Second Avenue/Tenth/Carson *also 11th street in town

[Greg King]

Interesting stuff, anyone tell me if any of the former streetcar track is
still exposed around Pgh (apart from the LRT lines) please?
Greg
----- Original Message -----
From: mrb190 <mrb190+ at pitt.edu>
To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2000 2:53 AM
Subject: Second Avenue/Tenth/Carson *also 11th street in town


> Now that IS definitely interesting trivia.   And like Ken responded (I
didn't get
> through all the e-mails yet) I'd say PAT did keep the rails in working
order just
> in case the Smithfield Bridge couldn't handle the traffic.
>
> Part of me definitely wishes that the Smithfield would have been
temporarily
> closed in order for the 10th Street to be reinstated.   That would have
been a
> treat for someone like myself who only started to independently ride the
cars in
> 1970 (prior to that I always had to be accompained by parent or older
> brother/sister).
>
> I do remember seeing that the 2nd Avenue tracks were still around in the
early
> 70's (particularly when crossing over in an auto from the ramps off the
Liberty
> bridge), but I didn't know that the Carson Street tracks were still in
working
> order from Arlington Avenue to the 10th Street bridge.   THANKS for this
> historical info.
>
> Like Ken (I think) said, this DEFINITELY beats talking about "Survivor."
(I
> never watched the show, but I'm tired of hearing about it.)
>
> I remember seeing wire restrung on the streets bordering the Greyhound
Station in
> town (this was after the demise of 44 Knoxville which formerly looped
there).  I
> think this occurred some time in the very late 70's/early 80's?    I
assumed it
> was because PAT was re-routing in preparation of the new subway.  But this
> re-wiring didn't seem to last very long - probably not even a year.
> Another note on this area:  in the 60's, when shopping at Buyer's Mart, on
> eleventh street across from Greyhound, I always remember seeing cars
labelled CAR
> HOUSE turning off Liberty onto that street, then out on Penn, to 12th
(jeeez I
> hope I got these side street names right) and back onto Liberty (or
Grant).
>
> Matt
>
>
>
>
> HRBran99 at aol.com wrote:
>
> > In a message dated 9/27/00 1:16:07 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
twg at pulsenet.com
> > quotes kjosephson as saying:
> >
> > << Considering the information presented in this discussion thread, did
PAT
> >  consider retaining another bridge crossing just in case the Smithfield
span
> >  had to be closed or perhaps if more serious weight restrictions had to
be
> >  imposed? Ken J.
> >   >>
> >
> > One interesting thing I noticed for many years during the early and mid
1970s
> > was that every two or three months PATransit rail maintainence trucks
would
> > be checking the trackage along Second Avenue from Ross to 10th St.
Bridge,
> > the trackage on the bridge, and the trackage from 10th St, west along
Carson
> > to New Arlington. This even including welding sections of rail which
were
> > extremely worn. I never did ask why the always did this. There was no
> > overhead wire in place along these stretches of rail. I first noticed
this in
> > 1973 when going home from SHJct and crossing the 10th St. Bridge was
held up
> > because traffic was shifted to the right hand lane only do to welding of
> > rails taking place on the Second Avenue end of the bridge. Still a
mystery
> > why PAT did this. They really could not use the tracks unless they
strung
> > overhead.
> >
> > HrB
>
>