Destination Signs

[Vigrass, Bill]

Very interesting. Thanks.  I did see a car at Black Diamond Jct one time
with the sign "Donora", but of course it was a double ended orange car
assigned to that lineI never did ride that branch.  We were riding a
Charleroi/Roscoe car at the time. What was "Riverview"?  I am not familiar
with it.  Bill V.

> ----------
> From: 	Jim Holland[SMTP:pghpcc at pacbell.net]
> Reply To: 	pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Sent: 	Tuesday, October 05, 1999 6:14 PM
> To: 	pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Subject: 	Destination  Signs
> 
> 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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