[PRCo] Re: PTM November 2009

[Dwight Long]

Ed

You are correct.  I have seen much worse photo reproduction, but I've also seen better.  A good part of it, I think, is the inferior grade of paper they used.  I suppose they are trying to keep the prices down but I would think that for the specialty market they serve, a few more dollars for better, coated paper would not cause that much buyer resistance.

Dwight
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Edward H. Lybarger 
  To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org 
  Sent: Tuesday, 20 July, 2010 08:12
  Subject: [PRCo] Re: PTM November 2009


  Yes, I have this book.  If I recall correctly, it was one of the earliest
  traction books done by Indiana University Press and I was disappointed in
  the photo reproduction.  They didn't understand the concept of contrast. 

  -----Original Message-----
  From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
  [mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org] On Behalf Of Dwight
  Long
  Sent: Tuesday, July 20, 2010 12:20 AM
  To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
  Subject: [PRCo] Re: PTM November 2009

  Ed

  There WAS a decent history of the LSE, written by Herb Harwood and Bob
  Korach.  No doubt you have it or have seen it.

  Christiansen's work did have one good feature--directions to find  remaining
  LSE artifacts.  It was helpful when I did a program for Hoosier Traction
  Meet on what is left (or I should say was left because the program was +/-
  ten years ago) of LSE.

  Dwight

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: Edward H. Lybarger
    To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
    Sent: Monday, 19 July, 2010 11:23
    Subject: [PRCo] Re: PTM November 2009


    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
      >
      >
      >
      >