Tunnel carhouse trackage

[Edward H. Lybarger]

I think these maps were copies from Ben Rohrbeck's "Car Barns of Pittsburg"
book.

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
[mailto:owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org]On Behalf Of John
Swindler
Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 1999 10:52 AM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: Re: Tunnel carhouse trackage


There has been a discussion concerning track layout at South Hills Jct and
Tunnel Car House.

Several years ago Ed Lybarger forwarded some copies of "Sanborn" maps for
Pittsburgh Railway properties.  These are maps for the Fire Underwriters'
Electrical Bureau, and many are on microfilm.  The Allen County Public
Library in Ft. Wayne, Ind. has an extensive collection of Sanborn maps, and
there may be copies in the main Carnegie Library.

There were two maps of Tunnel Car House, which is/was two buildings.

The first map, (Pittsburgh vol 6, pp 711) dated 18 Nov 1908, has the car
barn located next to a "Ravine Street".  Three tracks are shown within the
Ravine St. right-of-way: two in the center for through 42 cars (a guess),
and an outbound passing track, in what would be a curb lane, that includes
the connection to the car barn lead.  This layout is not as we remember.

The second map is dated 16 Jan 1940.  Ravine St. is not shown, but its
alignment has been replaced with the 6-track car yard that we remember next
to the car house.  The operating tracks (42/38/39) are shifted to the east,
again as we remember.  That stub track that led into the outbound 40 track?
It lines up as a remnant of the original inbound 42-Dormont track.

What happened?  In the 1908 map, looks like Tunnel Car House was constructed
to be adjacent to a Ravine St. (west side), which may have never existed.
The east side of Ravine St. is shown vacant in 1908.  That is, it is listed
as "no exposure" to fire hazards, meaning no row homes or other structures
built along alignment of what we remember as the 42/38/39 alignment.
Instead, Ravine St. was probably "vacated" (abandoned) by city, and property
acquired by PRC to expand Tunnel Car Yard.

Unfortunately, don't have copy of Sanborn map of South Hills Jct.
administration building.  But it would show adjacent track, structures, and
some details of the buildings construction.  Also not to be overlooked are
the PRC track sketches in the PTM Library.

John S.

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