Speed

[Donald Galt]

On 20 Oct 99, at 13:01, Jim Holland wrote:

> I think it is unfair to compare the Beechview line to the
> Norristown line; the former starts in downtown and goes into the
> suburbs while the latter starts in the suburbs and goes much
> further into the suburbs. The said suburbs in Pittsburgh are much
> more dense than the suburbs surrounding the Norristown line.  The
> Norristown line is much more grade separated all the way and the
> two lines are totally different.  

The Philadelphia and Western, even before it was upgraded by Dr. 
Thomas Conway, and even though the Villanova-Norristown 
segment was originally only a branch off the original line to 
Strafford, was a comparatively high-speed, totally private r/w 
interurban line. It was much closer akin to the midwestern lines like 
the North Shore, South Shore and CA&E than to the typical 
Pennsylvania electric line. Its closest equivalents in PA and NJ 
would have been the Laurel Line and the Public Service Fast Line 
(or at least the pr/w portions of the Fast Line.)

In another respect as well, of course, the P&W was the near 
equivalent of the Insull lines around Chicago: by its connection with 
the Market Street El it provided a fast connection with central 
Philadelphia even though, unlike the Chicago lines, its cars didn't 
actually go downtown.

The Beechview line is somewhat comparable in one way, however: 
it was originally built as a well-graded, private r/w line to bypass the 
original street-running route out West Liberty Avenue, i.e. the 38 
line.

Don