Donora and 33 Lines

[Jim Holland]

Greetings!

Fred Schneider wrote:

> Of the 1940s and 1950s shuttles, the one that was once the longest was
> no doubt Donora.

	I would consider this more of a local line along the interurban route
than a shuttle, much like the Washington local lines  --  but I can see
a good case being made for either.

> Yes, it too [Donora] ran into Pittsburgh, albeit briefly.

	According to *Electric Railroads* of July 1952, ERA history of the
Pittsburgh Interurbans, page 10:::::::

	"On November 1, 1920, service on the Charleroi-Pittsburgh line went
from a 30 to 60 minute headway, with trips on intermediate times being
made between Pittsburgh and Donora.  This arrangement operated for more
than four years, during which time another service operated between
Riverview and Roscoe.  On February 22, 1925, thru service from Donora to
Pittsburgh was discontinued . . .  A wye located at a passenger and
freight station in Donora on McKean Street between 4th and 5th was used
for turning the single end thru cars from Pittsburgh."
	I would not consider this operation a shuttle either; it is simply
interurban service from Pittsburgh to Donora.

> . . . Route 32 P&LE Transfer is a
> shortened version of route 33 Mount Washington.  At its longest extent
> after 1902, it ran from Mount Washington, down the back side of the
> mountain, through the present West End Circle, then east on Carson
> Street all the way to 36th.

	I have never seen any maps indicating that tracks went straight thru
the intersection of Carson and Smithfield.  It seems that the early
layout of this intersection was simply a double track connection
to-and-from the north to both the east (latter day 50 line) and the west
(latter day 32 line.)  Track connections from-to the south and the east
were added one at a time and apparently similar connections to the west
from the south were added during WW2 or just after.

	The map I have shows the old 33 Mt.Washington ending on Bailey
immediately in front of the Castle Shannon Incline.  Heading *inbound,*
the 33 turned north along Wyoming, west along Sycamore while crossing
the 40 line on Shiloh.  A connection from north Shiloh to west Sycamore
is shown with both the 33 and 40 lines single track at this point.  But
no tracks straight thru Smithfield on Carson are shown (a turn from
north Smithfield to east Carson is shown.)  The map is difficult to read
but it appears that both x-overs are shown - on the Smithfield Bridge
approach and on West Carson near the Monongahela Incline.

	PRCo would remove swith points, mates and frogs and replace with rail
for the remaining route any time a route was permanently discontinued
(and this route would not be needed for occasional short-turns).  When
the West End closed down, switches and frogs were re-railed for the
primary direction from the tunnel to Smithfield Bridge at Carson and
Smithfield (thus severing the old 32-line connections) even though the
rest of the rails remained.  This was also true of the connections at
Penn, Fort Duquesne and Stanwix for the connections between the North
and West  --  the points, mate and frogs were removed and regular rail
for the North Side lines replaced these items.  But the rails to the
West end at these intersections remained.

	IF PRCo removed the frogs for the crossing from East to West on Carson
across Smithfield, what happened to the rails leading to these frogs?

James B. Holland
------- -- ---------
        Pittsburgh Railways Company (PRCo), June of 1949 -- June of 1953
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