The Street Railways of Pgh, 1859--1967 -- Tom E. Parkinson

[Jim Holland]

Greetings,

	I am quoting the Introduction to this booklet by Tom E. Parkinson (offered by PTM):

	"I arrived in Pgh in autumn 1962, an established trolley enthisiast yet I had no idea that 
Pgh had trams and I was delighted on my way to work with Westinghouse Electric Corp the first day 
to find streetcars running along the private right-of-way along Ardmore Blvd.  It was several weeks 
before I realised the magnitude of the system in Pgh; there was a total of 330 miles of operating 
track and 400-plus cars on over 40 routes.  It took four months riding with the unlimited pass each 
Sunday to cover all the routes.  Many of these routes presented some of the most attractive street 
railway operation that I had or since have seen, anywhere in the world."
	"At first, finding that all the cars on the system were PCCs was a disappointment.  To a 
European's eyes there was some resemblance to a bus, but this initial impression soon disappeared 
as I began to appreciate the qualities of a car that was designed in the early thirties, 
technically decades ahead of its time, and responsible for the salvation of many systems in the 
USA.  The PCC has a vigorous acceleration, a fast top speed, an ability to ride well over the worst 
track, and the Pgh cars with their visible decrepitude possessed an intrinsic attraction that is 
difficult to describe.  The PCC was designed as a *streetcar* to compete with the automobile; on 
right of way, nosing and vibrating at their balancing speed of 42 or 47 miles/h they often seem to 
be very much like a fish out of water.  A PCC car and the Pittsburgh street scene with the frequent 
picturesque backdrop of a hillside covered with trees and houses, pefectly complemented each 
other."
	"So, why hadn't I heard about this enthusiasts paradise?  Where were all the fans?  Trips 
run by the PTM in 1963 and 1964 lost money; only with the take over by PAT and the abandonment of 
much tram service, together with the availability of an old 1915 car #4115 for trips did the 
enthusiasts swarm into Pgh, in some ways like vultures swooping to a death.  Diminishing systems or 
cars embalmed in museums are poor substitutes for the many vigorous trolley operations around the 
world, and it is to be hoped that enthusiasts in various countries will broaden their outlooks" . . 
	"Pgh, with so many of its trolley now replaced by buses, is planning for a rapid transit 
system, but if indeed it ever achieves this, it will be many years away.  The light patronage 
presented by such a sprawling community is not conducive to the economics of rapid transit."

-- 
James B. Holland
       PITTSBURGH RAILWAYS COMPANY (PRCo), June of 1949 -- June of 1953
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