BusTalk

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PCC #4004 had the distinction of being the very last PCC to operate in Piitsburgh, back in 1999, this ending 63 years of PCC operation in the "Steel City".

The "interurban" series of PCC's featured pilots and sealed windows, giving them a quite distinctive appearance from the other PCCs in the fleet.

This car, indeed, is a VERY fortunate survivor...........

https://pa-trolley.org/collection/patransit-4004/

[Cyberider]

I was fascinated, back in the day, when Pittsburgh had such a large PCC fleet and had hoped to go there someday. That never happened, unfortunately, but I do have the book you mentioned as well as coverage in other general PCC related books. Yep, they had a 'diverse" fleet back then when diversity was still a nice word.

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Cyberider:

What will always puzzle me is that Pittsburgh had a massive PCC fleet through the 1960s, and into the 70s.....and SO VERY LITTLE is left!

I still wonder why Shore Line (Branford) and Seashore never made the effort to at least obtain a few.

PCCs were more "diverse" than most non-historians/enthusiasts realized.....sadly, far too much was destroyed, with no regard to preservation.

That is why we must BE THANKFUL for the cars that DO remain.....

"NYO"

["PARK ST. VIA SUBWAY"]

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Vintage toy Pacific Electric PCCs

Back in the late 1950s and 1960s there was a plastic toy company called "EMPIRE"; they made tiny plastic autos, trucks, buses.....AND (single-ended) PCCs!

These tiny plastic PCCs (some hard plastic, others sofr) could either be purchased in a plastic bag with a number of other toy vehicles, OR, you could fish for them in those old "claw" prize machines that were always to be found in the old penny arcades found in amusement areas.

These were only about 3" long (all hollow) AND, get this, sported PE nose wings, on EITHER SIDE of the headlight!

It is QUITE easy to see where the inspiration came from, in designing these tiny little streetcars! (I have quite a few in my collection today, in various solid colors1)

"Art imitating life", for sure!

"NYO"

["HOLLYWOOD VIA SUBWAY"]

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Also.......

Two other plastic toy companies from that time were ACME and RENWAL; they made many different types of plastic, free-wheeling vehicles, and, also, boats (I have many ferryboats and tugs!).

I have two plastic toy postwar TWIN COACHES, as well as several PCCs (these were slightly smaller than HO scale); the PCCs usually found with most of their poles snapped off...... these cars came in different color combinations.

One VERY rare piece I have is the FORD transit bus, lettered "HOLLYWOOD BUS LINES", and sporting a front side reading "HOLLYWOOD"........

"NYO"

["PRESIDENT'S CONFERENCE COMMITTEE"]

[Cyberider]

No toys here. Just various HO models, mainly PE, but no PCC's unfortunately. Even though I never lived where there were PCC's still operating, I was always fascinated by their appearance.

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[Cyberider]

NYO,

Sounds like you have quite a collection. Other than books, I did most of my collecting in the '70's. Got a bunch of SCRTD roll signs, transfers, etc. from that era. The only exception was about 20 years ago when I got interested in the NYC subway I acquired a few items plus a couple of sets of HO R-17's that were attractively priced at the time though I'd have preferred pre-war cars. Now, it's just books and I have enough that I could spend the rest of my life re-reading those I have.

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Cyberidert:

Sounds like you have an interesting collection yourself!

Years ago, when a (late) friend of mine was still running his train shop, over time, I ordered a number of "O" gauge NYC subway cars; I have two red "R-17s", and several "Lo-V's" (three sport the 1979 Jubilee colors)

I also have a number of wooden subway cars (NYC, Boston, and Chicago) a number I use as part of a surface subway terminal/yard/bus transfer display.

I also have (from the CTA store) a wooden set of two "6000s" (NICE!)

In the early and mid-1980s, I used to take the subway into Brooklyn (almost every weekend!) and purchase some great memorabilia from the "gift shop" (GREAT variety of old subway items to choose from, then, and VERY reasonable prices!)

Some of my old bus roller curtains were given me back in the 70s, by an employee of a now-defunct "indy" company, which had just been laying around in a storage area (the "storage area" was the interior of a retired Yonkers Transit MACK!), collecting dust!

Also, have some VERY old items from the City Subway (Newark), and a set of restored "Lo-V" markers!

Transit and railroad books?

I've a true LIBRARY of them, and they have proven INVALUABLE research tools, over the years!

Indeed, I'll always be a die-hard collector......

"NYO"

["ROLLSIGNS 4 EVER!"]

[Cyberider]

Just started reading the book but it says that 570 Green Hornets were rebuilt into "L" cars, as I think they're referred to as in Chicago. Haven't yet digested what was used and what was modified but at least they had cars that resembled PCC's from the sides.

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[Cyberider]

NYO,

So, the premature retirement of the Green Hornets wasn't a total loss.

If I may ask, which LARy and PE books are you awaiting?

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Cyberider:

Both are from the "IMAGES OF RAIL" series.

The books are:

"LOS ANGELES RAILWAY YELLOW CARS"

"PACIFIC ELECTRIC RED CARS"

CANNOT WAIT to get into them!

"NYO"

["CAR STOP"]

[Cyberider]

Good books if you have good eyes. Wish they were on a larger format, though. I have those and many others. My most treasured books on CA transit were put out by Interurbans which became Interurban Press in later years. If you can locate any of these, you won't be disappointed.

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