West Penn Today - We move on!

[Edward H. Lybarger]

If the truth be known, I'm enjoying this as much as Fred is.  I'm always
willing to take time on this subject, especially when others are genuinely
interested.

The old wooden bridge that Fred mentions a half mile or so north of
Vanderbilt Jct. has been gone for a long time.  I stood on it in the '70s,
but now have to look twice to be sure I'm in the same spot.  Nature reclaims
her own pretty rapidly.  This R/W crosses the road four times enroute (not
counting at the junction), but is most visible off to the west for about a
mile right after the former bridge site (and after it has crossed the road
two of those times!).  The third crossing is at Italy stop at Duck Pond
Road, and the fourth is in Liberty.  R/W is visible on the east after Italy,
through Nellie and Paul (both former mines) and into Vanderbilt.  Then it
takes a back street and rides up on a fill before coming out next to the
main road again.  Following the final crossing, it plunges down into the
abyss behind Liberty and the end of the line can only be imagined today,
under all the vegetation.  The bridge into Dawson has been replaced, and the
large building to the east in Wismer's photos has been demolished.

Back to Leisenring 1...the patch housing is still extant, though all in
private hands since U S Steel sold their company towns to Galbreath Realty
in the early '50s.  Galbreath then sold the houses to the residents (and
used the profits to buy the Pirates?  [That's a joke.]).  The line crossed
to the east side of the highway at about the first intersection north of
Leisenring 1, and after about another half mile entered Gallagher Siding.
Trotter Siding was another half-mile away (essentially at the convenience
store), and Banning Siding was about the same distance on, along Wood
Street.  This is where all the company publicity photos were taken.  West
Penn was on R/W immediately after Banning Siding, returning to the street on
Leisenring Street for three blocks to 8th.

I didn't need a VIP pass to get in the shops that day -- it was an employee
open house to which we were invited to display artifacts and sell books!
And I think you can still get in if you a) have purpose or b) know someone
or, best yet, c) both of the above!

8th Street is one way north.  A southbound excursion uses 9th Street to the
BP station at the top of the hill.  Morrell Avenue had a siding (Greenwood)
in the block between King and Duke Streets; this was removed in favor of a
new passing track at Wheeler (the entrance to the power plant) in 1947 on
account of traffic congestion.  There had been a siding at Wheeler on an
older alignment until the mid '20s, when the highway and the railway were
both moved.  Prior to the construction of the Western Maryland Railway, the
entrance to the shops/barn was from the south, a straight shot off Morrell
Avenue.  In 1911 that all changed, and the railroad paid to reverse West
Penn's yard ladder and create a new entry.

As I mentioned, one can walk from Dunbar up to suburban Morrell.  Be certain
to leave your car outside the yellow gate at the entrance to Bowest Yard,
lest it be locked in when the shift goes home.  The line stayed on the east
side of the street all the way through Dunbar.  From Dunbar south, West Penn
did not cross and railroad until it got to downtown Uniontown.  You will see
evidence of it at the Pechin road crossing:  there are bridge piers north.
The bridge into Pechin's parking lot was the railways' alignment but I am
not sure if the little bridge there was theirs.  The strip map shows two
stream crossings there (the second was tiny) but it looks to be 50 feet or
so beyond today's bridge.  And the abandonment application spoke only of a
33-foot span that the Department of Forests and Waters required to be
removed, which matches the visible piers to the north.

The quote from the Mt. Braddock caption is still as valid as when I wrote
it!  The narrow gauge crossing is hard to imagine, too, but it can be done.
The brick works used that to bring clay down from the mountain, and I just
found the news article about a 1936 collision at the crossing (I was sure at
least one such occurrence had to have happened through the years and was
happy to receive confirmation!).

Near the (former) bridge Fred speaks of finding near Lemont Furnace lay West
Penn's most expensive bit of right of way.  At a time when everyone else was
granting it to the trolley company for 50 cents to a couple dollars per
foot, the local Catholic church (through its Pittsburgh headquarters)
charged PM&C $12.74 per lineal foot.

After Lemont Furnace the line hugs the highway to Coolspring Siding, then
goes slightly off to follow the best grades.  No highways are built on the
R/W.  It crosses Coolspring Street Extension at Sullivan Siding (which lies
just to the south, but north of the former Beeson Siding, where the freight
trains used to lay up out of the way) and then comes back into Coolspring
Street at Cemetery Siding.  Line stayed on the north, turned off to go past
the barn, then came into the center of Connellsville Street near O'Neal
(Gordon?) Street.  Following a runaway car (603) that just left the barn on
its own in the middle of the night in 1917, a derail was added at Mifflin
Avenue, a block up from Main Street.  The company was, I'm sure, tired of
rebuilding houses at the intersection of Main and Connellsville.  It had
happened before, in 1903, when a open car ran away there.  We have photos of
both accidents and newspaper clippings with the gory details.


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
[mailto:owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org]On Behalf Of
Fredbruhn at aol.com
Sent: Monday, July 10, 2000 5:18 PM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: West Penn Today - We move on!


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