NC Zones in Pittsburgh & gauntlet (gantlet?)! Overhead

[Jim Holland]

Greetings!

Kenneth and Tracie Josephson wrote:
> 
> Jim Holland wrote:

> >         Track centers were as low as 9' 6" which would leave a
> > theoretical 6" between cars; all the curves would be NC - No 
> > Clearance!
> 
> Weren't there NC zones around Pittsburgh where even the narrow PCCs
> couldn't pass each other? I seem to remember reading about areas where
> one car would have to wait for another to pass before proceeding.

	On my above statement, let me emphasize that  A-L-L  curves, not 
some or even most, but  A-L-L  curves where 108" wide PCC cars would be 
used would require NC - No Clearance.

	And to answer your question - absolutely - *NC* signs hung prior 
to many turns where streets were too narrow to allow spiral easements to 
spread the devil strip or where this would have required unusually tight 
radii.  No signal lights were used at most of these turns and I do not 
know of any collisions or even near misses but by the time I was joy- 
riding, it was the very late 50s.
	Probably the most famous NC turns were on the 67 and / or 64 
where the devil strip narrowed to less than a foot - these were blind 
turns and sometimes traversed short blocks in between two such reverse 
turns so clearance lights were used here - it was essentially running 
single track with double track, not even gauntlet (gantlet?)!

	Once clearing the special work of South Hills Junction, there 
were no frogs in the trolley wire on the interurban line until the Castle 
Shannon Loop even though four passing sidings were encountered enroute.  
This was all strung with hangers to accommodate double trolley wire 
spaced about 6" apart on the single track sections (sorry, Cincinnati!) 
but only one trolley pole.  This is from the Fall of 1953 forward.
	Before that (the Fall of 1953) it was *probably* single wire with 
frogs for there were only two passing sidings between South Hills 
Junction and the bridge over Saw Mill Run Blvd. and the single track 
sections were longer.
	Drake, because of the long stretches of single track, used single 
trolley wire with frogs at the two passing sidings, at the stub track 
leading to the old Drake trestle, and the Drake Loop - and of course 
there was a frog to return to double track heading north into Washington 
Jct.  Because the turnouts at the sidings were shallow, directional frogs 
were used to ensure the trolley would follow down the right wire.

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