Pittsburgh PCC's

[Kenneth and Tracie Josephson]

Note: I am cc'ing this to the Pittsburgh discussion group for
corrections and/or confirmations. I will get back to you with the
complete information when the Pittsburgh list members respond.


Wolfgang Auer wrote:

> >> [...] Pittsburgh, PA, had built up a fleet of 666 PCC cars by 1964 [...]
> >
> >Jim Holland can (and will) correct me if I'm wrong, but by 1964,
> >Pittsburgh was down to 400 or so PCCs.
> 
> Oh, that's interesting -- I too thought that the peak of the number
> of PCCs in Pittsburgh was just before doomsday, which lasted some
> three years in Pittsburgh, 1964 through 1967...

Pittsburgh's last PCC's were the 1948-49 1700 series all-electrics. A
number of short shuttle lines closed in the 1950's. By the mid 1950's,
all the pre-PCC cars were withdrawn from passenger service (though some
converted to work cars, notably car M-454, were used for "fan trip"
charters through the 1960's.) By 1955 or so, Pittsburgh service was all
PCC. A number of PCCs were lost in a carbarn fire during the 1950's. A
couple more lines were closed in the late 1950's and in 1959, all the
West End lines were closed when the Point Bridge was condemned and the
state wouldn't allow the tracks to be relocated to the replacement
bridge. The earliest PCCs (the 1000's and 1100's) were retired in the
early 1960's. I may be wrong about the following, but I believe some of
the 1200's bit the dust just before the PAT takeover. That would leave
some 12's, the 14's, 15's, 16's and 17's (minus the various cars lost in
the fire) by 1964. The 14's, 16's and 17's would be about 300 cars, the
15's were a 65(?) car order and I'm not sure how many 12's were left in
service by then. 

Cheers,
Ken J.