[PRCo] Re: Brentwood Motor Coach

Herb Brannon hrbran at cavtel.net
Mon Mar 14 13:37:58 EDT 2011


Didn't Harold G work for Community Transit?
On Mon, Mar 14, 2011 at 13:31, Fred Schneider <fwschneider at comcast.net>wrote:

> Thinking back to the era of the PAT takeover in 1964, was Brentwood one of
> the few suburban bus companies actually making a profit?   Deere Brothers
> was.   The outfit that Dieselheimer worked for ... I'm having a senior
> moment and the company name is escaping ... they were making money.   But it
> seems that a lot of those independents were quite happy to unload their
> assets on PAT.
>
> John would know because I think he was pretty close to Grant McCoy of McCoy
> Brother's Bus Company who moved to Harrisburg and worked with John after PAT
> took over.
>
>
>
> On Mar 14, 2011, at 1:18 PM, Bob Rathke wrote:
>
> >
> > 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.  However, it's a lot easier to run TCs thru a railway
> tunnel than diesel buses.  At least if one does not want to suffocate or
> become afflicted with some dread lung disease.
> >
> > I lived in Brentwood during the last years of the Brentwood Murder Lurch
> Co. (I believe David H. Hamley gave it that name).  When commuting in
> regular hours to the Triangle, I usually drove to Frederick Street and took
> a 35-36-37 car.  Sometimes, however, I needed to drive, and the most
> practical route (usually) was through the Liberty Tubes.  The most dreaded
> experience in using these black holes was to get stuck behind a conveyance
> of the BMLC.  We used to swear that they burned coal in their buses!
>  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.
> >   > >
> >   > >
> >   > >
> >   > > -- Attached file removed by Ecartis and put at URL below --
> >   > > -- Type: image/jpeg
> >   > > -- Size: 26k (26643 bytes)
> >   > > -- URL :
> >   > >
> http://lists.dementia.org/files/pittsburgh-railways/CTSetb897-070858.JPG
> >   > >
> >   > >
> >   > > -- Attached file removed by Ecartis and put at URL below --
> >   > > -- Type: image/jpeg
> >   > > -- Size: 24k (25262 bytes)
> >   > > -- URL :
> >   > >
> http://lists.dementia.org/files/pittsburgh-railways/CTSetbx68-070858.JPG
> >   > >
> >   > >
> >   > >
> >   > >
> >   >
> >   >
> >   > --
> >   > Herb Brannon
> >   > In Cuyahoga Valley National Park
> >   >
> >   >
> >   >
> >   >
> >   >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>


-- 
Herb Brannon
In Cuyahoga Valley National Park





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