West Penn Today - The back Line

[Fred W. Schneider III]

I apologize Fred, for pushing the delete key on a lot of what you wrote ... I've
been over the West Penn with Ed many times inch-by-inch and knew when I first saw
your letter about Brownsville that Ed would reply.

The signs?
Mainline was white on red.
Phillips was white on blue
South Connellsville, Brownsville, Trafford-Irwin-Greensburg were white on black
Latrobe was white on green
Uniontown-Phillips-Connellsville was white on very dark blue (looks like black in
slides).
Martin was red on yellow
Fairchance was black on yellow.
I think Dickerson Run was black or red on yellow.
I think the two signs on the Aspinwall - Tarentum routes were white on blue and
white on red, but
   there was no color film then and the last person we knew that rode them was
Charlie Dengler and
   when we asked him, his memory was all pooped out.  The 800s had a different
size sign than any
   of the other cars ... so maybe when 832 is restored, some one will sand down
through the layers
   paint on the museum collection of signs and find what Tarentum signs were at
the bottom layer!
I have no idea what was used for Boston Bridge or McKeesport-Irwin-Trafford.
Most of the McKeesport city routes in later years had roll signs.   Maybe Dennis
Creamer can tell us that he found out what was on the Kittanning and Leechburg
lines

I'm astonished at how the American public has taken such a strong dislike to
foreign natives, and, in particular, those who cannot speak English.  I'm always
reminded of the Swiss with four national languages (German, Italian, French, and
Romansh (probably the only remaining Latin dialect).  France has more than two
dozen versions or dialects of French).  The same exists in Germany ... and
believe me these are different languages not just accents ... people from Hamburg
simply do not understand countrymen from the Saar.

Yet in America a hundred years ago, the language problems that affected the West
Penn were common all over the United States.  In fact, I was told that a
Congressional language vote in the United States saw English win and German loose
as our national tongue by one vote.  The fact is, I was told this.  I have no
proof it was fact.  But if it was, it was probably during the huge German
immigration of the 1850s that saw cities like Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati and
Saint Louis very heavily German.  What did all this mean to trolley lines?

Many of the transit properties used color coding.  The idea of the red line,
green line, blue line in Washington, Boston, and so forth is nothing new.  Early
in this century, for example, Baltimore used colored window glass in the
clerestory to denote the route.  Car numbers in Baltimore also used the first
digit to identify the route up until World War One.  So route 264 at the
Baltimore Streetcar Museum was used on route 2 Carey St - Fort Avenue (to Fort
McHenry).  If you moved the car, you needed to renumber it, change the etched
glass route numbers in the end of the clerestory, and change all the other
colored clerestory panes.  That system defined "labor intensive" and
"inflexible."

Let's go back to Pittsburgh.  The state had a manager in the McKeesport Job
Service office who retired in the middle 1980s who gave me some clues what
growing up in McKeesport was like.  He was probably well into his seventies when
he retired ... the stories he told were allegedly from his youth but they might
have been clouded with hearsay.  He was an African American who probably came
from a family of limited means; a close relative worked for the B&O and
therefore, once each year, they would take a trip to Pittsburgh on the train to
go shopping.  Hey folks?  Get that.  Once each year they left McKeesport.  It was
only an hour on the streetcar and 20 minutes on the train.  The working man
stayed at home and had no money.  He also spoke of the Babel of languages in
McKeesport in his youth, which he summarized by explaining that, if Mom wanted to
borrow a cup of sugar, she sent the son on an errand.  The kids spoke English.
The parents spoke Italian, Polish, German, English, Hungarian, Czech ... all in
the same block!

You will find a picture of a 600 series West Penn car at an unidentified stone
arch bridge in the CERA book ... the bridge is near Philips ... it was
obliterated when route 51 was widened to four lanes.  I'm not the least bit
surprised you cannot find it.  One starts at the north end and works south.





Fredbruhn at aol.com wrote:

> In my ramblings to date I have assumed that everyone in this group is as
> enthusastic about the WP as I am and have all the available publications,
> etc. that I make reference to now and then.  To recap, I have CERA 89 and
> 110, the 1952 PERC West Penn booklet, the PTM booklet with orange cover and
> 711 at Huff titled
> West Penn Railways, and perhaps the Feb. 1950 Trains mag.  I am looking for a
> second copy of 89 as a backup, and have seen 110 on ebay several times if you
> need a copy.  I have a lead on one now if someone is short.  The Feb. 1950
> Trains is what got my juicies going over WP, and they have never stopped.
> You might find a copy from Paul Gibson, 11 Downingwood Dr. Franklin, MA
> 02038-2768.  His email is Railpub at aol.com and if he has a copy can quote
> price and shipping.  This was not usual for Trains to run a  featured
> traction article, although they did from time to time.
> I also have a couple of old Railroad mag. articles on the West Penn I pick up
> info from.
>
> After covering the branches to Brownsville and Martin, a look at the
> Fairchance line and around Uniontown, I decided to tackle the "Back Line"
> next.  This line ran from Uniontown to Connellsville as did the  "Main Line"
> but covered the route in a big semi circle leaving Uniontown via the bridge
> that is well photographed that took the lines over the railroad.  There is a
> good photo on page 17 of the orange cover book that shows how the Footedale
> branch was cut after those branches were terminated.
> End of service dates for what we have covered (from the PERC booklet of 1952)
> are
> 1-28-50 Brownsville, 2-4-50 Martin, and 3-25-50 Fairchance.  The back line
> lasted another year to 1-20-51 when it and its branch to Dawson/Dickerson Run
> were closed.
>
> Destinaton signs were color coded - and I have been told or read that they
> were because many of the riders read or understood little English.
> >From the PERC booklet, the main line was white on red, Irwin white on black,
> Fairchance black on yellow, and those are all that I know.
>
> The back line carried a destination sign of CONNELLSVILLE, LEISENRING,
> JUNIATA, OLIVER, PHILLIPS,  UNIONTOWN.   I didn't cover the earlier lines so
> I better now,  the Fairchance line was: UNIONTOWN - HOPWOOD - FAIRCHANCE,
> while Brownsville read: UNIONTOWN, NEW SALEM, ORIENT, REPUBLIC, BROWNSVILLE.
>     The Martin line which appears to be a dark letter on a light
> background reads: MARTIN - MASONTOWN -LECKRONE - FOOTEDALE - REVERE -
> UNIONTOWN.  The most common sign, while we are on the subject, was the
> UNIONTOWN - CONNELLSVILLE - SCOTTDALE - Mt. PLEASANT - GREENSBURG.
>
> All of this wasn't part of my trip but we are all up to speed (there are more
> signs, like to Trafford and Latrobe we will cover later).
>
> I started my trip over the back line on SR51 at about the point I thought the
> bridge ended that carried the line out of Uniontown.  Find your way to SR51,
> which is just west of the terminal, and head north which will show signs for
> Phillips and Oliver.
> There is a short street that goes off to the right at a shallow angle that is
> West Place.  I took it as the map in the orange book showed the bridge and
> wye just beyond the end of that street.  I didn't get out and walk beyond the
> end of the road and in hindsight I think you should as you might find
> something interesting.  The map shows the line running between a creek and
> the railroad and the highway, well off the highway.  I doubt route 51 was as
> wide as it is today.  I didn't find anything at Oliver, and at Phillips I
> began to get frustrated so I drove into the town which is about three streets
> of small homes and rolling West Virginia estates.  The streets end in a loop
> and my assumption is the car line was beyond the town either in the field or
> further.
> Oliver and Phillips are not too far out of Uniontown and it is save to assume
> the line sort of paralleled Route 51.
>
> When you see the sign for County Road 1043, take it to the right.  This is a
> narrow very rural road and after you have been on it a short while keep your
> eye looking right and you should see a concrete bridge beyond a field sort of
> in the woods.  I didn't get out and walk through the field as there were cows
> with calves and I know these moms have no tolerance for railroad fans, in
> spite of how dedicated they are.
> I assume this was the WP, but it may have been a railroad spur.  You can look
> in the orange book and see on page  32 a relatively open scene, fields,
> probably woods beyond the fields and this is what I expected.  Wrong.  Keep
> driving and the road winds and it is heavily wooded today.  From
> conversations though, I am assured the line ran to your right as you proceed.
>  Don't give up because you will be rewarded later on with some nice sights.
>
> Follow the road towards Bitner.  You will come into the town which is almost
> abandoned, but the company/town store is there and worth some photos.  I was
> told
> (by a source I will identify later who is reliable - if her memory is) the
> car line ran behind the store, sort of on the other side of a shallow area
> sort of on the hill.
> Bitner was a stop.  (Prior to Bitner was Vance's Mill which is mentioned in
> West Penn literature, but I assume it is gone today).  Continue on through
> Elm Grove.
> You didn't see it, well neither did I.  It is gone as I was told and I drove
> up and down a road or two around there and found nothing of the West Penn or
> Elm Grove.  Now watch for signs to Juniata, as you will be turning right off
> of the road you were on.
> Go through Juniata and then begin looking to your right on the hill across
> the valley and you will finally pick up the line via the pole line and a
> defined fill.  Continue on
> and you will see the right of way drop down and cross the road you are on.
> I got out to take a photo and was accosted  by a local resident  (probably
> thought I was the IRS) who after I told him what I was looking for and doing
> he calmed down.
> In fact, he told me there was a siding at this road crossing, heard it from
> his father.
> OK.   This is the right of way, and turn 180 degrees and beside a white
> garage
> well back from a house is the right of way beginning a very steep and long
> climb.
> Continue on this road (T626) until you come to a wye in the road.  T626
> actually ends at this point, but it is graded like a wye.  You want to turn
> left here and start up
> the hill.  This is Little Summit Road and you take it to the top of the hill
> where there is a church on your left.  Just beyond the church you will see
> the West Penn coming up to crest the hill and cross the road here at Little
> Summit.  It was Mothers Day and I hated to bother the nice ladies ready for
> church, but I did.  I asked the oldest looking lady waiting to enter the
> church if she remembered the West Penn.  Oh yes, it came right up that hill
> (which I now knew) and the stop was just across the road.
> She said there was a shelter there and was my source for the Bitner info.
>
> Walk up to the right of way and look towards Connellsville and you can see a
> dirt road but also along the pole line a depression where the line started
> down a hill.
> Continue on this road past a few houses and it will dead end into road 1047.
> Turn right onto 1047 and watch on your right for the line as it is descending
> the hill from Little Summit.  It is visible.  Then you lose it in the woods
> for a bit and it reappears
> beside a house on your right that is brown and sets back from the road.  You
> are almost at the intersection of 1047 (which you are on) and 1051 where you
> will stop.
> It looked to me as the line came down to cross 1047 just past that house, and
> swung left above road 1051 and right in front of a stone barn which also is
> well above
> the road.  You turn left from 1047 onto 1051 and you are now heading for
> Leisenring No. 1.  The right of way is on your left above the road, but as
> you approach the jjunction it drops down to the road grade and to  Vanderbilt
> Junction where the Dickerson Run cars turned off.  There is a great Lester
> Wismer photo that was one of the PTM calendar shots showing both a Dickerson
> Run car and Back Line car at this jjct.  The H.C. Frick Coke Co.(across the
> road from the jct.) facility is gone and the property occupied by - you would
> never guess - a hugh roller skating rink.
>
> We will take the line into Connellsville as part of my Dickerson Run notes.
> My assumption is that in 50 years the woods and trees have matured to the
> point that the back line looks much different than it once did.  The friendly
> local at Juniata told me you can walk from the  road crossing quite a ways
> along the right of way toward
> Bitner.  I don't know what "quite a ways" means.
>
> Between Bitner and Juniata I did see behind a small farm concrete piers from
> a small bridge, either the railroad or the West Penn.  I am guessing that
> from the road as you are heading towards Juniata, the railroad is first and
> then the West Penn.  That is a guess.  Anyway, I stopped and walked down the
> this farm owner who was trying to get his power riding mower fixed and asked
> him if I could go back and look at the remains of the bridge.  OK he says.
> So with dreams of finding a West Penn spike
> (I saw a pile of ties) I went through brambles and chest high weeds  to find
> these ties, and yes there were tie  plates an a few spikes.  From this I
> deducted these ties were railroad, but dragged myself back to the barn and
> made further inquiries.
> He seemed to remember this was a rail line(he had deposited the ties back
> there, errrrg, the urge to kill) and the trolley was beyond on "the hill"
> Back I went, this time after the brambles came the mud and water.  I got
> partially up the hill but came back with no feeling that I had found the
> right of way.  For my efforts I got to stay awhile and help him get his darn
> pulley belt on his mower  and I lost a lot of time.
>
> By all means take the time to drive the Back Line, even if you don't find
> more than I did.  Its part of the West Penn and there is enough to see to wet
> your appitite for more.
>
> Fred Bruhn