Various answers, corrections &c. ATTN: Jim Holland & John Swindler

[John Swindler]

>Donald Galt mentioned:
>
>Yet another perusal of the 1890 Allegheny County map that I have studied 
>before - not carefully enough, apparently - shows the Pittsburgh Southern 
>doing exactly what Jim says it should, heading from Wash Jct to Drake, then 
>curving around to the southeast, with Upper St. Clair station approximately 
>at the line now separating U St C township and Bethel borough. 
>Unfortunately, the map I have (can't remember where I copied it) gives out 
>somewhere along Logan Road, but logic dictates that the line would have 
>joined the present route just north of King's School.
>


Map I have is from front index page for Allegheny County, and unfortunately 
also gives out somewhere along or before Logan Road.  Can't say it really 
"shows" - perhaps implies is a better word - that yes, PS followed Drake 
line to vicinity of Drake/Upper St. Clair village, but did not cross valley 
later spanned by Drake trestle, but as you mentioned, curved around to 
southeast.
The logic of then heading towards King's School on Library line is 
interesting.  But curves and lack of cuts on Montour heading towards Library 
is also interesting.  So too is Piney Creek.  Guess we need some more 
digging.


>That acknowledged, it just doesn't seem that good a choice despite what Jim 
>says. Washington Jct sits at about 1120 feet above sea level. From there, 
>the Library line climbs to about 1230 feet at Hillcrest and probably 
>another 10 feet a bit farther south, then requires earthworks to cross the 
>next valley before cresting again at about 1225 feet just north of Center 
>Street. Then onward without major change in altitude to South Park Road, 
>after which it is down the valley all the way to Library.
>
>Now, from Washington Jct (1120 ft, remember) the other route descends to 
>1000 feet at Drake, is then forced to climb to 1160 feet at the junction of 
>Logan and Patterson Roads, then down to 1040 at King's School. So 
>locomotives would appear to have worked harder this way than they would 
>have by going via Brightwood. No matter how you tackle it, you have to 
>cross that ridge!
>


Maybe it wasn't at 1120 at Washington Jct, but already 20-40 foot higher on 
hillside???????  And maybe it doesn't descend to Drake Loop, but starts 
climbing around Walthers stop???????  And maybe these ridges contributed 
towards its early demise??????

That said, here's some more "stuff".  As a caution, the Union Township 
comments were written some fifty years after the Pgh Southern's demise.  And 
as final note, these discussions concerning Pittsburgh Southern are implying 
that the history of the interurban division of Pittsburgh Railways south of 
Castle Shannon doesn't start around 1900 as many presumed, but dates back 
some 30 years prior to anything previously printed.

John


History of Union Township, Washington County, Pa (circa 1936)
(location of Finleyville)

pp 35  THE PITTSBURGH SOUTHERN RAILROAD

	The Pittsburgh Southern Railroad was first organized in the year 1876 as 
the Pittsburgh-Castle Shannon and Washington Railroad Company.  In July of 
1877, the construction of a narrow gauge railroad was started between 
Washington and Pittsburgh and was completed in 1879.  It became known as the 
Pittsburgh Southern Railroad.
	The project of building this road was originated by A. C. Hays and John H. 
Miller with M. C. Hayes, T. P. Roberts, Dr. Kerr, Collin M. Reed, Joshua 
Wright, W. W. Smith, West Frye, Thomas McClelland and A. L. Hags.
	The first regular train to run the entire length of the new road was on 
February 24, 1879.  The length of the road at this time was 34 miles.
	The northern terminus of this road was Temperanceville, south of Pittsburgh 
then up the valley through what is now Library.  The last stop in Allegheny 
County near South Library was called Piney Fork.  Here it turned up what is 
now called the Cardox Road, passed the Atkinson farm into Washington County, 
coming out at the Trax Farm (note:  still existed as roadside farm stand 
into at least 1980s), then down through Union Valley to Finleyville.  In 
Finleyville this old railroad followed Marion Avenue straight through the 
Planing Mill property toward Washington.  The stops in Washington county 
were Boyer in Union Valley, Finleyville, Peter’s Creek, Anderson, McCombs, 
Virginia Junction, Zediker, Thomas, Gilkeson, Brunley, Wylandville, 
Clokeyville, Vance and Washington.
	It was planned by the management to build a southern extension of the road 
commencing at Virginia Junction and on through to Bentleyville, Hillsborough 
and then to Morgantown, West Virginia.  It was started and graded to 
Hillsborough, but was never finished.  Coal was shipped on this railroad 
from the old Jacob Legler Mine in Union Valley, now the site of the Dolfie 
Plan, the Anderson Mine at Venetia and the Interprise Mine near Washington.
	The late Mr. Louis Smith remembered riding this train.  He said that he 
could sit on his front porch until he saw the smoke from the engine in the 
direction of Finleyville.  He could walk out to the track, which was along 
the front of their farm, and the engineer would stop the train for them to 
board.
	The Pittsburgh Southern met with financial trouble and was soon sold at a 
sheriff sale.  The Pittsburgh Railway Company bought the right-of-way from 
Library to Finleyville, and the B&O Railroad took the right-of-way from 
Finleyville to Washington.



History of Washington County, Pa by Crumrine, published 1882

Pp 368	COAL MINES ON THE PITTSBURGH SOUTHERN RAILROAD

	The Union Valley Mines are located two miles north of Finleyville by rail.  
They are owned by Jacob Legler and operated by Florshim and Young.  The coal 
is shipped to Washington.  They employ about 20 men.
	The Anderson Mine is owned and operated by Dr. David M. Anderson.  It is 
located two and one-half miles west of Finleyville.  It is a drift mine and 
employs 20 miners.  The coal is transported to Washington by the Pittsburgh 
and Southern Railroad, where it is reshipped and carried over the Baltimore 
and Ohio to Wheeling and sold for manufacture of gas, for which purpose it 
is said to be well adapted.



History of Allegheny County, vol. II, published 1889

Pp 47	(Snowden Township)	Upper St. Clair is a post-village on the Old 
Washington Road, also at one time a station on the Pittsburgh Southern 
railroad.  The post office there was established in 1845.

Pp 48	(Bethel Township)	This territory enjoyed railroad facilities during 
the short period that the Pittsburgh and Southern was in operation, and the 
names of Smithton, Upperman, Bethel, Cowan, Rockridge, Norwood and Library 
yet adorn the map.

Pp 54	(Baldwin township)	check for P&CS

Pp 65	(Scott Township)	Long’s Arlington and Mount Lebanon were stations on 
the Pittsburgh and Southern railroad, in the eastern part of the township, 
before that road was abandoned.  Mt. Lebanon post office was established in 
1855.

Pp 65	(Union Township)	The coal mining interests are important.  The Little 
Saw Mill Run Railroad was incorporated 23 July 1850 and the road was opened 
in April 1853.  It extends from the mouth of Saw Mill Run at Temperanceville 
to Banksville, a distance of three miles.  Thousands of tons of coal are 
mined each year.  Shipments are made by both rail and water and the sale of 
the product is controlled by Hartley and Marshall.

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