West Penn Today - We move on!

[Fredbruhn at aol.com]

When I first began sharing my notes I had two objectives, one fairly direct 
and the other sort of a hidden agenda.  I have hoped that some of this group 
with my enthusiasm for the West Penn but limited knowledge (like me) or the 
incentive
to tackle chasing the line can use these ramblings to schedule some time in 
Fayette and Westmoreland counties.  Fifty years hasn't changed the area that 
much and you can come away with a great feeling of how and where the lines 
ran.

My hidden agenda was a hope that I could get some feedback from the true 
historians such as Ed Lybarger to correct my errors and/or expand on my notes.
I have been rewarded well beyond my expectations with the time and notes that 
Ed
has given us all from his knowledge on the routes we have covered so far.  A 
note of thanks too for Fred Schneider's and Ed's listing of the destination 
sign colors, and of course to Derrick for the web site and Ed's kindness in 
sharing the rare photos of the Brownsville line.  I trust we have all had 
enough education on the use of privately owned photographs and not violate 
Ed's kindness with any use of these shots beyond our own private viewing on 
this site.

After I had finished with my back line notes I realized I had made a mistake 
on the identity of the establishment that now occupies the Frick property at 
Vanderbilt Jct.
I said it was a roller skating rink and later decided it was an ice skating 
ring, and it appears to be both.  In any event you can't miss it.

The line from Connellsville was on the North side of the highway at this 
junction, with 
the highway bending left as you would be driving west on the back line.  The 
Dawson branch continues straight as the back line routing takes a left hand 
turnout to follow along side the highway.  (This from a Gwinn photo.)  The 
Dawson line
then turns sharply to come along side the highway to Dickerson Run, Dawson, 
and Vanderbilt.  This is 1039 or Vanderbilt Road.  In 1961 I had driven this 
line and believe I was able to see a good bit of the right of way, including 
a fairly substantial cut.  In 2000 I was very surprised to see a drive 
through hilly and rugged country and a complete blank.  The road is narrow 
and you can't gawk a lot or you will end up in trouble.  There was one place 
I feel certain I saw the right of way in an open field to my left.

I know in 1961 I could find the bridge, the end of the route that is well 
pictured in most of the publications, and general routing through Vanderbilt 
and Dickerson Run.
The spoil sports have taken down the bridge and replaced it, and I could not 
find any trace of the line in the short time I spent there, but the drive out 
is worth it to get the flavor of the line.  Driving through Vanderbilt and 
Dickerson Run left me with an impression of what an alpine village in poverty 
would look like.  Its tough to get through town on those roads.

I had hoped to see more, but you have two choices from here.  You can take 
route 201 and shoot into Connellsville, or retrace your route and see if your 
luck improves.
I took the latter choice because I wanted to drive into Connellsville via. 
Trotter Pike. (Crawford Avenue.)   

A note about my notes.  I don't have any written notes, mine are current day 
photographs and I'm creating this from those shots.....  I need to go back 
and label
each shot as I know my memory isn't as good as it should be, and things do 
wear out as you get older.  This exercise is getting me started in that 
direction.  One note on Vanderbilt Jct.  Where you turn from 1051 (Trotter 
Pike/Crawford Ave. from Connellsville) onto Vanderbilt Road at the Jct. my 
one photo from Gwinn shows several typical coal company homes that may still 
be there in different colors.  I don't remember as I was looking for the 
right of way.  They would be on the Northwest corner somewhat up and away 
from 1051.

I had mentioned that my photos show the car line on the North side of 1051 at 
the junction.  Somewhere between here and Connellsville as we begin to drive 
inbound  
to Connellsville the line crossed from the North side of 1051 to the South 
side.
It would now be on your right as you head inbound.  It ran beside the highway 
to 
Connellsville as far as I can tell.  I know there was one siding, Trotter 
siding, and my guess is there were at least two between Connellsville and 
Vanderbilt Jct.  Watch the pole line on your right and as I remember you can 
see where it bows out which would indicate clearance for a siding.  Banning 
siding is shown on the orange cover publication on Woods Ave. just before 
turning onto W. Crawford Ave.

You will come into Connellsville, and today looking at the map I see Woods 
Av.  I can't say I remember it from when I was there, but I did go up and 
down Leisenring Street and Graham Avenue thinking I could see the crossover 
between those two streets as clearly as I can one in Bellaire, Ohio where the 
line came up from private right of way between two houses to enter the 
street.  It is crystal clear today and it was gone by 1946.  But, I did not 
find the West Penn on those streets.  

The Connellsville layout is pretty well known to most but changes have been 
made.
The bridge over the B&O and river is new and there are some one way streets 
to irritate you.  If you go down to the intersection of Eighth St. and 
Leisenring St. where the back line/Dawson line turned off and the line to the 
shops turned onto Leisenring the other direction, you can stand on the 
Northeast corner and look 
across to the home on the corner with the tower or bay window extension.  
This home and the one next to it have not changed since 1952.  They have 
added siding to both, replacing what looks like original clapboard.  You 
wonder how those 700s made the turn from Leisenring to Eighth but I have a 
shot showing it can be done.

I made a passing comment about the Shops and that I saw at least one of the 
original buildings.  Ed corrected me stating that several of the original 
buildings are standing.  It still looks like Ft. Knox and if the utility 
companies over there have the same paranoia over liability as they do here 
then you won't get access to wonder around unless you get a VIP pass as Ed 
did.  You might try flashing a phony badge and tell them your from OSHA 
investigating a complaint.  Usually that scares management enough they will 
do anything.

It was late in the afternoon and I started down the South Connellsville line 
which is street running according to the map and only went a few blocks to 
get a "flavor" of the line.

The next morning I drove up to Connellsville to start on the main line 
heading south
back to Uniontown.  I knew this would not be easy and somewhat inaccessible.
Take a full canteen and a full tank of gas!.  

I can't remember if Eighth is one way north or south but you will get onto 
Morrell Avenue.  There have been some shots in the movies (I mentioned 
Rohrbecks and there was a movie in 8mm from Sunday River a few years back) of 
the line coming into Connellsville on Morrell Avenue.  If I had our indian 
guide with us I might have found the railroad underpass beyond Morrell siding 
(if the railroad is still there) and hike down to the three railroad trestles 
but I had been forewarned from the Sept. photo in this years calendar that it 
wasn't easy.  Maybe another time and with someone who knows their way around, 
but you could get lost in there and not be found for weeks.  

Morrell Avenue is either 119 or turns into 119 and continue beyond the 
divided portion until to come to 1053.  I believe there is a traffic light 
there.  You turn left and 
start down the road to Dunbar, Pa.  Its not too far and you will cross the 
railroad to find the main street in town.   Turn left and you will climb the 
fairly steep grade with the twisting road that is well photographed with the 
WP running down the east side of the street along this descent.  It doesn't 
look much different today.  You continue on a city block or so on the flat 
and it appears the line moved to the west side of the road or the road may 
have been relocated.  Now, a pole line runs down between two 
streets that are side by side with the pole line dividing them.  My guess was 
that the line ran on the west side of the street until it began the descent 
and then went to the east side.  Anyway you continue driving and you will see 
the pole line and what appears to be a cut or grade that heads off into the 
woods just beyond a blue 
mobile home.  In one of the movies I see a car coming up a grade into Dunbar 
and it may be the same grade.  The movie sequence is just after the three 
bridges and 
Fayette siding so that is how I put that theory in place.  

You must turn around if your going the same way I am and retrace your route 
back into downtown Dunbar.  

You leave the commercial section and look for road 1055.  You bear left and 
then take a right.  There may be a sign that points to Mount Braddock.  You 
will be encouraged by the next few hundred yards as you see the WP grade on 
your right and then the railroad.  It will be short lived.  Just keep your 
eyes on the narrow road and climb the several miles to Mount Braddock.  I 
found nothing of the WP from this road and the one side road at Pechin I did 
not take, but should have as it shows crossing the railroad.  Did the WP 
stick next to the railroad to Mount Braddock?
I don't know.  

Come into Mount Braddock and pull into the Post Office parking area and stop.
If you have Wismer's photo from a previous year calendar take it out and 
compare.
Let me quote from the caption;  "Today, a good imaginaation is necessary to 
recreate the scene, since the nearby buildings have been razed and the 
trolley right-of-way paved.  The present day post office sits to the right of 
the Ort's bread truck"
There is another good calendar photo of 738 at the north end of Mount 
Braddock crossing a narrow gauge railroad.  I couldn't find this either.


You won't believe the West Penn came through here either.  Continuing on 
southbound,  I stayed on 1055 to Lemont Furnace.  Leave the 1055 at that 
point and let your nose and the pole line, railroad be your guide through 
this area.  I was bound and determined to find the short trestle over the 
road next to the B&O that was pictured in yet another super calendar 
photograph, by Ed Miller.  We are helped by 
the B&O crossing this road on a concrete overpass that is an arch type.  The 
highway running through the arch overpass.  It wasn't hard to find, as the 
road you are on dead-ends into the cross road that goes under the B&O.  You 
can get a good idea of where the WP ran (north and south) along here and this 
trestle. The concrete piers are still there under the brush.

An older calendar photo showed a car on a Uniontown-Hecla trip at the 
Coolspring 
Siding.  I also thought there was a park by that name near Uniontown and had 
seen that name as a street on a map.  So I figured if I just kept staying 
close to the railroad (which took a few back and forths across the railroad) 
I could get there from here.  I got the feeling that from Lemont Furnace to 
Uniontown the line sort of ran near the railroad from the pole line as it 
went.  It is possible that some of todays 
roads are on the old right of way.  Once you find Coolspring Road it looks 
like the 
WP was running beside it on the right as you are driving.  It is higher than 
the road running on private right of way.  Both you and the WP continue to 
climb as it gets more built up.  At the top of the hill there is a cemetary 
and my guess is that the line went from the right side across the road to the 
left and then off at an angle which took it over the hilltop to where the 
Uniontown barn was, and then down Connellsville St. and to the terminal as we 
have discussed.  I have a movie shot of a car cresting the hill by the barn 
(going north) and going out of sight which is sort of how I deducted the 
route.  I may be wrong.

Portions of the main line from Connellsville to Greensburg are fun to see 
(and ride on today) and I'll cover those next time.

Fred Bruhn