Line 33 (Was: West Penn Today - Greensburg and Latrobe)

[Donald Galt]

On 31 Jul 00, at 18:38, Bob Schmidt wrote:

>  do remember tracks that were part of the cobblestone
> Wyoming stretch from Shiloh to where they ended at Bailey
> Avenue. How could I possibly forget the tracks that "threw"
> Dad's 41 Hudson one way or the other when his tires would
> get caught in the rails.
> 
> In hopes of dating these observations,bBailey Ave.had
> already been resurfaced when I was a third grader at Cargo
> School (circa 1944). Cargo was only 50-ft. from the
> Bailey/Wyoming intersection. Whatever tracks, single or
> double, that had been a part of Bailey Ave. prior to its
> resurfacing, were either extracted or covered over. A rather
> dumbed down observation here would be that the #33 route had
> become history sometime earlier. But when? My guess is
> following the demolition of the #2 Castle Shannon incline
> described below.
> 
> The "Dinky" Mrs. Dietrich referred to was probably one of
> the short single truck cars whose trolley pole could swing
> through 360-degrees for" two end" operation. I doubt if
> there was a loop built at the Castle Shannon incline site of
> Bailey Avenue to turn the Dinky around.
> 
> Also, and of brief note: There were two Castle Shannon
> inclines. One on Bailey Ave. (I refer to it as #1) that ran
> down the hillside to the East Carson/Arlington Avenue apex.
> The second (#2 unit ran from a spot near Kathleen Street,
> (just a short block South of the #1 unit), down the hill
> between Laclede & Haberman to a spot approximately 50 yds.
> due North of the Warrington/Haberman intersection. 

The 33 was double-tracked on Woodruff but went single just west 
of Kearsarge and remained thus except for a passing loop 
occupying essentially the entire block of Virginia between Shiloh 
and Wyoming. It then went double again just before the turn into 
Bailey and ended in double track immediately in front of the station 
of the CS North incline (thus just short of the CS South incline) 
with a single crossover leading westbound from the south track to 
the north.

There was a west-south curve at Shiloh and Virginia giving the 33 
access to SHJ.

All this is gleaned from Sheet 4 of the city topographic map, edition 
of 1931. Since it is not an official PRCo map, I suppose it can't be 
taken without reservation, but I'd be inclined to accept it in the 
absence of evidence to the contrary.

It does indicate that (1) the 33 was still running in 1931 and (2) the 
CS South incline was not. I've no idea how late the latter operated, 
but would assume that it didn't long survive the opening of the 
South Hills tunnel. 

As for the 33, Parkinson simply lists it as having closed pre-1940. I 
have a 1930-something street map (the revision date is 193_, with 
the last digit scratched out) which shows a streetcar along 
Woodville as far as Banksville Road but bus between that point and 
Mt. Washington.

I'm trying to remember whether Prof. Lybarger gave us a closing 
date for this line some time in the past year or two.

Don