Remnants

[mrb190]

At the intersection of Penn Ave. and Main street where the 77/54 and 88
Frankstown met, the wiring remained in tact almost two years after
abandonment.  In fact, while the 77/54 rails were being removed from
Main street, the wiring remained from Penn all the way up to the
connection with 87 Ardmore on Liberty.  The 77/54 rails were ripped out
while the 88 still ran in 1966.

Anyway, it was kind of strange to still see the complex intersection
wiring come in to view as one climbed Main Street, from Butler, to Penn
Ave., only see that it lost connections at both ends on Penn Ave.  

I also recall that the wire cutters weren't much for finishing the job
too quickly as they'd remove just the wire first, then some days or
weeks later, they'd take the suspension wires and -what do you call
them- frogs?? off later.   At one point on Penn Ave., I remember seeing
a long bar-like gadget instead of frog, flipping back and forth in high
winds.  Those long bar-like things --->  what were they, contact points
to let a station know if a car had passed that point?

I was too young?  too shy?  too afraid of doing something illegal? at
the time, but at the corner of Penn & Main, there was a cut suspension
wire, with a clipped on car stop sign, hanging all the way down a
utility pole, just in reach -- but I never took it---the car stop sign,
that is.  Hmmm...

Guess it's probably futile wondering where I could get one at this time.

Matt
Kenneth and Tracie Josephson wrote:
> 
> Jim Holland wrote:
> 
> >         A classic case was Los Angeles.  Within weeks after abandonment the
> > streets were tarred - not dug up to remove rails, simply tarred - but
> > the wire was still up.  Saw this myself after I got out of boot in June
> > of 1963.
> >
> 
> I forget where (perhaps a stretch of Pico Boulevard) in L.A., but in 1968, there was an area
> where the tracks were still intact and the cross spans still up...five years after
> abandonment! The tracks I could understand remaining, but the cross spans? Where the line had
> turned, the tracks were asphalted over, but the cross spans continued down the cross street
> toward downtown. Ken J.