South Hills Junction Web Page

[Fred Schneider]

Oh, common Bob, they only had two rocket sleds run through the tunnel
out of control in 60 years.  Statistically speaking, that isn't a bad
average.  Injuries per year might be a little worse, expecially on the
pack low-floor they rolled over in the intersection of Smithfield and
Carson in 1917.  

-----Original Message-----
From: Dietrich, Robert J. [mailto:bob.dietrich at unisys.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 08, 1999 11:27 AM
To: 'pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org'
Subject: RE: South Hills Junction Web Page


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.

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

Thanks for the good comments, I'll update the web page with them soon.

Bob

 -----Original Message-----
From: 	Jim Holland [mailto:pghpcc at pacbell.net] 
Sent:	Wednesday, December 08, 1999 3:03 AM
To:	pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject:	Re: South Hills Junction Web Page

Greetings!

Jim Holland wrote:

>         You mention an 'helix' at the end in reference to homasote but
take
> that a step further and make the Mt. Washington streetcar tunnel with
> this idea and you will be able to travel the prototypical distance of
> almost 4,000 feet in scale!

	Actually the tunnel measurment I have is 3,498 feet.  IF you
could
make
your outside radius 24" and the inside radius 22" and spiral down and
then up 3 loops each and crossing over from outside to inside or inside
to outside spiral in each direction, then you would make six complete
loops for a total of 443 inches, or just over 36 feet.  With a one foot
lead in track to the spirals inside the tunnel on each end and about two
feet needed between each helix at the bottom of the helix - you come up
with the 40 feet required in HO to travel the length of the Mt.
Washington trolley tunnel!
	And here is another suggestion:  make the Smithfield and Carson
intersection as a module and tie the Carson Street track into the 44/48
branch at South Hills Junction by making a couple modules to go around
one side of the tunnel!  Make it single track to simulate the 49 and
continue double track along Carson as an independent branch!
	You'll probably be able to think of a way to make a couple
modules
and
have the 40 line run on top of the tunnel module!
	How big is your trailer to haul the modules?  I'll be able to
suggest
quite a few other modules you could build!

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