[PRCo] Re: Making sense of the PRC assignments....

[Phillip Clark Campbell]

Mr.Long,

Thank you for the history; this is a keeper.  One wishes to have
participated then; life sometimes takes us different directions.

 
Phil




________________________________
 From: Dwight Long <dwightlong at verizon.net>
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementix.org 
Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 4:09 AM
Subject: [PRCo] Re: Making sense of the PRC assignments....
 
Interesting comments and history.

PERC was incorporated 19 December 1953. However, it existed as a voluntary, unincorporated association much earlier than that—perhaps even  before WE II.  Its first sponsored enthusiast charter was 23 June 1946, in the Queen Mary. PERC ran 16 different trips before becoming incorporated. In those days its primary activities were operating charter trips and holding monthly meetings where slides, movies, and the like were shown and current events in the tramway world discussed.  The incorporation was primarily driven by the idea of forming an operating  museum which would be open to the public, and the related concerns about all the assorted personal liability issues that would exist without a corporate shield. Both M-1 and WP 832 were purchased before PERC was incorporated, in 1949 and 1952 respectively, and were owned by groups of individuals.  In the case of M-1 it was Bartley, Brown, and Galbraith.  I don’t know all the folks’ names who
 were WP 832 owners, but I am positiv!
e that Bob Scanlon was the last one to surrender his interest to what was then PRMA.  3756 MAY have been obtained by PERC, since its acquisition was post-incorporation.  I don’t have the facts on this.

The first issue of Trolley Fare, styled as Bulletin No. 1, was issued in early 1950.  There was a considerable hiatus before additional issues were forthcoming.  Publication was at times sporadic, but had evolved into a monthly mimeographed bulletin by the mid 60s when Dave Hamley and I were co-editors.  I think the change to bi-monthly came about in the 1970s, but am not sure and am missing about a year and a half of issues from that period—casualties of several HHG moves, I suppose.

The show in the Ft. Pitt Hotel    (   UNLESS THERE WERE MORE THAN ONE!!!!    )   had to have been either in late 1952 or early 1953, as WP 832 had been purchased from WP by PERC members, but was then residing at Charleroi Car House.  It was moved from there to Ingram on 10 May 1953, and then to Arden on 7 February 1954, both of which trips I was on (in fact I have ridden in it over all the trackage on PRC that 832 ever covered after its retirement from WP). I recall the show pretty well.  It is where I picked up the flyer soliciting donations to preserve 832 (I bought a “Trolley Bond” out of my meagre newspaperboy earnings).  I was most impressed, however, by the standard gauge model of a PRC 3800 which was controlled by a genuine rewired streetcar controller. I had already met the notables whom you mentioned, having been on PERC West Penn and PRC interurban trips in the summer of 1952, my first enthusiast tours.  

It is a shame that you and I did not know each other back then.  We could have done a lot of things together. I owe much of my early exploits, such as the early PERC trips, to the good offices of the late C. E. “Chuck” England, whom I met through my paper route (he was a customer) and a listing of me as a new ERA member in 1952.  Chuck would have been delighted to score another new recruit to our avocation!  He was to me as John Baxter was to John Swindler, albeit a few years earlier in my case.  I was very lucky.

Thanks for the memories!

Dwight