SHJ Web Page

[Jim Holland]

Greetings!

Hi Bob:

	I am looking at your revised plans for your "HO" module of South Hills
Junction and it looks extremely good.  It would be nice if the track
lead toward the barn from behind the admin building curved left as in
this photo http://www.voicenet.com/~dietrich/SHJ/cd6.htm but I can see
that you are constrained by module size unless you are able to increase
this considerably.  To make that left curve would require a good amount
of additional length on the right side which might violate your size
restraints.
	This second plan will make an excellent representation of South Hills
Jct.  Everyone knows the limits concerning the East Penn Modules so they
will immediately understand the lack of grades.  Besides, the variety of
routes available will awe the crowd and the admin building will probably
be the focus of attention.  And only the old-timers will really know the
exact track layout, and how many of them are around?!?!
	Another way to get around the grade limitations is to build the grade
you desire into the SHJ module, and then make modules connecting at the
four corners to bring the tracks back to table-top level for East Penn
Standards!  That way you can make the tunnel helix and travel the actual
scale distance thru it!  I am not going to give up *encouraging* you
into making connecting modules, Bob!
	By the way, is that 1644 in the above photo?  It was briefly used in
interurban service with Clark B-2A trucks until shortly after the 17s
arrived in early 1949 when it returned to city service.

	In photo http://www.voicenet.com/~dietrich/SHJ/philip3.htm:  "There is
that door, set at a 45 degree angle. You may notice from other pictures
that the wall shown here once had a door in place of one of those
windows. It must have been replaced when the porch on the rear was
enclosed. This picture also shows how the toop roof was ruined by
cutting it back."  This is where the vaults were pulled from the cars as
they pulled in and that *angled* door makes much sense - a direct lead
into the money room.  The Vault was probably just pulled from the PCC we
see in the picture.  Since this corner of the building was probably the
money room, that potential *roll-down-feature* we thought existed in
other photos is probably a security gate like those used today by
business when they close for the day!

	In photo http://www.voicenet.com/~dietrich/SHJ/pitt174.htm, this is
actually a shot of what might be called the eastern section of the
yard.  The switch onto the mainline was about 1/3rd the distance from
the admin building to the Palm Garden trestle.  Interurban 1616 sitting
here was in the yard - the two tracks immediatly to the right of 1616
were the ones used by 38-39-42 cars.  In the latter days of PRCo -
1955-1964 - the 1600 series interurbans were kept here as they only saw
service in the rush hour - very rarely otherwise.  It was unusual to see
a 17 interurban here *on the east side* of the yard - they were kept on
the western side for the most part.  PCC cars at Palm Garden loop itself
usually needed some kind of repair.  There was a direct entrance into
the yard from the Palm Garden Loop.  A couple of the tracks on the left
were stub end and had to be backed into from the ladder track in the
foreground.

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