This Last Week

[Robert Schmidt]

Welcome aboard, Carl:

I see that the Homewood Shops were your stomping ground for a short
period of time. 
Lots of activity from a very extensive maintenance operation and some
interesting car building at that location. Don't you wish you could go
back again, but with one of those  current high definition cameras?
Betcha there's little argument here amongst the troops!

The Craft Avenue car house, small by carbarn standards, was situated in
an interesting localion immediately behind Magee-Women's Hospital
between Forbes Ave. and Boulevard of the Allies. Its yard was to the
West of, and adjacent to, the hospital. 

As I service the hospital presently in my line of work I often find
myself gazing at the very parcel of land that was once a busy hub of
trolley activity in the Oakland area. and which I passed on route to
Duquesne Gardens where our gang headed every Saturday for the matinee
ice skating session during the Winter seasons of the late 40's.

Presently, when standing at the Craft Avenue entrance-driveway to the
hospital's new annex building receiving dock, I'm standing at a spot on
the sidewalk where a ten ft. high red brick boundry wall skirted the
Craft Ave. side of the yard which ran parallel with Craft Ave. from
Forbes to the Boulevard of the Allies. 

The yard track immediately adjacent to that wall stored about eight cars
and which, due to the height of the wall, allowed only the upper few
feet of car body to be viewed. It was enough to identify just what was
parked on the other side of that wall. 

This particular track was used for storage of several McGuire Sweepers
and a High Floor 4100 series car or two used for towing/scraper duty.
The balance of rolling stock comprised a mix of low-floor cars with a
more prominent inventory of PCC's.

I was given several autographed transfers from the final PCC trip that
operated out of the Craft Ave. Car House (53-54?) by Millvale resident,
and operator of that car, Larry Schuster, a few months before he
'transferred out' on his FINAL route. Just a bit of rail nostalgia for
the sentimental at heart. 

Bob Schmidt

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