Smithfield and Carson Streets & 23 Sewickley

[Jim Holland]

Greetings!

	After digging through my collection, I found two ERA maps of Pgh: 1)--of 
PRCo trackage as of 1944.12.31 and the second one corrected to 1949.06.01.
	The intersection of Carson and Smithfield in 1944 shows tracks from Carson 
street turning TO and FROM downtown Pittsburgh only *except* a northbound streetcar 
exiting the tunnel could turn east onto Carson Street.  The corresponding car 
heading West on Carson could only turn north to Pittsburgh; it could not turn south 
to the tunnel.
	The 1949 map shows three additional turns:  1)--Westbound Carson to tunnel 
(southbound); 2)--Southbound (from tunnel) Smithfield to Westbound Carson; and 
3)--Eastbound Carson to tunnel (southbound).
	Again, I assume that the latter two turns were made so 23 Sewickley cars 
would have direct access to their route and the first curve was added so 50 Carson 
St. cars might be based at South Hills and have more direct access to the yards.  
The former two turns only saw service for about 7 years!

Jim Holland wrote:
> 
> Greetings,
> 
>         About 1950, this intersecion was two tracks short of a grand union - it
> was not possible to go straight east or west on Carson - a streetcar is forced
> into either a north or south move from either direction on Carson.
> 
>         But the turn from Northbound Smithfield to Westbound Carson and from
> Eastbound Carson to Southbound (into the tunnel) Smithfield was apparently built
> late in the game - sometime after WW II.  Does anyone have a precise date?

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