Destination Signs

[Vigrass, Bill]

During WWII, Cleveland Railway installed a universal destination sign in
buses obtained during that period "THRU to end of line".  In the right
corner was a separate route sign, for instance: C'ntr'l for Central Avenue,
then the THRU sign.  Only regular riders knew where it went! 

The idea was not new, for Cleveland Railway used "SUPERIOR THROUGH" for cars
on Superior Avenue going to E. 129th & St. Clair, whereas short turn cars
carried a sign SUPERIOR E.120.  Again, the passenger had to know where
THROUGH happened to be on a given line.  It was not visitor friendly.  After
CTS took over they tried to do better.  The PCC's obtained in 1945-6 had
exact signs SUPERIOR - E. 129th & St. Clair, or SUPERIOR E.120th underlined
in red to indicate short turn.  Then on summer Sundays, they had through
service to Euclid Beach (like Kennywood): SUPERIOR, Euclid Beach via E.
152nd St., (or alternating, via E. 140th St.). Euclid Beach Park was
normally served only by the St. Clair line after PCC's arrived. Superior
with PCC's was the best surface transit Cleveland ever had.  CTS in its
early days did well.

Bill V. (native Clevelander).


> ----------
> From: 	Edward H. Lybarger[SMTP:twg at pulsenet.com]
> Reply To: 	pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Sent: 	Wednesday, October 06, 1999 10:27 AM
> To: 	pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Subject: 	RE: Destination  Signs
> 
> Sign destinations were sometimes an ad hoc thing...what do we need today?
> How can we get the greatest flexibility for the least investment?
> 
> That's the nice thing about standards...there are so many of them!
> 
> Ed
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> [mailto:owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org]On Behalf Of Jim Holland
> Sent: Tuesday, October 05, 1999 6:15 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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