[PRCo] Re: Beeses vs Trolleycars

[Derrick J Brashear]

On Mon, 2 Apr 2001, John Swindler wrote:

> It was very strange when I went to Pittsburgh for final weekend of PCC 
> service in Sept. 1999.  Yes, enjoyed the car rides, but seemed that I was 
> viewing a mere shadow of what once was.  Even a 'toy', or 'fake', if you 
> will.  Very difficult to put into words, but the Drake shuttle just didn't 
> seem like a "real" transit service.  Wondered afterwards if it was (my) age, 
> or lack of trips to ride transit in Pittsburgh in recent years, but the 
> thought occurred that perhaps the PCC really 'died' in Pittsburgh in 1983(?) 
> when 42/38 suspended.  And what was left was just a shadow living on 
> borrowed time.  Rail transit in Pittsburgh had become the light rail 
> vehicles, and not the PCC cars.  Or at least from my perspective.

Whereas mine was the remaining PCCs in service on the 47D,L and S were
very much PCCs in Pittsburgh, and the end was the runaway in the tunnel
when everything but the 4000s (and I think 1765) were sidelined.

But the same idea.

> >been gone. I really do wish they'd put tracks in the East Busway and run
> >LRVs out to Wilkinsburg, but the station at Steel Plaza would need to be
> >rearranged for that to be truly useful.
> >
> >-D
> >
> 
> 
> Do you mean the 'main line', Derrick?  The downtown stations are Steel Plaza 
> and Penn Park.  At least for Skybus funding.  The 'branch' under Sixth St. 
> and Liberty Ave. to Gateway Center was an add-on under the Light Rail 
> Program.

Yeah, yeah...

> Under the proposal from the mid-1960s, the South Hills line was to continue 
> eastwards along the Penna. RR alignment to Wilkinsburg and beyond.  It was 
> not intended as two different transit modes.  What eventually became the 
> South Hills light rail line was selected as the 'starter' rapid transit 
> line.  Dug the final report out a couple years ago, and I think it was by 
> Parsons Brinkerhoff in 1967.

Yes, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has it; When I had more free time I
read a good bit of it; Oh for those days again.

> As for extending LRVs to Wilkinsburg today, cost would be about $20-25 
> million per mile (including cars), despite what the local newspapers seem to 
> want the public to believe.  Go to the Federal Transit Administration's 
> website and look up the "Report on New Starts" to check out the cost of 
> light rail construction around the country.  The comparison should be with 
> use of an existing right of way.

I don't know what the deal is. Given how much Grata likes to poke the Port
Authority you'd think he'd be all over it. He's on Harold's list, so if he
doesn't know, there's little excuse. I'm not a transportation
professional, it's an interest in my "spare time" and I know it.

-D