Westbound PCC

[R L Smith]

The next refurbished PCC streetcar is on its way to San Francisco. If anyone spots it along the way, please post here.  Expected (but unconfirmed) route is I-70 through St. Louis and then up to I-80 the rest of the way to SFMTA.  This car is painted as Pittsburgh.

An eastbound car should be headed our way next week.

Ron





Ron

[brokemoto]

PCCs used link and pin coupling.  I never knew that.  It is surprising, since I have ridden them in SF, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.  You would think that I would have noticed.  In my experience, at least, Boston ran them in MU more than did the other cities.

[Point353]

PCCs used link and pin coupling.  I never knew that.  It is surprising, since I have ridden them in SF, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.  You would think that I would have noticed.  In my experience, at least, Boston ran them in MU more than did the other cities.

Certain Boston PCC cars are equipped with a more advanced type of coupler:
http://trn.trains.com/~/media/images/railroad-news/news-wire/2016-and-prior/2016/01/mattapan.jpg

[R L Smith]

PCCs used link and pin coupling.  I never knew that.  It is surprising, since I have ridden them in SF, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.  You would think that I would have noticed.  In my experience, at least, Boston ran them in MU more than did the other cities.

The link-and-pin assembly you see is there to hold the tow bar in place when the vehicle is being pushed or pulled for servicing (or if there was a failure out on the road.) The tow bar is kept in a long tube under the car body. Normally the pin is stowed as well (we had just pushed the car up to the trailer) so you would not have noticed the device when riding in SF or Toronto (or most other places).

Some PCC's were equipped with couplers for MU operation; notably the "Red Arrow" cars in suburban Philadelphia service, as well as Boston cars and Cleveland's Shaker Heights cars.  I'm sure there were others too.

RLS