[PRCo] Burning Leaves--and Coal

Richard Allman allmanr at verizon.net
Tue Oct 22 18:34:39 EDT 2013


for some fun on topic of PA Turnpike and music go to UTube and bring up 
Pennsylvania Turnpike song by Dick Todd-an oldie and truly nostalgic
RICH
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fred Schneider" <fwschneider at comcast.net>
To: "Western PA Trolley discussion" 
<pittsburgh-railways at mailman.dementix.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 22, 2013 11:39 AM
Subject: Re: [PRCo] Burning Leaves--and Coal


And being old is remembering when the Pennsylvania Turnpike had sodium vapor 
lamps at the interchanges between Irwin and Middlesex.   No, I cannot 
remember when they changed them … sometime in the 1950s.



On Oct 22, 2013, at 1:13 AM, Bob Rathke wrote:

> Here in northern Illinois, the directional glow in the sky is color coded. 
> The city of Chicago has sodium vapor street lights, so if the night sky is 
> orange, you know you're headed to Chicago.  The suburbs use mercury vapor 
> street lights, so if the sky is blue-white you're headed to a suburb.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>
> From: "Fred Schneider" <fwschneider at comcast.net>
> To: "Western PA Trolley discussion" 
> <pittsburgh-railways at mailman.dementix.org>
> Sent: Monday, October 21, 2013 7:00:14 PM
> Subject: Re: [PRCo] Burning Leaves--and Coal
>
> It isn't just Pittsburgh, Bob.   I remember trying to find my way home 
> after a Tractioneers meeting in unfamiliar territory in suburban 
> Washington DC.   I got to thinking, "I'm inside the Beltway … if I just 
> keep the brightest part of the horizon behind me, I'll find the Beltway." 
> Voila.   It worked.   That was 40 years ago.
>
>
>
> On Oct 21, 2013, at 2:46 PM, Bob Rathke wrote:
>
>> Driving south from Zelienople at night in the 1950's you didn't need a 
>> compass to locate Pittsburgh - the sky there always had an orange glow.
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>
>> From: "John Swindler" <j_swindler at hotmail.com>
>> To: "Western PA Trolley discussion" 
>> <pittsburgh-railways at mailman.dementix.org>
>> Sent: Monday, October 21, 2013 10:16:09 AM
>> Subject: Re: [PRCo] Burning Leaves--and Coal
>>
>>
>>
>> Was chatting with some PTM visitors yesterday, and among the "Pittsburg 
>> smells" mentioned was J&L sulfur smell upon exiting Squirrel Hill Tunnels 
>> and heading downgrade to Brady St. exit.   They were old enough to 
>> remember air pollution from late 1940s - (before my time).
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>> From: dwightlong at verizon.net
>>> To: pittsburgh-railways at mailman.dementix.org
>>> Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2013 11:04:35 -0400
>>> Subject: Re: [PRCo] Burning Leaves--and Coal
>>>
>>>
>>> Herb
>>>
>>> In Beaver burning next to the curb was OK on concrete streets (we lived 
>>> on one) or brick ones (still several left in the 50s) but not on asphalt 
>>> nor tarred ones!
>>>
>>> Tar?  When I was in first or second grade I came home from school for 
>>> lunch.  On the way back to school the alley that I used as a shortcut 
>>> was being freshly tarred.  I followed the tar dispensing truck, 
>>> fascinated.  When I got to school I was sent home immediately.  I looked 
>>> like the proverbial tarbaby.  Lots of turpentine and stiff scrubbing 
>>> later, and a new suit of clothes, I returned and was admitted.
>>>
>>> And we still had plenty of coal furnaces in our town back then, although 
>>> our house used gas.  I well recall the smell of the coal burning on cold 
>>> winter days whilst delivering the Pittsburgh Press to my paper route 
>>> customers.  The last time I encountered that smell was just a few years 
>>> ago in a suburb of Budapest while fotting the trams there.  Brought back 
>>> many memories!
>>>
>>> Dwight
>>>
>>> From: Herb Brannon
>>> Sent: Monday, 21 October, 2013 10:48
>>> To: Western PA Trolley discussion
>>> Subject: Re: [PRCo] Burning Leaves
>>> When I was a child, in Akron,  the common practice was to burn the 
>>> leaves
>>> in the street but along the curb stones. Sometimes the piles of leaves 
>>> were
>>> so large that the fires would become too large and would spread to the
>>> treelawn. Then the fire department would be called to put out the fires. 
>>> It
>>> made for an exciting day or evening. Ranking right up there with the 
>>> smell
>>> of burning leaves are also the smell of coal smoke and the smell of 
>>> fresh
>>> tar.............three of the "little joys of life" now gone by the 
>>> wayside.
>>>
>>>
>>> On Mon, Oct 21, 2013 at 10:33 AM, Dwight Long 
>>> <dwightlong at verizon.net>wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> Herb
>>>>
>>>> I can remember back in the 50s coming back to Beaver from auto trips to
>>>> the East that involved the Pa Turnpike—we would use the Warrendale exit 
>>>> and
>>>> the back roads to Beaver.  Coming down into the (Beaver) valley off the
>>>> hill the whole floor of the valley would be engulfed in leaf smoke.
>>>>
>>>> Unhealthy, they say, but it sure did convey the impression that Autumn 
>>>> was
>>>> upon us!
>>>>
>>>> Dwight
>>>>
>>>> From: Herb Brannon
>>>> Sent: Sunday, 20 October, 2013 10:36
>>>> To: Western PA Trolley discussion
>>>> Subject: Re: [PRCo] Phil asked about music
>>>> You mentioned something I really miss.............the smell of burning
>>>> leaves in October.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Sun, Oct 20, 2013 at 8:37 AM, DF Cramer <alto_trombone at hotmail.com
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Well, what have I been up to? The beginning of the month I performed
>>>>> Copland, Brahms, & Dvorak with the Butler County Symphony,our (my wife
>>>>> plays cello) 28th season with the ensemble. I am back at IUP and
>>>> delivered
>>>>> two arrangements of French Noels from the Baroque period to begin the
>>>>> semester and last week conducted a first reading of my "The Eternal
>>>> Flame",
>>>>> a commemorative piece for double trombone choir and narrator I wrote 
>>>>> to
>>>>> mark the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. All of that 
>>>>> will
>>>> be
>>>>> performed on November 19 at the university. Next week I perform with 
>>>>> IUP
>>>>> brass & organ faculty at Zion Lutheran in Indiana for Reformation 
>>>>> Sunday
>>>>> and the following week we are doing Charlie Chaplin's "City Lights" in
>>>>> Butler. Chaplin created the musical score for this silent film and we
>>>> will
>>>>> be showing the film as we perform. (Side note: if you want tickets let 
>>>>> me
>>>>> know as soon as possible--I usually get 4 free ones)
>>>>> Other than that, I spent quality time with Ed at the Alle-Kiski
>>>> Historical
>>>>> Society, led a new operator training class at PTM, printed and stuffed
>>>>> ballots for PTM, and am going to the opera today to see Aida (football
>>>> fan
>>>>> alert--Franco Harris is leading the Grand March in the opera today)
>>>>> I spend lots of time practicing and cleaning up leaves.  I mulch some 
>>>>> and
>>>>> burn others---yes we are still permitted to burn here.
>>>>> If you missed it--I also performed at the PTM 50th Anniversary 
>>>>> luncheon.
>>>>> See the most recent issue of PTM Trolley Fare, Fred Schneider took 
>>>>> some
>>>>> great images.
>>>>> Dennis F. Cramer
>>>>> http://home.windstream.net/dfc1/
>>>>>
>>>>>> Date: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 05:49:49 -0700
>>>>>> From: pcc_sr at yahoo.com
>>>>>> To: pittsburgh-railways at mailman.dementix.org
>>>>>> Subject: Re: [PRCo] still having issues
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Stereo-vision isn't it Mr.Cramer!  Soapbox opportunity; make the most
>>>> of
>>>>> it!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> You have not recently mentioned anything about your concert or music
>>>>> engagements.
>>>>>> I find them fascinating.  Music is not at all unlike laughter is it;
>>>>> both speak a universal language.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Yes; BB are the last posts I have seen.  There was not much of 
>>>>>> anything
>>>>> before your BB posts for several weeks.  You mentioned a book in 
>>>>> relation
>>>>> to this; please tell more.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Phil
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> -------------------------------------------- 
>>>>>> On Sat, 10/19/13, DF Cramer <alto_trombone at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  Subject: [PRCo] still having issues
>>>>>>  To: "pittsburgh-railways at mailman.dementix.org" <
>>>>> pittsburgh-railways at mailman.dementix.org>
>>>>>>  Date: Saturday, October 19, 2013, 3:52 AM
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  it seemed very interesting that after
>>>>>>  I posted on the list, several emails came through. I assume people
>>>> were
>>>>> responding with reply all. I have received no  posts from the list 
>>>>> other
>>>>> than those dealing with Billy Baxter.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  Dennis F. Cramer
>>>>>>  http://home.windstream.net/dfc1/
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -- 
>>>> Herb Brannon
>>>> *In Pittsburgh...*
>>>> *......the Greatest City In The U.S.*
>>>> Let's Go Pens
>>>> Let's Go Steelers
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>
>>> -- 
>>> Herb Brannon
>>> *In Pittsburgh...*
>>> *......the Greatest City In The U.S.*
>>> Let's Go Pens
>>> Let's Go Steelers
>>>
>>>
>>>
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