some of the Pennsylvania Railroad branches where gauge bars
instead of ties held the track together between derailments.

  Frankly, there is no comparison between what I remember in the declining
years of the privately owned "for profit" railways and what I see today at
Orange Empire, Western, PTM, Baltimore Streetcar Musem, IRM and so forth.
It's remarkable to have ties holding up the rails!   :<)   

  For those into steam ... stop by and I'll show you pictures of what the
Strasburg looked like when the new management took over in 1958 with flowers
growing out of the rotting ties.   In the 1960s they were spending $20,000 a
year on track maintenance just to gradually bring it up to snuff.   Believe
me, in the first years you could loose $5,000 a mile and almost never see
where you put it.     And there was nothing that beat up the track quite
like an 0-6-0 doing 25 mph.   You could have it beautifully lined at the
beginning of the summer and beat to shreds three months later.



  On Jul 19, 2010, at 7:22 AM, Dennis F Cramer wrote:

  > PTM is not a PRCo Museum, but one which reflects the Electric Era, much
of
  > it as centered in Pennsylvania.  The volunteers at the museum spend a
lot of
  > time making sure the ride is safe and comfortable, so we can operate the
  > antique cars.  We have received numerous positive comments on the
condition
  > of the right of way and the overhead.  Our volunteers in those
departments
  > work hard to keep up the great appearance.  Our typical guest would be
  > greatly disturbed if they had to ride over weed infested track, and as
an
  > operator, I appreciate being able to see what lies in front of me.
  >
  >
  >
  >
  > 
  >          Dennis F. Cramer
  > http://home.windstream.net/dfc1
  >
  >
  >
  >