[PRCo] Re: Sunday's Newspaper....

[Fred Schneider]

This needs to be shared with the list.  
This started out with a note to a business colleague of mine, now retired, who worked in Pittsburgh.   I cc'd John Swindler on the original list.   He pushed my buttons on the response.

Right John.   Ridiculous ... 50 mph light rail cars governed for 30 and run at 20.   

You guys can read what I John and I had posted before.   

On Mar 25, 2012, at 7:26 PM, John Swindler wrote:

> 
>  
> The joke is that Pittsburgh has the slowest rapid transit in the country.  Running time Pittsburgh to Library was 41 minutes - and that was 50 years ago using city streets.  But the real travasty is to look at the operating cost of light rail in Pittsburgh. 
>  
> Did you like the way the North Shore extension is designed to serve some sports stadiums and a casino?  How about access to the community college on the other side of the expressway?? 
>  
> Cheers
> John 
>  
> Subject: Re: Sunday's Newspaper....
> From: fwschneider at comcast.net
> Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2012 14:45:18 -0400
> To: williamjceriani at msn.com
> 
> By dumb luck, of all the days I could have picked this spring for annual requalification as an operator at the museum, I accidentally picked Saturday.   That dovetailed perfectly with the Northshore light rail opening on Friday.   
> 
> What a circus that was ... all those politicians speaking and no one could hear them.   Can you imagine a bunch of elected officials speaking inside a subway station with a thousand people there?   Like being inside a base drum.  What you could hear was probably directly proportional to what they said.
> 
> I am a very strong advocate of mass transit but building a line to the North Shore instead of the North Side seems to have about as much practicality to me as building one to the city landfill.  The one that should have been built never was ... the subway under Fifth or Forbes through Oakland to the east end.  
> 
> But the riding in from South Hills Village yesterday also made me realize that PAT doesn't understand how to run a rail line. I can remember a Pittsburgh Railways operator back in 1952 running one of those old 1925 yellow cars full bore up Saw Mill Run Valley from Castle Shannon ... he accelerated so fast that he twice kicked out the accelerating circuit breaker.  Probably was running over 40 mph.   Now we have modern equipment that is governed to 30 mph and run at 20 to 25 and we call it rapid transit.   It has been slowed down considerably over the years.   I don't think there isn't a rail transit operator in North America or Europe that couldn't show Pittsburgh how it should be done.    I wonder what politician is telling PAT's executive director not to make our highways look bad?????
> 
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> 
> 
> On Mar 25, 2012, at 2:23 PM, William Ceriani wrote:
> 
> Hi, Fred,
> 
> I didn't see Saturday's PG, but I'll try to find the photo.  It's good to see you're still in the news.
> 
> Bill
> 
> 
> > From: fwschneider at comcast.net
> > Subject: Sunday's Newspaper....
> > Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2012 14:13:25 -0400
> > To: williamjceriani at msn.com
> > 
> > Did you see Saturday's Post Gazette?
> > 
> > Page A3, the photograph of the Ravenstahl and Fitzgerald getting on the light rail car in downtown Pittsburgh to ride under the river ... did you recognize the old fart carrying the camera at the far right edge of the picture? 
> > 
> > Yup, it's the second time in the last decade that I've gotten my mug in your newspaper. I guess I famous out there in my own small way. :<) 
> > 
> > The trolley museum cadre was helping to control crowds and several us official photographers! 
> 
>