how did the streetcars handle switchin during WWII?

I can help you out with this one. I was a motorman on both Philadelphia Transportation Co. city trolleys and then Red Arrow Suburban (Interurban) Lines.

For the city cars, there were three types of switches, manual, semi-automatic and fully automatic. Manual switches required the motorman to get out and throw the switch with a "switch iron" (a sort of pry bar). Semi-automatic were used where there was most traffic on one direction, and only an occasional car on the other. Semi-automatic switches were thrown manually against the primary route, and returned automatically after the car passed thru the switch, activated by a contactor on the overhead wire. Fully automatic switches were used where two routes diverged, and there was equal traffic in both directions. As the car approached the switch the pole passed thru a contactor on the wire. If the car was drawing power, the switch opened (curved direction), if the car coasted thru the contactor the switch closed (straight).

On the high speed suburban lines, the switches were controlled by the lenght of time a car spent travelling between two signals. Fast threw the switch in one direction, slow threw the switch in the other direction. Manual worked just like a railroad switch - get out and throw the lever over.

Finally, the Norristown Line (P&W) had radio controlled switches approaching the 69th street terminal. As the car passed under the Victory Avenue overpass just before the terminal, the operator held down either one or both buttons on a control box in the car, and a radio signal was received by an antenna under the bridge, which set the entire route into the terminal. No buttons was track

1, one button was track 2, both buttons was track 3.

Walt

I grew up in San Francisco and rode street cars in the 40s and 50s. I remember a throw bar arrangement buried in the street under a metal plate. Lifting the plate may have thrown the switch. Most lines were straight through, but there were some instances of shared track and diverging routes. Sometime in the fifties they installed remote controlles and the motorman would press a button when he was over a receiver buried in the street.

Hope this helps.

Art Adkins modeling the Colorado Midland circa 1905

In Montreal in the '50's the motor man had a long iron prybar and a hole in the floor of the trolley car. He would run the prybar down thru the hole and use plain old muscle to throw the switch. On the MBTA green line, motor men opened the vent window in the "cab" of the PCC cars and reached out to flip an electrical switch controlling the turnout just past Copley to select either the Boston College/Cleveland Circle or Arborway tunnels.

I vaguely remember it was harder to switch the trolly pole than to throw the turnout....

Jim Stewart

Good Morning!

V-e-r-y Nice summary on the operation of TrolleyCar turnouts!

Pittsburgh used a variation on the semi-automatic -- contactor in the overhead was placed in the normal position before a turnout so the turnout was not returned to the primary direction until the next car approached. Passing thru it by either coasting or using power (see below for more detail on *Normal* power turnouts) would set or keep the turnout set for normal usage. To take the alternate route would always require a manual throw. Only difference from Philly is when the turnout is returned to the main direction.

One small but important addition to this -- to set OR keep the turnout set for the diverge direction, it was necessary to use the power. And to set OR keep the turnout set for straight-thru it was necessary to coast.

The above may be summed up this way:::::::

1.>--ALWAYS use power for diverge movement -- Regardless of position of point. 2.>--ALWAYS coast for straight-thru movement -- Regardless of position of point.

Many systems which used the modern PCC cars had a toggle on the dash which, when activated, drew power thru a resistor. Thus the car could *technically* be coasting when setting the turnout for the diverge move but power would be drawn via resistor when passing thru the overhead contactor. This allowed for an easy stop to set the turnout manually should it fail to operate. This toggle action could be retrofitteded to any equipment.

Power turnouts as described above were quite common on many systems Very Early but don't know the specific date of their introduction. Wide spread use of same depended upon the Operating Company. Certainly the larger systems, which includes m-a-n-y cities Like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, DC, San Francisco, LA, and many others, saw an early introduction of Power turnouts, probably in the 1920s to

1930s. All these cities had power turnouts during WW-2.

That being said, there is a variation on this *Normal -- Usual* method as well called *Necessity__Action.* This means that it is *Necessary* to Draw power or use the toggle when desiring to change the position of the turnout. If the turnout is already in position for the desired route, simply coast. Toronto used this system; there may have been a few others.

Waiting for a bus is as thrilling as fishing, with the similar tantalisation that something, sometime, somehow, will turn up. George Courtauld

James B. Holland

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