This Last Week

[brathke at juno.com]

Bob,

PCC's operated out of Craft Avenue CB until early in the morning of
January 27, 1967.   A couple of weeks ago I shared some recollections of
the last evening of East End trolleys, and mentioned that at about 4AM
that day I took some photos of two PCCs (1546 and 1561) with
Stadium-Forbes Field signs being transferred out of Craft.

Bob 3/2
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On Wed, 1 Mar 2000 23:48:44 -0500 (EST) SaturnV at webtv.net (Robert
Schmidt) writes:
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>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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