According to Transit Expert Bill Vigrass, the only streetcars that should be called Peter Witts are two-man cars with front entrance and a seated conducted adjacent to the center exit door. Passengers occupying the front half of the car would pay when leaving, while those in the rear would pay as the passed the conductor. The vast fleets of such two-man single-ended cars in Detroit, Philadelphia, Cleveland (originator), Pittsburgh, Chicago, Toronto, Buffalo usually had spartant seating, usually just a long bench on each side, in the front half, and comfortable two-by-two forward-facing seating at the rear. This encouraged passengers to spread out their payment and use the rear seats. The standee loads were usually carried mostly in the front, but the possibility of finding seat as another passenger left encouraged people to move to the rear. This situation does not exist, of course, on the typical one-man center-exit car, many of which (Brooklyn had the largest fleet, over 500) were double-end and which usually had equally comfortable seats front-half and rear. PCC's and typical transit buses included. This often leads, even today, to passengers unable to board at the front because of crowding while the aisle at the rear is only sparsely occupied. Some companies, like Dallas, Texas, stayed with end-door cars, even ordering PCC's with only end doors. (The Dallas PCC's were used second-hand in Boston for many years and one survives there as work car.) The 75 Arab-sector bus line close to my Yeshiva in Jerusalem has only end-door large buses (and small single-door limo-type buses). The problem with this arrangement is people wanting to leave by the front door interfering with people boarding. Chigago and Milan and Sao Paulo solved the problem with three doors on the side! Many of use do try to be helpful by asking fellow passengers to move to the rear so others can board, in the typical one-man center-exit streetcar or transit bus. The driver may be too busy with the fares of boarding passengers to yell "Move to the rear, please." I find my Hebrew "B'vakasha l'hitkadem." usually does work in Jerusalem. In the late 1950's and early 1960's, the Branford Electric Railway Association, operators of the Shore Line Trolley Musuem in Branford and East Haven, Connecticut, annually ran a steam special using a Canadian National or Grand Trunk 4-8-4 on the Central Vermont from New London to Bellows Falls and return, in the autumn just after the weekend operating season at the Musuem ended. As a regular motorman I served as an Assistant Trainman on these trips, opening and closing doors and traps at the photo stops and generally seeing to the welfare of the Museum's paying guests (we paid our full fare, also) on the car that was my assignment. I quickly developed the language to ask kids to take their feet off seats where at the forward end of the car, there were facing seats, without appearing to be dictatorial monster to the kids involved. I found it could be unwise to transfer these skills to regular trains. There were Amtrak trainmen who appreciated my efforts, but others -regarding the feet-off-seats- that took an attitude of "invading my turf" and so I stopped, also on commuter authority trains. As far as traps and doors, well, every railfan knows that is strictly forbidden, could lead to a safety problem, and I can recall doing only once when it was clear there was quite a mob intendeing to get off that would have been left on a New Haven train after it left the station, and I did not get a reprimand from the conductor or a trainman on that one occasion. The mob detrained and I closed up before the highball. But one-man buses and streetcars? The "move to the rear please" has always been appreciated and so has my efforts to get kids to remove feet from seats. With the religious kids, I find that asking whether their rabbi-teacher would approve is usually the best approach and almost always works. With the secular kids, "Lo Yafeh" -Not Pretty- seems to work best. Yesterday, the 11:15pm departure from the Mt. Scopus Hebrew U. bus tunnel was unusual in that it was an articulated (long) bus, unusual on that line. It was also brand new (smell the paint), possibly its first day of operation, a MAN low-floor. A the first stop, opposite the Reznick Domritory Complex, a lot of college students got on, and a group of eight, four boys and four girls, grouped themselves around and across from me. Informal dress, not any different than a bunch of USA college kids or Israeli secular kids. I realized they were speaking Arabic with only an occasional Hebrew and English word. The boy and girl across the aisle put their feet on the facing backward-facing seat. I did not say anything until just before my stop, after I rang the request stop bell. As I got up I said softly "La Kweisay" -Not Pretty- in Arabic while pointing to his feet. (Kweisey! Kweisey! is a good substitute for Bravo! Bravo! after an Arab concert.) The young man quickly responded with the Hebrew "Ma debartah?" -What did you say?- As the exit door opened I turned to face him and said much louder "La Kweisay!" As the bus pulled away from the stop I looked through the window and was satisfied that their feet were on the floor.
Hi Dave - In Chicago, they were very careful to refer to these cars as "Sedans" and not (officially, at least) as Peter Witts. Art
I am glad I had the chance to ride them in the summer of 1952.
Anther transit problem fans and riders can help are those youngsters sitting on the edge of high platforms at rapid transit and commuter railroad stations, with legs dangling in space occupied by trains. I have not come up with the right language for aplication for all situations so far. Can anyone help?
Recently, at the Hebrew U. bus station, I saw one of my fellow Yeshiva students (like me. modern clothes with yarmulke, not the Hassidic clothes), sitting on the platform with legs on the roadway. Not a high platform, just normal sidewalk height. (Most buses are now low-floor MAN.) I pointed out that sitting in that location did not win him respect, which as a religious person he probably wishes the world to give him. He did get up (but of course he is a friend), but what gratified me is that some of the secular HU students also got up!
Hi Dave - your ride had to be very close to the bitter end for the Sedans on Cottage, as the pre-war PCCs took over the line during the summer of 1952 and would run the service for about three years until it was converted to bus in mid-1955. During the process of introducing the PCCs, there were apparently times when they had to bring an older one-man (1721-type or similar) car over to cover the service, as Bob Mehlenbeck shot one of these passing a pre-war PCC at 93rd/Cottage around that time. Art
Hi Dave - In 1950 and 1951 IC employee picnic specials ran over the South Shore with a Joe as the power and a long string of IC Harriman cars. Made a fine-looking train! If I remember correctly, 1951 was the last year that was run over the SSL. Art
Latest on feet off seats: I usually only use "Lo Yapheh" (not nice) when I think there is a chance of success. On the way from the apartment to the Yeshiva Friday afternoon, across the aisle was a punk rocker, black jersey, silver skull and crossed bones, slicked standing hair, the works, with of course, feet on the seats. I decided not to bother, because I doubted I'd get a positive resonse. So I kept silent, rode to the stop before the actual end of the line, where the bus driver decided that since it was his last trip, he would turn and get a shortcut back to the garage, OK with me only about 200 feet short. The punk rocker got off at the stop for the Hadassah Mt. Scops hospital, about two stops earlier. And I didn't say anything.
But I like to be consistant. What to do in the future? I had plenty of rest time to think aobut it over the Jewish Sabbath. I finally decided that in the future (if I have the opportunity) I'd first say the usual (for secular youngsters) "Lo Yafeh." Then if I don't get a good response, I'd follow with (the English translation): "Arab youngsters don't put feet on seats on Arab buses!"
Which happens to be true. Of course the Jerusalem Arab sector bus lines (I ride the 75 now and then) are all with face-forward seating, but I don't have to tell the kid that.
Is this "racial profiling"? What do you think?
I tried it out as a question on one of the most Zionist Nationalistic youngsters at the Yeshiva. He said (translation) "If you're not scared, Duvid, go right ahead! But suppose the youngster himself is an Arab?" I didn't reply, but generally Arab Jerusalem kids do not dress lilke Punk Rockers. The kid I saw was probably from Tel Aviv, since few Jerusalem Jewish kids dress like Punk Rockers. I t really is a T. A. phenomenon. He was probably visiting a friend or relative at the hospital or going there for a checkup, since it has the reputation of being the best in the Middle East.
Anyway, your comments and suggestions are appreciated.
Of course most Jerusalem Egged drivers know me, and the kid may have been put up to it by the driver, a slim chance.
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