PRC recollections

[brathke at juno.com]

A few days ago I exchanged some trolley recollections off-line, and
thought that some of the PRC memories may inspire other recollections...

Some comments on the trolley wonderment of a five year old:

I was probably that age when I took interest in the PRC turnouts on the
North Side that didn't seem to go anywhere.
I remember asking peope why those tracks switch off of the main track,
but are only a few feet long.  I don't think I ever got an answer, but
now I know that they were abandoned lines.  Johnstown kept such tracks
active, and the overhead wires intact, years after abandobnment, but PRC
usually removed the turnout rail and most of the wire, leaving only the
points and frog in the street.  One of the PRC turnouts I wondered about
was at E. Ohio St. and Union Ave. on the Northside (there's a photo of
this location and a commentary on page 13 in Harold Smith's book). 
Another was at Chestnut and Concord Streets. And a third was on North
Ave. at Arch St., although this location had a short stretch of active
rail and wire on Arch St., and was used as an emergency wye - as an
adult, I took some photos of this wye in use during a fire in 1966.

Another item of wonderment as a five year old: on my family's first long
car trip in the 40s, north on U.S. Rt. 19, I asked why there was
"country" between the cities.  In other words, why doesn't the "city" of
Pittsburgh go all the way to some point where it becomes the city of
Erie?  I don't recall getting an answer to that question either, but it
must have been important to me because I still remember asking.

Bob 7/19



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