[PRCo] Re: Brentwood Motor Coach

[Bob Rathke]

I lived in Brentwood after returning from Cleveland in the early 70's.  The only times I rode Brentwood Motor Coach buses were in the 50's when I went to the Allegheny County Fair in South Park. 



I remember the bus rides through the dark and dreary Liberty Tunnels, and then the fast runs on narrow, twisting Route 88 through Castle Shannon, Bethel Park and South Park; also at least one trip on the BMC Fair route on Rt. 51 via Brentwood and Whitehall. 



Bob 




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dwight Long" <dwightlong at verizon.net> 
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org 
Sent: Monday, March 14, 2011 12:03:38 PM 
Subject: [PRCo] Re: "West Pittsburgh" - Cleveland ETB's 

John 

That's interesting. Â However, it's a lot easier to run TCs thru a railway tunnel than diesel buses. Â At least if one does not want to suffocate or become afflicted with some dread lung disease. Â  

I lived in Brentwood during the last years of the Brentwood Murder Lurch Co. (I believe David H. Hamley gave it that name). Â When commuting in regular hours to the Triangle, I usually drove to Frederick Street and took a 35-36-37 car. Â Sometimes, however, I needed to drive, and the most practical route (usually) was through the Liberty Tubes. Â The most dreaded experience in using these black holes was to get stuck behind a conveyance of the BMLC. Â We used to swear that they burned coal in their buses! Â Ventilation in the Tubes was less than adequate for the amount of pollution spewed out by them. 

I have sometimes wondered if the Port Authority ever considered using ASVs on the South Hills bus routes that they routed through the Mt. Washington trolley tunnel. As you know, Seattle went that route when buses used the tram tunnel there. 

Dwight 

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: John Swindler 
  To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org 
  Sent: Monday, 14 March, 2011 12:50 
  Subject: [PRCo] Re: "West Pittsburgh" - Cleveland ETB's 



   
  Would you believe, Dwight, that there is actually a Pittsburgh connection with you question? 
   
  Yes, trackless did run thru the streetcar tunnel in Providence. 
   
  And the Pittsburgh connection is that Providence experience was quoted by Geissenheimer on a couple occasions during discussions about paving South Hills Tunnel.  What I don't recall is if Harold ever mentioned if trackless and streetcars ever operated thru the Providence tunnel at same time. 
   
  Cheers 
  John 
   
   
   

   
  > From: dwightlong at verizon.net 
  > To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org 
  > Subject: [PRCo] Re: "West Pittsburgh" - Cleveland ETB's 
  > Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2011 10:31:17 -0400 
  > 
  > Herb 
  > 
  > Related question: did Providence TCs run through the tunnel or did that close with the discontinuance of rail transit on UE/UT? 
  > 
  > Dwight 
  > 
  > ----- Original Message ----- 
  > From: Herb Brannon 
  > To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org 
  > Sent: Sunday, 13 March, 2011 19:06 
  > Subject: [PRCo] Re: "West Pittsburgh" - Cleveland ETB's 
  > 
  > 
  > Your photos are: 
  > Pullman-Standard 897 (Model 45), built 1949 for United Electric//United 
  > Transit, Providence, RI. It was sold and delivered to Cleveland Transit 
  > System on December 29, 1952. It is 37' 10" long, 8' 6" wide, seats 45 
  > passengers, and weighs 22,470 Lbs. It was numbered 1449 for United Electric 
  > and renumbered 9423 for United Transit. Its' disposition is noted as, Out of 
  > Service April 26, 1962 at Superior Station and was sold (buyer not named) on 
  > August 15, 1962 
  > 
  > X68 looks like a St. Louis Car Co coach. If so, it could be either 1068 or 
  > 1168. If you took the photo after 1958 then the number is probably 1168 
  > inasmuch as 1068 was sold to City Auto Wrecking (Cleveland, OH) sometime in 
  > 1958. 
  > 
  > 
  > 
  > 
  > On Sun, Mar 13, 2011 at 16:29, Bob Rathke <bobrathke at comcast.net> wrote: 
  > 
  > > 
  > > Attached are a couple of photos I took in Cleveland in July, 1958 on CTS 
  > > electric trolley bus route 3: 
  > > 
  > > 
  > > 
  > > - ETB 897 on Superior Ave. near E. 43rd St. 
  > > 
  > > 
  > > 
  > > - ETB x68 on Superior Ave. near E. 35th St. I have been able to identify 
  > > only the last two digits of the number of this ETB. I'm not too familiar 
  > > with trolley buses - can anyone offer a guess at the full number? 
  > > 
  > > 
  > > 
  > > Bob 
  > > 
  > > 
  > > 
  > > 
  > > ________________________________ 
  > > From: Ken and Tracie <ktjosephson at embarqmail.com> 
  > > To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org 
  > > Sent: Sun, March 13, 2011 1:53:03 PM 
  > > Subject: [PRCo] Re: "West Pittsburgh" Preservation Photos 
  > > 
  > > A number of us raised money to rescue Milwaukee's last revenue electric 
  > > transit vehicle (Pullman-Standard trackless trolley 350.) The coach had 
  > > been 
  > > kicked around to several organizations which did not really care about it 
  > > since 1965. We raised over $4,000 to save it and IRM voted to preserve it, 
  > > though some members complained that it would serve the museum better as a 
  > > parts source. 
  > > 
  > > It is a 1948 Model 45 CX. It is the ONLY "preserved" Model 45 CX . 
  > > 
  > > They have an early Milwaukee Twin Coach and a later model Milwaukee 
  > > Marmon-Herrington which are safe (for now.) The excuse we hear is that they 
  > > need to stricken the 45 CX from the roster and dismantle it because they 
  > > already have two other "1948" Pullman-Standards, one, a 1949 from 
  > > Cleveland, 
  > > the other, a 1947 from Dayton. The latter two, however, are both the rather 
  > > common Model 44CX. 
  > > 
  > > They have two identical Dayton 1977 Model E-800 Flyers , two identical 1937 
  > > Chicago Model T40S Brills and two identical 1951 Chicago Model TC49 
  > > Marmon-Herringtons. 
  > > 
  > > If they do not wish to save the Milwaukee 45 CX, that is their choice. But 
  > > so much Milwaukee transit equipment, both rail and rubber-tired, has been 
  > > lost since the 1950s. And a number of us have either worked on that 
  > > equipment and/or contributed money to preserve and restore it. I am a bit 
  > > disillusioned by IRM's decision, though I can see objective reasoning for 
  > > scrapping the coach. 
  > > 
  > > Overall, however, I must say, "preserved" Milwaukee area transit equipment 
  > > has faired better in Illinois than in Wisconsin. 
  > > 
  > > K. 
  > > 
  > > 
  > > 
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  > > 
  > > 
  > > 
  > 
  > 
  > -- 
  > Herb Brannon 
  > In Cuyahoga Valley National Park 
  > 
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       Â