[PRCo] Re: West Carson Street curves

[Herb Brannon]

During PATransit PCC days, which were almost the same as PRCo PCC days, all
extra "work" car runs were "picked runs" just like at PRCo. The Line Car,
Weed Car, etc were picked runs. The operators who picked these (and they
were all former PRCo Interurban Division guys) wore maintenance uniforms,
not the "dress" uniform worn by regular passenger service operators. Work
cars were usually "dirty" work, hence the work uniform. I'm confident that
this was true in PRCo days also.
On Fri, Feb 24, 2012 at 19:15, Phillip Clark Campbell <pcc_sr at yahoo.com>wrote:

>
>
>
>
> I don't understand this statement by Mr.Gula:
> "...moved shop cars to and from Homewood using a tow car,..."
>
>
> "Dead" cars is obvious isn't it but not functioning TrolleyCars.
> I expect operating cars to move on their own.  I have witnessed
> cars on Grant go straight thru at Liberty toward Homewood.  I
> have also seen PCC Interurbans return via Penn, 11th and on.
> The people operating these cars were wearing shop clothes,
> not operator uniform.  I did see an "operator" on a PCC Interurban
> inbound on Forbes which caught me as strange until I remembered
> access from eastbound Frankstown was severed.  I have
> pictures but finding them is a chore isn't it.
>
>
>
> Phil
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>  From: Dwight Long <dwightlong at verizon.net>
> To: Pittsburgh Railways <pittsburgh-railways at dementix.org>
> Sent: Friday, February 24, 2012 8:11 AM
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: West Carson Street curves
>
> George
>
> While in general I agree with you, there was at least one exception.
> That was in 1952 when a group—perhaps a dozen or more—
> of 3700s and 3800s ran together from Tunnel to Ingram, via Rt. 32.
> I saw it.  These, however, were all operable cars—none were being towed.
> Whoever operated them would presumably have either been ferried or
> taken service trams back to Tunnel.
>
> This still leaves open the question of why the curves at the end of the
> tunnel
> connecting with Rt. 32 were not installed at the time Rt. 23 was changed to
> operate out of Tunnel, or shortly thereafter. The only logical answer of
> which
> I can think is that the Railways concluded that the cost of the additional
> stem
> time for morning runs could not offset the cost of installing the curves
> (actually only a Tunnel to Carson curve would have been required for this,
> or for running scrapper cars to Ingram).  After all, labor was not very
> pricey
>  during the Depression, and both steel and labor were scarce during WW II.
>
> Any other thoughts on the whys and wherefores of the delay to 1949?
>
> Dwight
>
>
> From: George W. Gula
> Sent: Friday, 24 February, 2012 01:18
> To: Pittsburgh Railways
> Subject: [PRCo] West Carson Street curves
> Ingram at one time was the scrapping location of choice and Tunnel car
> house
> offered a lot of storage room for cars awaiting the scrapper's torch. Since
> Pittsburgh Railways moved shop cars to and from Homewood using a tow car,
> it
> is possible that they would also move cars to the scrap pile via the same
> way. And if that was the case, they would want to keep a two-car train,
> including an inoperable car, out of downtown altogether away from traffic
> and from the possibility of an accident tying up paying service. The
> tow-car
> was a picked union job and I doubt that PRCo or the operators would violate
> it by running a group of cars to Ingram together and ferrying the operators
> back. Even if they had, I doubt that PRCo would want this parade going
> through downtown.
> By 1949, PRCo would have known of the rebuilding of East Ohio Street, which
> sealed the fate of the Millvale and Etna lines, and in its bankruptcy would
> have been contemplating cost reductions. The as now, the closing of the
> smaller car houses would have been a distinct discussion topic. These
> closures would have required the relocation of cars and the scrapping of
> others. The construction of new curves gave the PRCo additional flexibility
> while keeping non-revenue moves in downtown to a minimum.
> At that time downtown was an extremely congested area and the city would
> have frowned at all but essential non-revenue moves there. That was always
> a
> sore spot with the city when I worked in PAT's Operations and Schedules
> Departments and still is today with the regular service.
>
> George Gula
>
>


-- 
Herb Brannon
In Cuyahoga Valley National Park