Charles Kerr, Jr. on electrification at Pittsburgh Railway Club in 1937

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wanswheel

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Charles Kerr, Jr. on electrification at Pittsburgh Railway Club in 1937

Posted by wanswheel on Friday, January 13, 2017 4:42 PM

Pittsburgh Press, July 29, 1984

Charles Kerr, Jr., holder of many patents and known as the "Father of Westinghouse Skybus Transportation System," died Friday of natural causes in Fort Myers, Fla. Mr. Kerr, 85, formerly of Pittsburgh, had lived in Florida the past seven years. The graduate of the University of Virginia and Massachusetts Institute of Technology was a retired engineer at Westinghouse and expert in railroad electrification.

Associated Press, Nov. 28, 1962

Driverless Trains May Soon Operate

Imagine riding to work in a highly automated rapid transit system featuring crewless trains. Conceivably, such a system could go into service on a 6-mile route in Pittsburgh within the next two or three years. Westinghouse Electric Company, which unveiled the new system yesterday, said it was designed for needs of 35 metropolitan areas expected to fall in the 500,000 to 2 million population bracket within a decade. Company officials said it would provide service every two minutes, 24 hours a day at an installation cost roughly one-fourth that of conventional mass transit facilities. At first glance, the Westinghouse plan differs little from conventional elevated transit systems, except that it would employ much smaller 20-seat coaches little longer than the largest-size automobiles. They would weigh 8,500 pounds as against the 60,000 pounds of the conventional subway car. Idler wheels protruding horizontally would make contact with outside curbs for directional guidance. Charles Kerr, Jr., Westinghouse transportation consultant, said the extreme savings in weight would cut down the need for cumbersome supports for the elevated roadway and eliminate the need for extensive surface right of way, thereby drastically cutting costs. He said structures could be installed along existing right of way.

http://newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/thedigs/2014/04/02/pittsburghs-ill-fated-skybus/

Excerpt from Skybus: Pittsburgh's Missed Chance at Reviving Public Transportation

https://journals.psu.edu/wph/article/view/59428

The Port Authority of Allegheny County was created in 1956, and three years later, its purpose was amended to acquire Pittsburgh Railways Company and 32 other local transit companies though eminent domain. This included buses, inclines, and even a few specially designed railroad passenger cars that rode on existing railroad tracks between Pittsburgh and McKeesport. This comprehensive plan was envisioned as the best way to address the local transportation needs of the future while offering the potential for business growth to produce such a system…

…An “Early Action Plan” of the Port Authority detailed replacing the existing light rail trolley routes with a 92-mile, 460-car transit system linking suburban communities with downtown Pittsburgh at a cost of approximately $740 million. An 11-line Skybus transportation system—formally, the “Westinghouse Transit Expressway” — was the centerpiece of the comprehensive plan, with 11 stations downtown and 47 more in the suburbs.

With the plan approved, three prototype vehicles were made, each seating 26 people with standing room for an additional 28. Each car had a top speed of a respectable 50 miles per hour. The vehicles were designed with side doors so they could be run independently or connected in sets of two or three. Interestingly, Westinghouse found out it took 40 seconds to load the vehicle, but only 18 seconds for the people to leave. At the fair, long lines with waits up to three hours discouraged some riders, but many more waited: 13,921 men, women, and children paid the 10 cent fare to take the fascinating ride during the 1965 fair—and they were thrilled! This scene was repeated for the Allegheny County Fairs of 1966 through 1971. Skybus remained popular while in service and ever since in memory.