Destination Signs

[Edward H. Lybarger]

Riverview Loop was at New Eagle, where the two parallel roads (Rt. 88 and
Chess Street) converge just south of the Maple Creek Mine tipple.  Cars
could turn from/to either direction here.  Riverview Siding was half a mile
or so north, where Rt. 88 made a 90-degree turn away from the river.  The
siding also had the 90-degree feature!

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
[mailto:owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org]On Behalf Of Vigrass,
Bill
Sent: Wednesday, October 06, 1999 8:47 AM
To: 'pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org'
Subject: RE: Destination Signs


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
>     To e-mail *off-list,* please click here: mailto:pghpcc at pacbell.net
> N.M.R.A.  Life member #2190; http://www.mcs.net:80/~weyand/nmra/
>