[PRCo] 4398

[Dennis F Cramer]

I had my first opportunity at operating PRCo 4398 at PTM on Wednesday.  As an instructor, I had to be qualified on the car before I can qualify others.  (I did receive some verbal and written direction in advance and Walt Pilof, Operations Manager was there.)  We (my conductor was a student operator working his second shift at the museum) ended up taking about 8 shop volunteers and almost 20 museum visitors on a complete trip of the line, with the project manager, Jack Sutherland, taking temperature readings from each of the 8 bearings in several different locations along the line. 
The good news is the bearings stayed below 90 degrees and several actually cooled the longer we ran.  The ambient air temperature was in the mid 80's and it was humid.  The other good news was that after the typical start from Arden Loop, the car rolled freely to Fairgrounds Siding.  Earlier in the day, Jack Sutherland had tweaked the air horns so they we not quite so objectionable to the ears.  

The car has not been released to the operating department as of yet and the Instructors are now being qualified.  It won't be long before you too can ride into the past on what Art Ellis described as a typical Pittsburgh car after our new trainee stated it was kind of rough riding.  Art said, "Just compare the springs underneath a Pittsburgh car with those under a Philadelphia car and you will see why the ride is rough.  It is a typical Pittsburgh car, that is the way they rode."  Art would know.



          Dennis F. Cramer
http://home.windstream.net/dfc1