public hearings-West Liberty

[Edward H. Lybarger]

There was a large trestle across the valley; it indeed served a coal mine.
I have copies of maps of all this promised to me in the near future.

The horse shoe curve went to the P&CSRR tunnel and is prominently mentioned
(as an exclusion) in the lease to PRCo.

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
[mailto:owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org]On Behalf Of John
Swindler
Sent: Tuesday, November 02, 1999 3:26 PM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: RE: public hearings-West Liberty


Fred Schneider wrote
>
>I have asked many people about the location of West Liberty and I often get
>blank stares ...  Some . . . claim it was in the area around Palm Garden,
>and the intersection of Saw Mill Run Blvd. and West Liberty Ave.

Strange, Fred, that your message arrived after a fire drill at work, and
what better way to spend the evacuation time then looking at an Allegheny
County atlas from 1876 in the state library!

The "Borough of West Liberty" was south of "Beltzhoover Borough" and, as you
mentioned, in the vicinity of the south end of the Liberty Tubes.  It
extended south along West Liberty Ave. towards Brookline Blvd. and east
along Saw Mill Run towards Oak trestle.  Looked like it was curved out of
the west end of what was left of Lower St. Clair Township.  All of these
political subdivisions have since been annexed to the City of Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon r-of-way is indicated, and there is a
trestle across Saw Mill Run in vicinity of Bon Air siding, probably to serve
some coal mines along hillside now occupied by South PATway.
In vicinity of what became South Hills Jct., looks like the P&CS had a
horseshoe r-of-w to line up with back incline.  Also looks like some "Y"
shaped railroad trackage on top of Mt. Washington to serve two inclines for
descent to Carson St.  Better maps are in Allegheny County Court House if
one is really interested.

Guess this has gone somewhat astray for dealing with Pittsburgh streetcars.

John

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