SHJ Trackage -- one more time.

[Jim Holland]

Greetings!

Dietrich, Robert J. wrote:
> 
> Hello all:
> 
> While working on the track plan for my module, I'm on about the ninth take,
> I noticed a picture of PCC cars coming from the inbound 44-48 track to the
> single track behing the Admin building --
> http://www.voicenet.com/~dietrich/SHJ/outback.htm  There is NO connection to
> the Outbound 44-48 track,

> >  By the 1950s
> >  this single track was connected to the  o-u-t-b-o-u-n-d  38-39-40-42
> >  and  b-o-t-h  inbound and outbound 44-48.
> 
> Does anyone know when the connection to the Outbound track was removed?

	I have a Scholes photo PGH0023 that is dated 1962.10.12 of 1158 inbound
at the junction and it shows a partial switch on the outbound 44 track
from the track behind the admin building - not enough is visible to show
the full alignment.   B-U-T,  Scholes has mis-dated a number of photos. 
Doubt if 1158 was still running at this late date yet alone carrying its
original golden glow headlight.  It is probably 1952 - he did that on a
number of photos with the interurbans still carrying the sign CHARLEROI 
--  dated them 1962!!
	I have another photo of PCC 100 on the admin track and the switch to
the outbound track is clearly missing.  Don't know the date but assume
it to be the mid 50s.
	PRCo was quick to remove trackage that was not needed - esp switch
point prone to wear needing replacement - standard track would not wear
as fast.  I would suspect that with the realignment of services in the
early 50s, cutback of the interurbans, etc., that this switch might have
been taken out somewhere between 1953-1955.

> I would also like to make one more comment RE: the mystery track to the 40
> route.  Trying to get the proper curvature and flow of track I keep
> referring to pictures.  The two oldest pictures show a different flow to the
> 38-39-40-42 tracks.  The first --
> http://www.voicenet.com/~dietrich/SHJ/oldover.htm -- indicates a nice gentle
> curve right through the area.  The second picture --
> http://www.voicenet.com/~dietrich/SHJ/ray1.htm -- gives me the impression
> that the interurban line has the "flow" and the local lines jog off to the
> right.
> 
> Is it possible that the turnouts are further down the line than the original
> track and that mystery track is the remnants of the original?  Just a guess.

	Apparently, no one really knows *for sure* what the proper alignment
was!  John Swindler and / or Ed Lybarger indicated that this mystery
track was the original alignment for the old 38-39-40-42, probably
1900-1910 - and even into the teens.  This coincides with the Nov 18,
1908 plans for South Hills yard in Ben Rohrbeck's book where it shows
only three tracks outside the Car Barns - one or two of them must have
been running tracks for the 38-42 lines or whatever lines existed at
that time heading south thru the yard.  In an accompanying photo, all
this is clearly evident, it appears that much is under construction, and
the prw for the 40 line can be detected.
	Again, I had gone into considerable detail with the above assumption
and indicated that the switch to get on this mystery track - the track
that was the original alignment out of the tunnel for the 38-39-40-42
lines from 1900-1915 -  was the closest switch to the tunnel portal and
that is born out by your diagram.  However, I suspect that this switch
was taken out very early on - that track is extremely difficult to
detect in any of the very old pictures you have on your website.  Don't
you have a photo of an high-floor car sitting in front of the restaurant
on the 38-39-40-42 line that appears to be the latter day alignment? 
That is a photo from very early in the 1900s!
	When the yard was expanded to have a total of 8 tracks beside the barn
buildings - 6 tracks for storage and 2 running tracks for 38-39-42 -
this forced the alignment of the trackage much further east and thus it
appears that the 38-39-40-42 lines come off the interurban.

	For the time period that you are going to model - the early to
mid-1950s - this is purely a stub track that stops south of the
restaurant but *appears as if it would have an imminent connection with
the closest track leading outbound thru the yard.

	Under separate cover I am sending you a Harold Smith photo of 3813
apparently sitting at its normal stop outbound at SHJ in 1936 (I have
described this photo in the posts before as well!)  I ask that you  DO 
NOT  POST  THIS  PHOTO  ON  THE  WEB.  I purchased this photo from Mr.
Smith; additionally, he is retired and can use retirement income and
those who would like a copy could purchase it from him.  The assumed
38-39-40-42 track is evident but it is extremely clear from this photo
(don't know how well that it will scan) that 3813 is  NOT  sitting on
the switch to this track - the switch is still much further backtoward
the tunnel - if that switch is still there.  I would expect to see the
switch to the 38-39-40-42 outbound in the photo but I do not see it. 
Whether or not this track is stil being used by the 38-39-40-42 is
difficult to tell.

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