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<body class='hmmessage'><div dir='ltr'>I was afraid the format would be changed.<div><br></div><div>Population by decades for region</div><div><br></div><div>1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010<br><div><br></div><div>Allegheny 1,374,410 1,411,539 1,515,237 1,629,821 1,605,133 1,450,195 1,336,449 1,281,666 1,223,348</div><div><br></div><div>Armstrong 79,298 81,087 80,842 79,524 75,590 77,768 73,478 72,392 68,941</div><div><br>Beaver 160,030 167,657 186,836 218,258 218,172 213,644 194,137 189,368 177,828</div><div><br></div><div>Butler 80,480 87,590 97,320 114,639 127,941 147,912 152,013 174,083 183,862</div><div><br></div><div>Fayette 198,542 200,999 189,899 169,340 154,667 159,417 145,351 148,644 136,606</div><div><br></div><div>Greene 41,767 44,671 45,394 39,424 36,090 40,476 39,550 40,672 38,686</div><div><br></div><div>Indiana 75,395 79,854 77,106 75,366 79,451 92,281 89,994 89,605 88,880</div><div><br></div><div>Washington 205,372 211,741 210,518 217,985 211,535 217,613 205,027 203,312 208,203</div><div><br></div><div>Westmoreland 288,855 303,576 313,333 352,769 377,030 392,294 370,411 370,024 365,230</div><div><br></div><div>Region 2,602,762 2,687,017 2,822,906 3,011,194 2,994,086 2,899,545 2,703,506 2,665,141 2,583,324</div><div><br></div><div><br><div>Dennis F. Cramer <br><a href="http://home.windstream.net/dfc1/" target="_blank">http://home.windstream.net/dfc1/</a></div><br><br><div>> From: alto_trombone@hotmail.com<br>> To: pittsburgh-railways@mailman.dementix.org<br>> Date: Wed, 9 Apr 2014 07:02:55 -0400<br>> Subject: Re: [PRCo] Pittsburgh Transit Topics (April 8, 2014)<br>> <br>> Cheap cars & cheap gas. If gasoline was 30 cents a gallon, probably a little high for then, in 1949, the CPI (Consumer Price Index) puts that at $2.96 today. Not bad. <br>> <br>> You could buy a completely redesigned 1949 Ford coupe for between $1500 & $2000. ($14,780-$19,700)<br>> The suburbs and new highways were yet to come. My brother was born in 1950 and the family lived in a row-home in Versailles. With growing family, they bought a brand new home in a new development in Liberty Boro, built over top of a slag dump. I came along 3 years later. It is hard to put a finger on when it all went down hill for many of our bigger cities, but the population drain on Pittsburgh was significant through the 70's and 80's. <br>> Many areas of the Commonwealth have still never recovered from those years. We were graduating about 230 seniors a year when I began at Ford City High in the late 70's and both PPG (once the largest plate glass factory in the world) and Eljer were still operating even though PPG had moved most of the workers to Illinois and Carlisle. The local workers were given an opportunity to have a new production system installed at FC, but the old-timers passed on it. By the time I retired in 2008, the land were they both stood was, and still is vacant. We were graduating about 90 students a year. <br>> Even though Fred left in the 40's it took a while for the changes to take hold<br>> Pittsburgh1920-588,343 ranked 9th nationally1930-669,8171940-671,659 1950-676,806 1960-604,332 1970-520,089 1980-423,959 1990-369,879 2000-334,563 2010-305,704 ranked 59th nationally<br>> City numbers do not tell the whole story. The metropolitan area has stayed relatively stable over the past 80 years though I would be wiling to bet that population has aged slightly. Butler County has seen the largest increases. Lower taxes and no tunnels on the commute help suburbia.<br>> County Name 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010Allegheny 1,374,410 1,411,539 1,515,237 1,629,821 1,605,133 1,450,195 1,336,449 1,281,666 1,223,348Armstrong 79,298 81,087 80,842 79,524 75,590 77,768 73,478 72,392 68,941Beaver 160,030 167,657 186,836 218,258 218,172 213,644 194,137 189,368 177,828Butler 80,480 87,590 97,320 114,639 127,941 147,912 152,013 174,083 183,862Fayette 198,542 200,999 189,899 169,340 154,667 159,417 145,351 148,644 136,606Greene 41,767 44,671 45,394 39,424 36,090 40,476 39,550 40,672 38,686Indiana 75,395 79,854 77,106 75,366 79,451 92,281 89,994 89,605 88,880Lawrence 98,613 98,303 106,421 114,068 108,477 107,945 97,096 95,375 91,740Washington 205,372 211,741 210,518 217,985 211,535 217,613 205,027 203,312 208,203Westmoreland 288,855 303,576 313,333 352,769 377,030 392,294 370,411 370,024 365,230SPC Region 2,602,762 2,687,017 2,822,906 3,011,194 2,994,086 2,899,545 2,703,506 2,665,141 2,583,324<br>> Dennis F. Cramer <br>> http://home.windstream.net/dfc1/<br>> <br>> > From: fwschneider@comcast.net<br>> > Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2014 20:00:06 -0400<br>> > To: pittsburgh-railways@mailman.dementix.org<br>> > Subject: Re: [PRCo] Pittsburgh Transit Topics (April 8, 2014)<br>> > <br>> > Now tell me how, Herb, we can get the people to come back? Changing the names of the streets isn't going to do it. There was an item last September where Macy's closed the last downtown department store in St. Louis … the old Famous Barr store. The people from the cities now have to take bus to the 'burbs to shop. <br>> > <br>> > My memories are a Sunday school in East Liberty Presbyterian Church … the church was full of people. About two blocks west of the church on Penn Avenue was a model railroad store where my Strombecker kits came from. On a north-south side street a block from the church was a barber shop … dad called the barber Charlie. I think there were half a dozen movie theaters in S'Liberty back then. If dad needed a box of nails, Sears Roebuck was several blocks up Highland. A nice place to spend an afternoon was the zoo in Highland Park but I never saw the prairie dogs come out. But on a weekend, the 5200s were always sunning themselves at Bunkerhill Car House. <br>> > <br>> > In the time we lived there, I never saw a 1700 but I remember the night Dad passed the advertising supplement of the Pittsburgh Press across the dinner table to me … the one where all the companies that supplied parts to the 1700 advertised their products. But by the time they were delivered, we had moved out of town.<br>> > <br>> > Oh yes, in my era living there, there were no malls or suburban shopping centers. There was an A&P store on Frankstown Road at Rosedale (where the 78 Oakmont car crossed until 1938 or thereabouts). There was nothing on Rodi Road where all those stores are now … some houses. Ola (never advertised his last name) had a Gulf station where Laketon Road and Frankstown Road joined and about 1948 he added a restaurant behind it. There was a frame family-owned, convenience grocery store across from the Penn Township (now Penn Hills) municipal building …. probably the only store in miles.<br>> > <br>> > And Monroeville? No malls. No Miracle Mill. No motels. But you went there to buy a quart of milk from a farmer on Sunday if you ran out and baby sister was crying. <br>> > <br>> > <br>> > <br>> > On Apr 8, 2014, at 6:21 PM, Herb Brannon wrote:<br>> > <br>> > > I forgot number 4.<br>> > > <br>> > > *4. East Liberty Street Names Return To Former Names*<br>> > > <br>> > > The Penn Circle street name is vanishing from East Liberty, as part of a<br>> > > long effort to reverse the *urban renewal disaster of the 1960s.*<br>> > > <br>> > > East Liberty Development Inc. announced that street signs have begun to be<br>> > > changed and the conversion will continue throughout the week.<br>> > > <br>> > > Street names that were changed to Penn Circle will revert to their previous<br>> > > designations: Penn Circle South and Penn Circle East become Centre Avenue,<br>> > > as does Collins Street between Station Street and East Liberty Boulevard;<br>> > > Penn Circle West becomes Euclid Avenue; and Penn Circle North becomes<br>> > > Station Street.<br>> > > <br>> > > A map of the new designations can be viewed on East Liberty Development's<br>> > > website <http://www.eastliberty.org/post/penn-circle-name-changes>.<br>> > > <br>> > > Read more:<br>> > > http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/04/08/Penn-Circle-street-name-vanishing-in-East-Liberty/stories/201404080149#ixzz2yKtCqH00<br>> > > <br>> > > <br>> > > <br>> > > On Tue, Apr 8, 2014 at 5:03 PM, Herb Brannon <hrbran@cavtel.net> wrote:<br>> > > <br>> > >> Following are Pgh Post Gazette stories from today concerning PATransit and<br>> > >> other transportation topics.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> *1. PATransit Service Cuts Problems*<br>> > >> <br>> > >> A couple years ago, when Gloria Jefferson of McKeesport wanted to go<br>> > >> somewhere, she walked to a bus stop near her house.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> Then, in 2011, her commute became much less convenient. During a round of<br>> > >> cuts to fix a budget deficit, the Port Authority canceled her route, which<br>> > >> ran through the middle of McKeesport. Now, Ms. Jefferson, who is 80, has to<br>> > >> walk a mile downhill to another stop.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> The walk is tough for her, especially when she's carrying grocery bags.<br>> > >> Sometimes, she pays for a ride there or avoids going places. She wonders<br>> > >> whether she'll still be able to make the walk when she gets older.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> "Right now, I feel good. How long it's going to last, I don't know," she<br>> > >> said. "I keep on praying that one day they'll turn it around and bring the<br>> > >> bus back up the hill."<br>> > >> <br>> > >> Ms. Jefferson is among thousands of commuters whose lives were changed<br>> > >> when the Port Authority nixed 29 routes and scaled back dozens of others in<br>> > >> March 2011. The authority cut the routes to make up for a $47 million<br>> > >> budget deficit caused by rising cost of benefits for its employees and a<br>> > >> $27 million shortfall in state funding.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> Last year, the state government passed Act 89, a transportation bill that<br>> > >> restores funding to the Port Authority. But the authority isn't considering<br>> > >> expanding its routes right now, communications director Jim Ritchie said.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> Instead, the authority plans to repair its infrastructure and improve the<br>> > >> experience of riders. After years of declining ridership due to cutbacks,<br>> > >> it hopes to draw riders back. Also, Act 89 requires that much of the new<br>> > >> funding to be used for maintenance, Mr. Ritchie said.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> "The goal of the state was not to give money to expand, but to stabilize,"<br>> > >> he said. "Of course, we will be looking at the bigger picture down the<br>> > >> road."<br>> > >> <br>> > >> In the three years since the cuts, commuters have dealt with the lost<br>> > >> routes by paying for rides, walking long distances, or by simply going<br>> > >> fewer places. The transit cuts made it harder for many to get to work,<br>> > >> apply for jobs, run errands, visit the doctor and attend classes at<br>> > >> community colleges, commuters and community advocates say.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> The poor economy and rising cost of gas have made the problem worse, said<br>> > >> John Lydon, CEO of Auberle, a McKeesport nonprofit that provides shelter<br>> > >> and other services for families in the area. Fewer people can afford to buy<br>> > >> a car and pay for gas and insurance, he said.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> "These people are sort of caught between a rock and a hard place, where<br>> > >> the cost of a vehicle is increasing and the availability of public<br>> > >> transportation is decreasing," he said.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> In addition to limiting commuters' movement, the cuts have led to big<br>> > >> wastes of time. Since 2011, Wayne Gray of Glassport has spent a larger<br>> > >> portion of his days waiting for and sitting on buses. Often, he spends five<br>> > >> or six hours a day traveling to construction sites where he finishes<br>> > >> hardwood. He sometimes waits 45 minutes for buses, causing him to be late<br>> > >> for work.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> "It's boring, frustrating," said Mr. Gray, who passes the time by checking<br>> > >> Facebook on his phone, listening to music, staring out the window and<br>> > >> chatting with other passengers. "Hard-working people, we can't get back and<br>> > >> forth to work if there aren't any buses."<br>> > >> <br>> > >> The effect of the cuts on him goes beyond work, though. His girlfriend is<br>> > >> pregnant, and the lack of buses makes it hard for them to make it to her<br>> > >> appointments with her doctor.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> Inconvenient and expensive<br>> > >> <br>> > >> The cancellation of bus routes has also put strains on the finances of<br>> > >> many commuters. Mr. Gray, like others, sometimes pays friends to give him<br>> > >> rides to places he used to reach by bus. For him, the rides cost $10 or<br>> > >> $20. Ms. Jefferson pays friends $5 to drive her to the bus stop on Lysle<br>> > >> Boulevard when it's cold or she's too tired to make the walk.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> The bus schedule is usually convenient for Monica Henderson, with the 11<br>> > >> Fineview route stopping outside her house in Perry South. On weekends,<br>> > >> though, the bus doesn't come early enough to take her to her job as a<br>> > >> referral coordinator at UPMC Presbyterian because its hours were shortened<br>> > >> in the 2011 cuts. She usually pays someone $7 for a ride to the nearest<br>> > >> operating bus stop, the 16B Brighton.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> Those extra payments strain the passengers' budgets. To make up for the<br>> > >> cost, Ms. Jefferson has delayed buying medicine and groceries, and Ms.<br>> > >> Henderson works overtime.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> "You're paying $90 for a monthly bus pass, but when you're working<br>> > >> weekends that's another $14," Ms. Henderson said. "That's a bit too much."<br>> > >> <br>> > >> Mr. Lydon said he's met people through his work who have lost their jobs<br>> > >> because of a lack of public transit. Sometimes, the long bus rides make it<br>> > >> impossible for them to have several jobs, which they need to pay the bills,<br>> > >> he said.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> The lack of bus routes also limits shopping options for low-income people<br>> > >> in McKeesport, he said. It limits them to the few stores within walking<br>> > >> distance, preventing them from looking around for good deals.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> "The people who need to have savings the most are the most unable to do<br>> > >> that," Mr. Lydon said. "It's like the company stores of years past."<br>> > >> <br>> > >> Apart from the 2011 cuts, the Port Authority has fought off budget<br>> > >> deficits several times in the past decade by cutting service, raising fares<br>> > >> and laying off employees. But Act 89 will give the authority enough money<br>> > >> to ward off deficits for the next several years, Mr. Ritchie said.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> Now that its budget is secure, the authority will concentrate on repairing<br>> > >> its infrastructure, he said. Busways need to be paved, and bridges need to<br>> > >> be fixed. It also plans to buy new buses to replace aging ones that will go<br>> > >> out of service.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> The Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit that advises cities on land use,<br>> > >> development and other urban issues, will hold a weeklong panel discussion<br>> > >> in May in Pittsburgh at which local organizations will discuss how they<br>> > >> want the Port Authority to change. Taking the discussion into account, the<br>> > >> institute will evaluate the authority's finances and recommend changes.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> While restoring routes is not on the horizon, Mr. Ritchie said, a priority<br>> > >> for the authority is improving the experience of commuters to increase<br>> > >> ridership, which has been in decline since the cuts. For example, the<br>> > >> authority might ease overcrowding on buses by adjusting the frequency of<br>> > >> routes, making buses stop more often during peak rush hour times.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> "If we start to improve the service that's on the street today, and people<br>> > >> start to realize, 'I won't always be sandwiched on the bus,' then we'll<br>> > >> start to grab those people back," Mr. Ritchie said.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> Of the 29 routes cut in 2011, one has been restored: the 55 Glassport,<br>> > >> which runs through North Versailles, McKeesport, Glassport, Clairton and<br>> > >> Jefferson Hills. The authority decided to bring it back after Heritage<br>> > >> Community Services, a nonprofit based in Braddock, cut back its Worklink<br>> > >> bus line in response to a reduction in federal funding. The authority<br>> > >> revived the route to avoid a devastating impact on the area, Mr. Ritchie<br>> > >> said.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> That was good news to Patricia Richardson of Clairton. When the bus was<br>> > >> gone, she had trouble getting around, especially with her arthritis and<br>> > >> back problems, which sometimes make it hard for her to walk. She had to pay<br>> > >> for jitneys, which took a toll on her finances.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> "You have to rob Peter to pay Paul," she said. "Buy less groceries, you<br>> > >> know."<br>> > >> <br>> > >> Now that the bus is back, she's relieved. "It's a big difference," she<br>> > >> said.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> Read more:<br>> > >> http://www.post-gazette.com/news/transportation/2014/04/06/Cuts-in-suburban-bus-routes-changed-lives/stories/201404060065#ixzz2yKVy6lpC<br>> > >> <br>> > >> *2. Trolley Delays Today*<br>> > >> <br>> > >> Light rail riders should expect possible delays of up to 40 minutes this<br>> > >> afternoon because of a power issue, the Port Authority of Allegheny County<br>> > >> said.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> T riders could see "significant delays" on all light rail service,<br>> > >> according to the alert posted on the Authority's website at 3:15 p.m.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> Read more:<br>> > >> http://www.post-gazette.com/news/transportation/2014/04/08/Port-Authority-T-riders-can-expect-delays-of-up-to-40-minutes-this-afternoon/stories/201404080185#ixzz2yKX3e5cx<br>> > >> <br>> > >> *3. Morning Landslide Stops Duquense Heights Incline & NS Railroad*<br>> > >> <br>> > >> A swath the size of a football field tore loose from the face of Mount<br>> > >> Washington this morning, sending a torrent of mud and trees across railroad<br>> > >> tracks along West Carson Street and briefly closing the Duquesne Incline.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> City officials also ordered a precautionary closure of LeMont restaurant<br>> > >> above the slide zone, but an engineer said a visual inspection found no<br>> > >> signs of instability around that structure.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> No one was injured and the main impact of the slide was disruption of<br>> > >> freight train traffic along the Norfolk Southern Railway line. Railroad<br>> > >> crews were working to clear the tracks, a section of which shifted as the<br>> > >> hillside tumbled across it.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> At a briefing this afternoon, city Public Safety Director Michael Huss<br>> > >> said the ground was still moving in the area. Railroad engineers were to<br>> > >> determine when it is safe to resume service on what Mr. Huss described as<br>> > >> "a very busy rail line with significant commerce."<br>> > >> <br>> > >> As for LeMont, it will remain closed until engineers from the city and<br>> > >> those hired by the restaurant determine it is safe. "We're erring on the<br>> > >> side of caution," Mr. Huss.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> The city Bureau of Building Inspection will meet Wednesday morning with<br>> > >> CEC Inc. -- civil engineers for the LeMont -- to determine whether the<br>> > >> restaurant can reopen Thursday, Public Safety Department spokeswoman Sonya<br>> > >> Toler said.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> The slide was reported shortly after 4 a.m. by the engineer of a passing<br>> > >> train. The slide area was about 100 yards long and it left a debris field<br>> > >> about 10 feet deep and 30 feet back toward the hillside, city Operations<br>> > >> Director Guy Costa said.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> Norfolk Southern spokesman Dave Pidgeon said this morning that the<br>> > >> company's freight trains were being rerouted but wouldn't elaborate, saying<br>> > >> the company doesn't provide details about train routing because of safety<br>> > >> and security concerns. By early afternoon, westbound trains were seen<br>> > >> moving slowly through the slide area.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> The Duquesne Incline was closed for a time but reopened when officials<br>> > >> determined it was not threatened by the slide. The structure is equipped<br>> > >> with sensors that are designed to detect earth movement, Mr. Huss said.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> Conductor Lucille Gabler said one of her co-workers on night shift heard a<br>> > >> "funny noise" before closing, but the incline was running normally today<br>> > >> until shortly before 7 a.m., when someone from the mayor's office told her<br>> > >> they'd have to close. The incline reopened around 9:15 a.m.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority checked water and sewer lines<br>> > >> along Grandview Avenue above the slide and found no damage, Mr. Costa said.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> The slide was typical in that it involved a failure of weak claystone<br>> > >> called "red beds" that were saturated with moisture from recent rainfall,<br>> > >> said Bruce Roth, a geotechnical engineer with GAI Consultants, the company<br>> > >> brought in by the city to inspect the scene. "That is a common occurrence<br>> > >> in Western Pennsylvania," he said.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> In addition to visual inspection, the company will examine the history of<br>> > >> the scene and drill to collect soil samples that will be analyzed in a lab,<br>> > >> a process that could take about a month. It will then offer the city a<br>> > >> variety of options for correcting the problem.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> "If they run across something that needs to be immediately addressed,<br>> > >> we'll have to address it," Mr. Costa said. "It could be fine, all the loose<br>> > >> stone and shale came down and we don't have to do anything."<br>> > >> <br>> > >> Debris from the slide was on railroad property. County property records<br>> > >> show that the city owns the hillside between the restaurant's property line<br>> > >> and the railroad right-of-way.<br>> > >> <br>> > >> Read more:<br>> > >> http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/04/08/Landslide-blocks-railroad-tracks-closes-Duquesne-Incline/stories/201404080148#ixzz2yKXlFCmo<br>> > >> <br>> > >> <br>> > >> <br>> > >> --<br>> > >> Herb Brannon<br>> > >> <br>> > >> <br>> > >> * In Pittsburgh.............................A City And.........A State of<br>> > >> Mind *<br>> > >> Let's Go Pens<br>> > >> Let's Go Bucs<br>> > >> <br>> > >> <br>> > > <br>> > > <br>> > > -- <br>> > > Herb Brannon<br>> > > <br>> > > <br>> > > *In Pittsburgh.............................A City And.........A State of<br>> > > Mind *<br>> > > Let's Go Pens<br>> > > Let's Go Bucs<br>> > > <br>> > > <br>> > > <br>> > > -------------- next part --------------<br>> > > An HTML attachment was scrubbed...<br>> > > URL: http://mailman.dementix.org/pipermail/pittsburgh-railways/attachments/20140408/99bc91ed/attachment.html <br>> > > _______________________________________________<br>> > > Pittsburgh-railways mailing list<br>> > > Pittsburgh-railways@mailman.dementix.org<br>> > > https://mailman.dementix.org/mailman/listinfo/pittsburgh-railways<br>> > <br>> > <br>> > <br>> > <br>> > <br>> > _______________________________________________<br>> > Pittsburgh-railways mailing list<br>> > Pittsburgh-railways@mailman.dementix.org<br>> > https://mailman.dementix.org/mailman/listinfo/pittsburgh-railways<br>> <br>> <br>> <br>> -------------- next part --------------<br>> An HTML attachment was scrubbed...<br>> URL: http://mailman.dementix.org/pipermail/pittsburgh-railways/attachments/20140409/fddec21f/attachment.html <br>> _______________________________________________<br>> Pittsburgh-railways mailing list<br>> Pittsburgh-railways@mailman.dementix.org<br>> https://mailman.dementix.org/mailman/listinfo/pittsburgh-railways<br></div></div></div> </div>
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