Interurbans

[Jim Holland]

Greetings!

	The 1600--series PCC interurbans were in service by mid--1948, approx.,
and the 1700s in very early 1949.  It wasn't until November 1950 that
both 3700s and 3800s were removed from service.  Scrapping was as much
as several years later.
	So the Brill and  *old*  St.-Louies (the PCCs are St.-Louies, too!) did
not last to the end of interurban service in Washington County, but it
was as close to the end as possible - just 2.75-years shy!

	You know that Charleroi had local service as well to Donora.  There was
a loop at Riverview which had a leg added to it to make it a combination
loop and wye.  This was the northern terminal of the Donora local and
the wye could be used by rush hour trippers from Pgh.
	The interurbans thru Charleroi to Roscoe and the Donora local shared
trackage from Riverview on south through Monongahela on single track in
street with passing sidings.  Not long before Black Diamond Junction,
the line was double track.  The interurbans cut uphill across country at
the Junction while the Donora local was side of the road for a good
distance and then in the street as it essentially followed the
Monongahela River.
	In Donora, there was a wye that was called a freight terminal.  This
was not used by the local cars which continued several blocks further to
a stub end, on street terminal.  But for a period during the 1920s,
every other interurban came to Donora and wyed so the people of Donora
had hourly through service without transfer to Pittsburgh as did the
people of Roscoe and Charleroi.  Thus, it was a 30-minute headway north
of Black Diamond Jct to Pgh and return.

Greg King wrote:

> Hi Tom,

> Thanks, I'll look forward to seeing those, would there be any of the older
> 3700 type plans around? Did any of the 3700's last till the end of the
> 3800's and, how long after the PCC's arrived did the last of the 37 and
> 3800's go, in other words, did last till the end of the interurban lines
> and, did any of the bodies get saved (as sheds etc., even). When i get
> around to building myself a Jones car, it will be one of the D/E types as
> used in Washington (as my PCC is signed for Washington), I like the idea of
> the local operation at the end of the Interurban line.

> Is anybody/everybody on the list a member at Arden, I would like to chat
> off-list about it if someone would like too.

> Greg
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Tom Phillips <tsquare at toad.net>
> To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
> Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2000 12:24 PM
> Subject: RE: Greg - our new down-under member
> 
> > Greg:
> >
> > I am a also a fan (and pseudo-student, if you will) of PRCo's
> > 3800's, they being the first streetcar that I remember from
> > my days as a youngster in Charleroi, PA (more about that in the
> > future).  Therefore, be advised that there are some serious
> > errors on Paul Moore's drawing.
> >
> > I have been working on a set of drawings suitable for scaling
> > for modelling purposes, now almost finished.  Look for them on
> > the web in the next few weeks.
> >
> > Tom Phillips
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> > [mailto:owner-pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org]On Behalf Of Dietrich,
> > Robert J.
> > Sent: Friday, September 29, 2000 8:09 AM
> > To: 'pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org'
> > Subject: RE: Greg - our new down-under member
> >
> >
> > Greg:
> >
> > Back in the 1940s Paul Moore drew plans for quite a number of trolley
> cars,
> > PRCo 3800 included.  I copied his plans and posted them to the East Penn
> > Traction Club web page -- http://www.eastpenn.org/moore.html.  I would us
> > these plans to build a model of my own but you may want to research
> further
> > before building a production model.  I've been told that Paul's plans were
> > not always accurate.
> >
> > If you make these in HO the price will determine how many I will buy.
> >
> > Regards.
> > Bob
> >
> >  -----Original Message-----
> > From: Greg King [mailto:tramway at one.net.au]
> > Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2000 5:53 PM
> > To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> > Subject: Re: Greg - our new down-under member
> >
> > Hi Fred,
> >
> > Thanks for thie nice welcome and info, if you can get me some plans of
> those
> > cars, I'll have a look at them, would also need a likely number to be
> > ordered, the 3700's were nice too, I'd like to get a set of plans for them
> > to look at as well.
> >
> >

James B. Holland

        Pittsburgh  Railways  Company  (PRCo),   1930  --  1950
    To e-mail privately, please click here: mailto:pghpcc at pacbell.net
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