nokia3310 wrote: The P.C.C. I thought was of the finest trams (streetcars) ever to be made. Never had the chance to ride one, but I ride streetcars made after it, the Czheck "Tatra" T4R and T4D (theT4* is the 4th version, T1 it was the streetcar made after P.C.C.). Man, one of the finest streetcars ever to be made in Eastern-Europe. The T4R in Bucharest, when they where bought in the '70's could reach 80-90 km/s (50-56 mph). Some of them still run fast. Pitty that streetcars are gone from most U.S.A. cityes. The people can't see now those wounderfoul P.C.C.'s, streetcars very advance for theyr times.
The P.C.C. I thought was of the finest trams (streetcars) ever to be made. Never had the chance to ride one, but I ride streetcars made after it, the Czheck "Tatra" T4R and T4D (theT4* is the 4th version, T1 it was the streetcar made after P.C.C.). Man, one of the finest streetcars ever to be made in Eastern-Europe. The T4R in Bucharest, when they where bought in the '70's could reach 80-90 km/s (50-56 mph). Some of them still run fast. Pitty that streetcars are gone from most U.S.A. cityes. The people can't see now those wounderfoul P.C.C.'s, streetcars very advance for theyr times.
P.C.C. cars haven't disappeared entirely. In Philadelphia, a SEPTA line uses a reconditioned PCC car (it has airconditioning) that is authentic on the outside. In Kenosha, Wisconsin, "vintage" streetcars run a loop from the train station downtown. I believe they are all or mostly P.C.C.'s.
Surely the readers here can think of other situations in which P.C.C.'s in North America still run in regular service . . . ?
al
transitrapid wrote: Air Conditioning!!! Thats IT!! The Old PCC Cars did not have it!...Rode the last PCC in Pittsburgh on the Drake Line and even though I enjoyed the ride it was a little stuffy.So Adding the Air Conditioning we have to be adding on the extra weight
Air Conditioning!!! Thats IT!! The Old PCC Cars did not have it!...Rode the last PCC in Pittsburgh on the Drake Line and even though I enjoyed the ride it was a little stuffy.
So Adding the Air Conditioning we have to be adding on the extra weight
Didn't DC's PCC's have Air Conditioning?
Rgds IGN
daveklepper wrote: Muni's PCC streetcars were not mu equipped and only operated as single cars. Even today, MINI and Market Street Railway do not own mu PCC's. The replacement Boeing LRV's did operate mu, and so do the replacement Breda LRV's today.Note my posting covered only streetcar-LRV North American PCC's. All PCC rapid transit cars, even those designed primarily for single-car operation (Skokie Swift originals) were mu-equipped. Most European PCC's were mu (Tartras). Exceptions were The Hague, Antwerp, and Ghent. Boston: All PCC's eventually made MU, including the original 25 "Tremont" class and the all-electric "City Point" class. All mu PCC's single-end, front-entrance, center exit with center doors on both sides, doors available for boarding of course depending on platform at prepaid stations. Exception: 25 ex-Dallas PCC double-end, front and rear door cars were purchased second-hand from Dallas, Texas. These were not made mu, used for specific shuttle services, although equipped with Tomlinson couplers.Shaker Heights, Single-end, front-entrance and center-exitToronto, Single-end, front-entrance and center-exit.Pacific Electric: Double end, front-entrance and center-exit, only PCC's of this typeIllinois Terminal: Double-end, front and rear doors. Body type same as first PCC's in San Francisco and the same body used for non-PCC Red Arrow cars.
Muni's PCC streetcars were not mu equipped and only operated as single cars. Even today, MINI and Market Street Railway do not own mu PCC's. The replacement Boeing LRV's did operate mu, and so do the replacement Breda LRV's today.
Note my posting covered only streetcar-LRV North American PCC's. All PCC rapid transit cars, even those designed primarily for single-car operation (Skokie Swift originals) were mu-equipped. Most European PCC's were mu (Tartras). Exceptions were The Hague, Antwerp, and Ghent.
Boston: All PCC's eventually made MU, including the original 25 "Tremont" class and the all-electric "City Point" class. All mu PCC's single-end, front-entrance, center exit with center doors on both sides, doors available for boarding of course depending on platform at prepaid stations. Exception: 25 ex-Dallas PCC double-end, front and rear door cars were purchased second-hand from Dallas, Texas. These were not made mu, used for specific shuttle services, although equipped with Tomlinson couplers.
Shaker Heights, Single-end, front-entrance and center-exit
Toronto, Single-end, front-entrance and center-exit.
Pacific Electric: Double end, front-entrance and center-exit, only PCC's of this type
Illinois Terminal: Double-end, front and rear doors. Body type same as first PCC's in San Francisco and the same body used for non-PCC Red Arrow cars.
SF Municipal Ry did not buy any MU PCC's. However they did buy second hand some of the St Louis IT PCC's. Muni never ran them in multiple and at some point removed the couplers for other reasons.
FYI . One other item Muni was not a participant of the PCC commision & initially did not have the license(?) to but PCC cars. During WW II Market St Railway was merged into Muni and this is where SF Muni obtained the rights to use PCC patents & etc.
narig02 wrote: Didn't DC's PCC's have Air Conditioning?Rgds IGN
only one of DC's PCC's had air conditioning, its nickname was the Silver Sightseer.
Patrick Boylan
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The various PCC patents were assigned to the Transit Research Corp. An operator did not have to be a member of the ERPCC to purchase PCC cars but did have to pay royalties to TRC for the cars they did purchase.
The two major builders of PCC cars (Pullman-Standard & St. Louis Car) had to build their cars to conform with various PCC designs and patents. Brill would bid on PCC business but based its bids on non-conforming designs so their bids would be rejected out of hand.
There aren't any more P.C.C. streetcars in Boston and San Francisco?
And when I meant theyr gone, I was talking of the desmelting streetcars in cityes like New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland...
The P.C.C. streetcars where the most succesofoul streetcars in the world. Version of it where produce also in Europe: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCC_streetcars
Again, PCC operation in North America outside trolley museuams:
San Francisco, largest operation, F line Market Street from Castro to Ferry Terminal and then Embarkadaro to Fisherman;s Warf. Other equipment usually Milan Peter Witt cars. Occasionally a Blackpool, England "boat" (open gondola) or tyical vintage San Francisco cars.
Boston, Mattapan - Ashmont high-speed line. Museum quality restoration (1946-era paint and lettering and logo), great ride and scenery. A light rail extension of the Rel-Line heavy rapid transit over an old ex-New Haven branch. All PCC operation. Pullman-built cars. Cars to be air-conditioned without significant visual changes.
Philadelphia. Route 15 Garrard Avenue. Air condiitoned with visual change having roof monitors like the existing Boston cars. Sometimes a bus or a modern Kawaski LRV shows up, however. So wait another 15 minutes.
Waukegan. Downtown loop. Uses three cars at most.
All four operations are very well worth riding and photographing
Getting back to the word "tram", this word is applied to the giant suspended cable car running between Manhattan and Roosevelt Island in NYC. Very different usage from the British Isles use of the word; a "tramway" over there refers to any street trackage, no matter if streetcars (the only vehicles actually called "trams") or large trains typical of a general railroad network runs on them. Germany uses the term Straßenbahn for light rail in general, with some hybrid systems like the "tram-train" (e.g. Karlsruhe) and other light rail that has characteristics of heavy-rail subways being called Stadtbahnen (a term with no legal definition, like "interurban" in the US).
"Metro" has been exported by French consultants, and is used in some places in Canada. Germany calls them U-bahnen; I think we all know what they're called in England.
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