September 4, 1999...Farewell PCC!!!

FAREWELL PCC CAR!

ON THE 4TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 1999, PITTSBURGH SAW IT'S FINAL PCC CAR RUN AFTER 66 YEARS OF FAITHFUL SERVICE. I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS TIME AND THIS PAGE TO "MEMORIALIZE" THIS CAR ON THE 47D DRAKE LINE AS IT WAS SINCE IT IS NO MORE. I, AS A OPERATOR, HAVE REALLY ENJOYED THE TIME I HAVE SPENT IN THE PCC ( EVEN IN THE WINTER WHEN YOU FREEZE YOUR WAZOO OFF, OR IN THE SUMMER WHEN YOU RODE WITH THE FRONT DOORS OPEN TO GET A LITLE AIR IN THERE! NO PASSENGERS ON, OF COURSE! ) AND AT LEAST , FROM WHAT I KNOW THESE CARS, 4004, 4007, 4008, 4009, AND THE UN-NUMBERED 4001 IN THE YARD, WILL MOST LIKELY NOT BE CUT APART, BUT SOLD TO VARIOUS PLACES SUCH AS MUSEUMS AND SAN FRANCISCO. WE ARE SUPPOSED TO KEEP ONE AS A MONUMENT, SO TO SPEAK. WE WILL SEE. 4007 IS NOW SITTING AT THE BETHEL PARK COMMUNITY CENTER, MINUS ITS NUMBERS. AS I FIND WHERE EACH ONE IS GOING, THAT WILL BE ON THIS PAGE.

WELL, LETS LOOK AT THE DRAKE AS IT WAS!

THE CAR USED FOR THE PIX IS 4008, ex 1709

THE DRAKE USED TO RUN BETWEEN WASHINGTON JUNCTION LOOP, AND DRAKE. WE HAD A HORRIBLE STORM HERE AND IT WIPED OUT A LOT OF CIRCUITS SO TO SAVE TROUBLE AND MORE PROBLEMS, THE DRAKE STARTED RUNNING THIS WAY

THE CAR IS NOW STOPPED AT HIGHLAND STOP OUTBOUND.

NEXT, WE ARRIVE AT THE FORT COUCH TUNNEL.

BETHEL PARK STARTED A BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT, AND HERE IT IS AT BROOKSIDE FARMS.

LEAVING THERE, WE HAVE A SHOT BETWEEN BROOKSIDE AND WALTHERS.

NEXT, WE ARE COMING DOWN THE FAMOUS "S" TURN 1ST PART OF THE TURN

AND NOW, THE 2ND PART ON THE HILL .

NOW WE SEE 4008 AS IT SITS AT DRAKE LOOP.

LEAVING DRAKE LOOP, WE COME PAST THE NOTORIOUS SWITCH TO COME UP THE HILL, INBOUND.

THIS SHOT IS MY FAVORITE, WHICH SHOWS 4008 ON THE WALTHERS BRIDGE ON THE OUTBOUND.

NEXT, WE ARRIVE AT THE FORT COUCH TUNNEL, AS VIEWED AT THE ENTRANCE!

FROM THERE WE HIT THE MAIN LINE AND DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN!

NOW, LETS LOOK AT THE INSIDE OF 4008...

THESE ARE THE DASH CONTROLS, DEFINITELY CHANGED FROM ORIGINAL.

FRONT TO REAR SHOT

HOW ABOUT A REAR TO FRONT SHOT

THESE ARE A PCC CARS FOOT CONTROLS

NOW I'D LIKE TO SHOW YOU SOME GENERAL SHOTS OF THE PCC CAR IN SERVICE, AS WELL AS ON THE PENNSYLVANIA TROLLEY MUSEUM FANTRIP ON THE DAY AFTER SERVICE ENDED. HERE ARE SOME PICTURES...

SHOT SHOWS 4004 OUTBOUND AT BROOKSIDE FARMS STOP, ON ITS WAY TO DRAKE LOOP.

THE NEXT TWO SHOTS ARE OF CAR 4001, WHICH IS FORMER 1720

4001 IN ITS NEW RED AND WHITE PAINT JOB, APPROACHING POTOMAC STOP.

4001 SITTING AT SOUTH HILLS JUNCTION.

SHOT SHOWS 4006 AT DRAKE LOOP. 4006 IS A AIR CONDITIONED PCC! ONE OF A KIND. THIS IS EX 1767

4007 ON DISPLAY AT THE BETHEL PARK RECREATION CENTER.

4009 CAR SITTING AT THE FORT COUCH TUNNEL, OUTBOUND. 4009 WAS 1700 AND THERE ARE LOTS OF PICTURES OF THAT CAR ON THE PITTSBURGH RAILWAYS PAGE.

4008 SHOT AT CONNER ROAD, OUTBOUND, NEAR WASHINGTON JUNCTION.

4009 RUNNING INBOUND TO CASTLE SHANNON VIEWED AT MARTIN VILLA.

1765 SITTING QUIETLY AT DRAKE LOOP AWAITING ITS NEXT TRIP.

OPERATIONS CONTROL AREA OF 1765, NOT REDONE LIKE THE 4000 SERIES CARS.

INTERIOR SHOT OF PCC 1765, CHECK OUT THE ORIGINAL GLOBE STYLE LIGHTS.

4001 REPAINTED AND NOW ON DISPLAY BY THE ENTRANCE OF THE SOUTH HILLS RAIL CENTER.

4009 DECIDED TO SPLIT A SWITCH AT CASTLE SHANNON, FORTUNATELY, NO ONE WAS HURT, JUST SURPRISED!

FRESHLY PAINTED 4004 SITS AT THE ENTRY TO THE CARHOUSE AT SOUTH HILLS VILLAGE.

DRAKE LOOP HALFWAY TORN OUT A YEAR AND A HALF AFTER THE LAST RUN.

THE HILL HEADING FROM THE DRAKE LOOP TO THE "S" TURN BARE OF TRACK.

DRAKE LOOP AS IT LOOKS AS OF 4/2/02, AT LEAST THE BATHROOM STILL OPERATES!

LETS NOW GO TO LOOK AT A FEW PIX OF THE PENNSYLVANIA TROLLEY MUSEUM FANTRIP. I WAS PROUD TO BE AN OPERATOR FOR THIS EVENT, ALONG WITH OPERATORS HOWARD STEVENS AND JOSEPH BRANDTNER. WE ALSO NEED TO THANK INSTRUCTORS BOB WINCHEL AND JOE CHICHI FOR THEIR HELP, AND CHUCK ROMPALA FROM ROAD OPERATIONS FOR TRYING TO COORDINATE THE WHOLE EVENT.

A RARE PICTURE OF A PCC ON THE LIBRARY LINE AT LYTLE STOP.

THIS SHOT WAS STAGED BY US FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE FANS. THE HIGHER UP'S SAID IT COULDN'T BE DONE, BUT IN REALITY, IT WAS SIMPLE. AND EVERYONE LOVED IT!

MY CAR, 4009 AT DRAKE LOOP ON FANTRIP. 3 CARS WERE IN THE LOOP AT ONCE.

4004 SITTING INBOUND AT LIBRARY LOOP, WAITING TO BE STAGED FOR THE PICTURE ABOVE OF THREE IN LOOP.

PHOTO OF THE OPERATORS ON THE FANTRIP. PICTURED ARE, L TO R, HOWARD STEVENS, MYSELF, AND JOSEPH BRANDTNER.

I HOPE YOU REALLY ENJOYED LOOKING AT PITTSBURGHS PCC CARS HERE.

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND, ALTHOUGH THE END HAS COME FOR THE PCC HERE, IT WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE ON IN WEB PAGES SUCH AS THIS, AND IN PHOTO ALBUMS AS WELL! LIVE ON, DEAR FRIEND!

I WAS HOPING THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE RE-FURBISHED THE CARS AND PAINTED THEM IN THE OLD PITTSBURGH RAILWAYS COLORS AND RAN THEM EXCLUSIVELY ON THE ALLENTOWN LINE. WOULD HAVE SOLVED THE PROBLEM OF PEOPLE GETTING ON THE WRONG CAR IN TOWN THINKING THEY WERE GOING TO STATION SQUARE, WHEN THEY AREN'T. THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN GREAT THINKING. HISTORIC CAR, HISTORIC LINE...BOSTON AND SAN FRANCISCO DID THIS, AS DID PHILADELPHIA AND I BELIEVE TORONTO SAVED A FEW TOO. THE CITIES THAT HAVE DONE THIS HAVE MET WITH GREAT SUCESS. A LOT OF PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE RIGHT IDEA HERE TOO...

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