Photos

[Edward H. Lybarger]

I've spent the better part of 14 years gathering new research for a proper
West Penn book.  I define "proper" as "factual," unlike any that have been
done so far.  CERA's effort on this was dismal, to say the least, and the
two that the museum produced were not particularly interpretive.  Since I've
concluded that you can't know a system unless you know what went on
contemporaneously, I've been reading the Connellsville Courier on microfilm
at the State Library on my trips to Harrisburg.  Yesterday I got through
August 27, 1936, so you can see I'm a ways from being finished.  And then
there's Tarentum, etc.

A lot has been taken for granted about this company, and it's largely
bullshit.  They may have appeared to be laid back to the fan, but this was a
smart company that did not engage in whims or illogical activities.  It was
also captive to a single industry over most of its breadth and duration, so
it is necessary to understand the extent of that, as well.  Having recently
scratched the surface of the H. C. Frick Coke Company archives, I will
assure you all that it's wealth of knowledge, too.  Need maps of the
Fairchance & Smithfield Traction Company?  They had 'em!  (But we knew
already that it didn't go to Smithfield, unlike a statement in a recent
publication claiming to be an authority on the state's trolley companies.)

I'll leave the subject for now with the pronouncement that if Connellsville
hadn't resurfaced its main street in the 1920s, West Penn would have been
gone in the Depression.  No one has ever said that before!

Ed

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
[mailto:owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org]On Behalf Of Derrick J
Brashear
Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2000 11:16 PM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: Re: Photos


On Thu, 29 Jun 2000, Fred W. Schneider III wrote:

> There was another good barn / trolley picture.  Remember Bob Brown's snap
> near Hopwood of a West Penn Railways Fairchance car passing the Mail Pouch
> barn?   I always wanted to paint a Mail Pouch sign on my back yard
implement

Should I have seen this somewhere?

I'd really love to see a good West Penn book incidentally. The Volkmer
book was interesting, but what I want is basically more akin to the CERA
book, but without all the pesky errors (and maybe without the Mon West
Penn stuff, that can go in another book)

Yeah, I suppose I should clear off my schedule and start working on it,
right?

-D