Old PRCo route numbers (was: Route 9, 8, PHB&NC)

[Edward H. Lybarger]

The public had quite a laundry list of complaints about the early PRCo, and
it left a bad taste about public transportation, seemingly forever.

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
[mailto:owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org]On Behalf Of Kenneth and
Tracie Josephson
Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 1999 1:54 PM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: Re: Old PRCo route numbers (was: Route 9, 8, PHB&NC)


Edward H. Lybarger wrote:
>
> The cars bore colored markers and metal signs featuring the names of the
> destinations, all for the "convenience" of the public (which WILL be
> damned!).  No numbers were apparent, since they were for internal use!

This reminds me of the situation in Milwaukee. All the city car lines
had designated numbers prior to 1927, but these were also used for
internal purposes. Using the numbers for route identification by the
general public didn't start until 1927 or so. Incidentally, those same
numbers have survived into the present day with diesel bus service.

With all the short turns and routing variations present in Pittsburgh, I
would guess assigning numbers for public use helped quite a bit!  Ken J.