[PRCo] Re: Westside Cars

[billvigrass at verizon.net]

Dwight, the whole LVT modernizaation program by EBASCO was fascina= ting. 
I'd loved to have been involved, but I was only a little k= id then.  JWV. 
later a supt.   
Dec 22, 2011 11:25:= 01 AM, dwightlong at verizon.net wrote:
  Fred   Six cars was the number developed by EB&S as necess= ary to replace
the by then quite outdated St. Louis cars in Bell route loca= l service. 
Easton Division 214 series cars were first planned for mod= ernization for
this service, but when test runs showed their steps to be to= o low to clear
third rail change devices at Norristown, that idea was scrap= ped and LVT
entered the used car market.   It has often been asked why the entire Stream
Line flee= t of the fine 1926 Kuhlmanns was not acquired by LVT.  There were
eigh= t of these cars built.  One was involved in an accident on the SEL&amp=
;BVT and was either scrapped or cannibalized for parts;  its actual de= mise
date is unknown.  But that still left seven;  seemingly it w= ould have made
sense for LVT to acquire all of them, since the price was at= tractive.  Why
not?  Because EB&S had determined that six car= s were required, so six cars
is what LVT got.   The Allentown Division had authority to, and did, acqui=
re twenty two =E2=80=9Cnew=E2=80=9D (second hand) city cars.  The purc= hase
was divided:  Green Bay 2;  Huntington 14; and 6 Jamestown.&= nbsp; The
remaining 600 and 214 series cars were then relegated to spare ca= r status
or scrapped.   The EB&S plans were of course formulated without a = crystal
ball showing the needs that WW II would impose on LVT. Additional c= ars, to
include the seventh car from SEL&BVT and the West Side cars, wo= uld have
been of immense help then.  But it was too late and these wer= e gone.  As
itwas, LVT managed by running the wheels off what they ha= d and even
re-converting some work equipment to passenger duty.   And then there is the
story that LVT, because of war ti= me patronage, secured ODT approval to
purchase the DE PCCs that ultimately = went to Dallas.  But that is, as they
say, a =E2=80=9Cwhole nother sto= ry.=E2=80=9D   Dwight   From: Fred
Schneider[1] Sent: Thursday, 22 December, 2011 10:02 To: pittsbur=
gh-railways at dementix.org[2] Subject: [PRCo] Re: Westside Cars I never was
aware that they intended them for intra division locals on t= he
PhiladelphiaDivisions.   Obviously, if that was their intent,= the SEL&BVT
cars were a much better choice.  

I simply ass= umed it might have been to get rid of the last of the older
cars such as th= e 600s from the teens that were still running in Allentown
city service in = the 1930s.  There was also some sparodic use of some 200s
from old Eas= ton Limited Service at the time the Westside cars were
purchased. &nbs= p; 

And, of course, they had the St. Looies from back when the earth= was
coolingthat were the original Liberty Bell route cars that were still=
soldiering on as locals on the Bell Route.   



On = Dec 21, 2011, at 11:53 PM, Dwight Long wrote:

>
>Fred
= >
>The impetus for LVT not using the Westside cars, which in add= ition to 
>regauging, would have required substantial rebuilding and= upgrading to
make
>them acceptable as Liberty Bell Route tripper c= ars, was the availability
of 
>six of the SEL&BVT Kuhlmans of 19= 26, which required virtually NO rework
for 
>LVT's purposes.  L= VT did do some sheet metal changes and other mainly 
>cosmetic work = on the "Steubenvilles."  They lasted a year longer than the

>B= ell, but all, regrettably, went to their demise at Bethlehem Steel in
1952.= 
>
>Dwight
>
>----- Original Message ----- 
= >From: "Fred Schneider" 
>To: 
>Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2011 9:26 P= M
>Subject: [PRCo] Re: Will wonders never cease?
>
>>>Webster, Monessen, Belle Vernon and Fayette City. It shared carb= arn and

>>officers with Westside.   In 1926 they both = bought three identical
Kuhlman 
>>lightweight cars.   F= or all intents, the two companies were one and the 
>>same. =   The both quit in 1933 and their six newer cars found their way
to>>Allentown, PA after about five years sitting idle in the barn in= 
>>Charleroi. Lehigh Valley Transit then changed its mind about = spending
the
>>money to regauge them and sold them instead to Vi= rginia Electric and 
>>Power.   VE&P had a dual gau= ge operation in Norfolk ... South Norfolk
was
>>broad gauge.&nbs= p;  I think the line through to the Naval Base might
alsohave 
&gt= ;> been wide gauge.   I don't remember all the numbers in Norf= olk but
703 was 
>>of the Charleroi cars.
>>
>&gt= ; 
>>On Dec 21, 2011, at 8:39 PM, Phillip Clark Campbell wrote:>> 
>>>:-D)
>>>
>>>
>&= gt;> 
>>>Phil
>>>
>>>
>>= >
>>>
>>>________________________________
= >>>From: Derrick Brashear 
>>>To: = "pittsburgh-railways at dementix.org" 
&g= t;>> Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2011 8:26 PM
>>>Subje= ct: [PRCo] Re: Will wonders never cease?
>>>
>>>M= onessen belle vernon webster and east bumf*ck. I don't remember but
it's >>>something ludicrous
>>>
>>>Derrick= 
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>&gt= ; 
>>
>
>





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