Speed

[Vigrass, Bill]

Interesting that the 42 line was built to by-pass street running of 38 line.
And then what became the 47 line (ex interurban) was built to by pass both
and provide aa direct route downtown.  And that is why it is to be rebuilt
now.  If we wait long enough, the cars will come again!    Bill V.  

> ----------
> From: 	Donald Galt[SMTP:galtfd at att.net]
> Reply To: 	pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Sent: 	Wednesday, October 20, 1999 7:52 PM
> To: 	pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Subject: 	Re: Speed
> 
> 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
>