Destination Signs

[Jim Holland]

Greetings!

	BLACK DIAMOND is the destination sign on 3753 at Charleroi Car 
House; photo #PI-0348 by Harold A. Smith.  Separate information also 
confirms that some of the *single-end* cars of the 4824-5549 series - 
those in this group that were based at South Hills - not only carried the 
full complement of local city lines but also the Black Diamond reading 
and the full complement of interurban routings *including* the Washington 
local lines.  What would a single ended car be doing with destination 
signs for routes for double ended equipment?!?!
	ROSCOE is the destination sign on 3710 heading north and coming 
out of the Charleroi Car House; photo #N14066 from M. D. McCarter.  This 
is the small destination sign immediately above the front center window. 
 The sign-board handing on the front of the car simply says CHARLEROI.
	CAR BARN is displayed on 3802 sitting beside the Charleroi Car 
House; photo #PI 0353 from Harold A. Smith.  This is the sign immediately 
above the center front window and is a larger sign than found on the 
3700-3714 series but probably not large enough to display the customary 
CAR HOUSE destination!
	LIBRARY was a standard destination sign during the heyday of the 
interurbans but the cars turned by the substation at West Library as 
Simmons Loop didn't exist then.
	During the heyday of the interurbans, Washington and Charleroi 
cars ran express or at least limited to Castle Shannon outbound and from 
there inbound; the cars ran in tandem with both leaving downtown Pgh on 
the hour and half-hour.  Shannon or 37 Shannon cars filled in all day.  
Some time after the 3700 and 3800 series interurbans were retired, 
destination signs were changed to read SHANNON-CHARLEROI and 
SHANNON-WASHINGTON and the cars ran local.  Drake was never a terminal so 
why PCCs carried DRAKE in addition to SHANNON-DRAKE is a mystery unless 
it was planned that DRAKE *might* be a limited or express during the rush 
hour.  SHANNON-LIBRARY or SHANNON-DRAKE was the most correct sign 
although DRAKE or LIBRARY was often seen displayed.
	SPECIAL is displayed on 3754; photo #PGH-105 from Ben Rohrbeck 
dated 1942.04.12.  A hand-painted sign board reading National Railway 
Historical Society SPECIAL is on the front dash, probably made by the 
group who chartered the car.
	The original PCC interurban signs read RIVERVIEW, LIBRARY, CASTLE 
SHANNON, CANONSBURG, CHARLEROI, PITTSBURGH, WASHINGTON, CHARTERED, and 
CAR HOUSE.  Added later were SHANNON-LIBRARY and SHANNON-DRAKE at the 
beginning and SHANNON-WASHINGTON, SHANNON-CHARLEROI after Charleroi and 
before Pittsburgh.
	Apparently some of the 3800 series interurbans displayed MON CITY 
and MONONGAHELA was added later.  Car 3812 also had the Washington and 
Charleroi local signs in addition to 37 SHANNON and
CASTLE SHANNON-MtLEBANON SHUTTLE.
	Some of the signs for the single end low-floor cars at South 
Hills with 1928 signs had readings for the 47 McKINLEY and
59 CARRICK-CARSON.
	Some of the low-floor cars at Craft had 1930 curtains with
79 SHADY and 81 ATWOOD.

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