[PRCo] PRC "Dick" retires

[Fred Schneider]

The chap's picture appears in the actual Press story.   Amazing that he loved his work enough to stay almost twenty years beyond normal retirement age.  





http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RjkbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4kwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3928%2C4069460

 

Pittsburgh Press, Wednesday, January 15, 1947, page 2

 

Circled World 3 Times—

 

Trolley Official Retires at 84

After Making Traveling His Hobby

 

Rode in All Means of Transportation

 

  John S. “Jack” Shedd, who has covered as many iles about the world as in Pittsburgh as general agent for the Pittsburgh Railways Co., is retiring.

 

   At 84, Mr. Shedd still has restless feet.  But for the present, he plns to remain at his Knoxville home.

 

   For 37 years he hs been general agent in charge of protecting Pittsburgh Railways property – otherwise known as a railroad detective.  But in addition to that  riding  about  the  world  in  every  conceivable  means  of  transportation  –

including trolley – has been his hobby.

 

Takes Inventory of Travels

 

   In his home today at 330 Jacunda St., Mr. Shedd scanned an oilcloth map of the world and took inventory of his travels.

 

   It amounted to visiting six continents and 90 countries.  This includes every state in the Union. 

 

   “I’ve made three boat trips around the world by different routes, flew from England to Paris in 1932, plus donkey and camel trips in Africa, and others via auto, Chinese junk, horseback and even by freight train,” he said.

 

Modern Sherlock Holmes

 

   He took one ride sitting on a soap box in a freight train en route to the Great Wall of China.

 

   But Mr. Shedd, who looks more like a professor or bank executive than a detective, says he has found live here as interesting as abroad.

 

   Besides investigating accidents and tracing stolen trolleys, Mr. Shedd has handled lost article puzzles that would have delighted Sherlock Holmes.

   “One was finding a package containing $2000, all in $2 bills.  I traced them to a careless bank messenger who rode the trolley from the clearing house,” he said.

 

Rode in Police Wagon

 

  Six times he traced stolen trolleys but most of the time they were taken by former emplolyes on a busman’s, or rather trolleyman’s holiday.

 

   Mr. Shedd, a native of Boston, did trolley work in California, Wasington State and Montana before coming to Pittsburgh in 1898.  He worked for the old Monongahela St. Railway and joined Pittsburgh Railway when they merged in 1902.

 

   “In my time I’ve ridden on about everything,” he said, adding that when he first started work in Poston his first ride was in a police wagon.

 

Carries Good Luck Charm

 

   He said he was employed by a company when he was fighting another for the trolley franchise.  “I helped plaster our posters over the rival company posters,” he said.   After being thrown in jail, the company bailed him out an hour later. 

 

   Mr. Shedd carrys a good luck charm.  It‘s a “Toonerville” trolley check which he took out of a fare box.  He said the check wasn’t good for a ride although in his day he rode on many a “Toonerville.” 

 

 

 

 


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