Last month I visited the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum for their annual Trolley Meet (I finally joined the museum this year). The main attraction for me that day was a presentation on the first 50 years of the Port Authority of Allegheny County, presented by David Wohlwill, the Authority's planner. The Port Authority was formed out of the Pittsburgh Railways Company, which operated the trolley routes around Pittsburgh, and 30 private bus companies, as well as two inclined planes. It began operations in 1964. David reviewed the major accomplishments of the last 50 years and it was a very interesting program. Although Charlie does not share my interest in public transit, I plan to model many of these vehicles on the PML layout. ~ Andy |
Here are a few of the many different logos that have been used through the years, from oldest to current. To commemorate its 50th anniversary, the Port Authority has painted a handful of buses and one light rail car with these images of earlier transit vehicles on the side. (PAAC photos) They will make you do a double take for certain! Following the presentation, I viewed three traction layouts that clubs had set up in the education building. Vendors were also set up in the car barn. I picked up a new book, "Transit in the Triangle," in the museum store. As always, an enjoyable day at PTM. To see an amazing collection of photos and material on the Port Authority and nearby transit systems, be sure to check out Shawn Bennear's web site: www.pittsburghtransit.info
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In June, I was fortunate to participate in a joint Norfolk Southern/Operation Lifesaver event - The Keystone Safety Train. This was one of four legs of a safety campaign to educate government, municipal and elected officials about the dangers of grade crossings and trespassing on railroad tracks and property. The train began its journey in Georgia, came north through the Appalachians to Delaware, then west through Pennsylvania and finally through the Midwest. The train made its way across Pennsylvania over several days. Each leg of the trip was between significant towns, with a bus trip back to the originating town for the invited guests. I was asked to give an Operation Lifesaver presentation on the westbound leg of the trip from Johnstown to Latrobe (the morning trip was from Altoona to Johnstown). ~ Andy ...and live feed video from a camera mounted on the front of the locomotive. This allowed guests to see some of the dangerous behavior trespassers and motorists engage in. (This picture was not from our trip - grade crossings are few between Johnstown and Latrobe - but we still saw people taking great risks.) Thank you Norfolk Southern for partnering with Operation Lifesaver and hosting this campaign. Many people heard the safety message and hopefully learned from it.
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December 2023
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