[PRCo] Re: F Market GPS

[Fred Schneider]

Sounds like a great way to read the Post Gazette.


On Jul 10, 2011, at 8:56 PM, Herb Brannon wrote:

> At PRCo and PATransit it was/is termed "Car On Time or Coach On Time
> depending as to streetcar or bus. Times when I worked the extra board I
> always enjoyed a "COT Car". At Library we would pull into the spur and at
> Drake we would pull into the short piece of track just before the beginning
> of the old bridge over Drake Road. There was just enough room to put a car
> into the former main line at Drake. When a Library car was running late I
> would pull back onto the main (loop) track, reset and plug the switch for
> the curve, then leave on the late cars time. I knew what car to look for as
> did the operator of the late car. When we met we stopped and exchanged cars.
> Then I took the late car to Library Loop, discharged the passengers, backed
> north again to clear the switch, set the switch for the old main, now a
> spur, reset and plugged the switch and waited for the next late car. Drake
> operated the same way using the old mainline spur to hold the COT car until
> needed. Resetting and plugging the switches had to be done properly to
> prevent a derailment at both locations. At Clearview Loop if it was during
> the times that the 42/38A (Shannon extension) was NOT running then I would
> set the COT car on the 38A track just clear of the switch at the car stop.
> If it was during the operating hours of the 38A then I waited at the "back"
> of Clearview Loop. As ON TIME cars arrived I just let the on time operator
> take the COT car and I took his/her car. I would keep trading cars until a
> LATE arrival was reported. Then I left on the late cars time and met up and
> exchanged cars again then back to Clearview Loop to exchange and wait for
> another late car. Buses were done in the same manner only without the track
> work involved with the streetcars.
> When I worked at Capital Metro in Austin I suggested the COT system and they
> started a version (similar to the Harrisburg plan) where a couple buses were
> held at S. Lamar Blvd & Barton Springs Road, downtown, and then sent to
> start the outbound trips of late buses. The driver exchange occured and the
> COT driver brought the late bus into downtown Austin then went back to the
> waiting area for another assignment.
> 
> COT systems work nicely.
> 
> On Sun, Jul 10, 2011 at 15:40, John Swindler <j_swindler at hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> 
>> That's why PRC had 'put on time' cars.  (is that official name???)  One
>> location was Jane St. loop for route 76 in pm peak.
>> 
>> CAT in Harrisburg is considering stationing an extra driver and bus at 7th
>> and Dock St. in pm peak.  This has been discussed with Tom Collins, which is
>> a name Fred will recognize from high school.
>> 
>> Cheers
>> John
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> From: dwightlong at verizon.net
>>> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>>> Subject: [PRCo] Re: F Market GPS
>>> Date: Sun, 10 Jul 2011 10:34:16 -0400
>>> 
>>> Fred
>>> 
>>> It's an old Pittsburgh expression regarding PRC service disruptions.
>> David H. Hamley ought to remember it--he used it often enough. So should
>> Rick Hannegan.
>>> 
>>> Dwight
>>> 
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: Fred Schneider
>>> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>>> Sent: Saturday, 09 July, 2011 22:25
>>> Subject: [PRCo] Re: F Market GPS
>>> 
>>> 
>>> I never thought of grapes also coming in bunches. :<)
>>> 
>>> Years ago it was Boston that had such lax supervision that a friend of
>> mine coined the term banana dispatching.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Jul 9, 2011, at 9:18 PM, Dwight Long wrote:
>>> 
>>>> Fred
>>>> 
>>>> Is that a tropical version of the grape method?
>>>> 
>>>> Dwight
>>>> 
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: Fred Schneider
>>>> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>>>> Sent: Saturday, 09 July, 2011 13:45
>>>> Subject: [PRCo] Re: F Market GPS
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> I see that today, just like the last time I looked at this, Muni is
>> still using that ever dependable banana system of dispatching.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> On Jul 9, 2011, at 1:29 PM, Ray wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> http://www.nextmuni.com/googleMap/googleMap.jsp?a=sf-muni&r=F#
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> One of the wonders of GPS.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Herb Brannon
> In Cuyahoga Valley National Park
> 
> 
>