October in the PA Trolley museum

[Derrick J Brashear]

On Wed, 6 Oct 1999, Vigrass, Bill wrote:

> Didn't you write a monograph on the Trafford Line?  I think I have it.  We

Not me, Richard C Albert (I think)

> were trying to duplicate as closely as possible the route of the former
> trolley service, and in a way, we did.  I think there was still some track
> at Trafford that had been used by WP. 

Until repaving earlier this year some of the Westmoreland Road trackage
formerly used by WP was visible in the form of cracks (that or where the
rail was removed and the pavement filled. Also, the crossing of PA 993
just east of Trafford could be seen in the form on a track-width set of
cracks across the highway.

> With four new 1600 type PCC's, the
> Trafford line was greatly over serviced.  We were the only ones on the car,
> so had several photo stops (at sidings where they stopped anyhow). It was a
> private fan trip on a regular car. As I recall, it was rather slow and
> bumpy, in an industrial landscape.

Trafford bus service was frequent during the 80s but has gotten less so
since I started riding in 1987. The first reductions happened right around
then, when the line was cut back from Meadowbrook (further east); It had
also apparently run to Jeanette in the recent history. Bus service gives
flexibility, but there are times when flexibility is bad: if they cut back
further than Trafford I'll actually need to get a car.

-D