Destination Signs

[Jim Holland]

Greetings!

Vigrass, Bill wrote:

> What was "Riverview"?  I am not familiar
> with it.  Bill V.

	Riverview was a combination loop and wye about two miles south of the 
Crookham Siding, 4-5 miles south of Finleyville.  It was just north of New 
Eagle and Monongahela.  The Donora local cars ran this far north and turned 
here to return south.
	Rush hour trippers from Pittsburgh would wye here and return to Pgh or 
the Car House.  I have a photo of PCC interurban 1616 backing on the loop and 
wye at this point.

> > ----------
> > 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/