South Hills Junction Web Page

[Jim Holland]

Greetings!

Dietrich, Robert J. wrote:
> 
> I was thinking more along the lines of just holding the car in the short
> tunnel for a minute or so to simulate the 3,498 feet.  How long did it take
> a car to go through the tunnel when it had brakes?  I imagine outbound would
> be slower.

	Fortunately, most of the cars had their brakes!  And believe it or not,
the trip was probably faster outbound than inbound.  Coming outbound the
cars were easily between 25-30 mph upgrade  --  the motorman just put it
to the floor and kept going.  They probably ran a little slower inbound
since the motorman was dragging the brake all the way to prevent a
runaway  --  25-30 mph downhill is pretty fast for a trolley.

	But that is not to say that there weren't occasions when you got a fast
trip inbound!!!!!!!

> The module I want to see built, by someone else, is the Smithfield Street
> Bridge - full size.

	The Smithfield Street bridge is 1,188.00 Feet, or 13.66 feet in HO.
The *Bridge Smithfield St Approach South* is 384.00 Feet or 4.41 feet in
HO.
The *Junction Smithfield Carson* is 180.00 Feet or 2.07 feet in HO and
the
*Tunnel Mt Washington Approach North* is 184.00 Feet or 2.11 feet in HO!

	Bob Rathke wrote to me about a model railroad he visited near
Pittsburgh.  I encouraged him to send a post to this list.  Here is part
of what he said:::::::

	"But what I wanted to share was a railroad museum/model railroad
		in Gibsonia, along the old BR&P line about 20 miles north
		of downtown.  My brother told me I should see this place
		which he thought was a model of Pittsburgh railroads.
		Boy, was he right!"
	"It's called the Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum,
		and is in a two-story building near the old B&O crossing.
		Lots of railroadiana on the first floor, and a 100X40'
		HO layout on the second floor.    I went upstairs,
		and did not find a giant open layout; instead,
		there was a maze of small spaces, each containing
		a scene of various segments along the B&O line
		from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, and the spaces
		were connected by "open" country between the towns.
		On the wall behind each model scene were photos and maps
		of the prototype line that was modeled in front of you."
	"I walked into the first space (about 10X15') and just
		about fell over...it's a model of the old (pre-1957)
		B&O station, all four tracks full of B&O passenger cars!
		(pardon my excessive use of exclamation points,
		but this place is incredible!).  The tracks continue
		"east" along the river under a model of the
		Liberty Bridge (under construction), and into the old
		coach yard.  There's more: "south" of the B&O station
		is an accurate model of the Smithfield St. Bridge,
		and beyond that is the P&LE Station, and on the hill
		behind it is an operating model of the Monongahela
		Incline.  The P&LE Station area continues "west" down
		the tracks to a model of the old Wabash Bridge across the 
		Monongahela River.  And PRCo PCCs are operating across the 
		Smithfield St. Bridge between the B&O and P&LE Stations."
	"I walked to the next space and it's a model of Laughlin Jct.,
		and the J&L mill (still under construction).  As you walk 
		around (about 600 ft. of corridors), the scenes continue
		to unfold - places like Connellsville, Meyersdale, the 
		Cumberland Narrows and, finally, downtown Cumberland
		(yes, Tom, the old Queen City Hotel is even there)."

James B. Holland
------- -- ---------
        Pittsburgh Railways Company (PRCo), June of 1949 -- June of 1953
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