[PRCo] ROUTE LIST PROJECT

[John F Bromley]

It's been quiet lately (too quiet?).  Time to shake things up[.   Is Ed still off-group?  Someone send him a personal copy (oh wait, that'd be me)

OK, I know I said I was working on the list and I am, if sporadically, at the moment.  I'll get to it and everyone will get a copy that asks for it (wait'll I say I'm done, please).  Toio many new slides and negatioves acquired and waiting to be assimilated (sounds like the Borg).  When the negative list of new acquisitions is available, about half will be spares and available (no Pittsburgh) - write me off-line for a list (wait two weeks, please).

Today the route list project got much more interesting (at least for me).  In the last week of June someone advertised a piece on eBay and described it as a "Pittsburgh Railways Company Charter".  That was intriguing enough for me to look and it turned out to be an old route map.  The seller had no data, and no date, on it, and I sort of took it to be an earlier version of the well-known 1950s document.  Well, it was - earlier that is - and it's a great piece (I won it after slugging it out with Russ Cashdollar who's known to want to buy everything that shows up for PRC).  I had hoped for something in the 1940s but one statement in the twelve-page brochure suggests it's a bit earlier than that.  As well as the map there are some very nice route names and descriptions, and a lot of other data:

(1) an interurban timetable for Charleroi and Washington,
(2) a couple of "did you know" pages with all sorts of stuff,
(3) reasons why PRC consolidated routes in Wilkinsburg and Highland Districts
(4) some facts and figures

and a statement about their modern cars which reads:

" NEW CARS

There are 251 modern, low floor, center entrance all steel motor cars of Pittsburgh Railways design now in service on various routes of the system.  240 additional cars of similar design embodying the latest improvements for the safety and comfort of passengers are now under construction at the car builders."

OK, all you experts - if that won't date this map, nothing will.  What say you?

And, for those that can't wait (hi, Jim), here are the routes listed (familiar ones and all - complete), direct from the document:

1      SPRING GARDEN AVENUE
2      MILLVALE AND ETNA
3      MILLVALE
4      TROY HILL
5      LOWRIE AND GARDNER
6      BRIGHTON ROAD (to Pennsylvania Station)
7      CHARLES STREET
7      CHARLES TO BRIGHTRIDGE
8      PERRYSVILLE AVENUE
9      PERRYSVILLE TO CHARLES
10    WEST VIEW-BELLEVUE  
11    EAST STREET and MADISON AVENUE
12    EAST AND EVERGREEN ROAD
13    EMSWORTH
14    AVALON
15    BELLEVUE-WEST VIEW
16    RODGERS AND FOREST
18    UNION LINE
19    WESTERN AVENUE
20    REEDSDALE STREET (REBECCA)
21    FINEVIEW (NUNNERY HILL)
23    SEWICKLEY EXPRESS
24    CORAOPOLIS
25    ISLAND AVENUE
26    WEST PARK
27    CARNEGIE
28    CRAFTON JUNCTION ONLY
29    CRAFTON AND THORNBURG
30    CRAFTON-INGRAM-SHERIDAN
31    SHERIDAN-INGRAM-CRAFTON
32    SHERIDAN ONLY
33    MT WASHINGTON VIA WEST END
34    ELLIOTT
35    LORENZ AVENUE ONLY
37    CASTLE SHANNON AND FAIR HAVEN
38    CASTLE SHANNON AND MT LEBANON
39    BROOKLINE
40    MT WASHINGTON VIA TUNNEL
41    SHILOH STREET ONLY
42    BEECHVIEW
43    NEELD AVENUE
44    KNOXVILLE (from PA Station, but not in the name)
45    KNOXVILLE VIA THIRD AVENUE
46    CARRICK AND KNOXVILLE
47    SOUTHERN AND McKINLEY
48    ARLINGTON AVENUE
49    BELTZHOOVER (note: ALL routes 37-49 via the Tunnel)
50    CARSON TO 30TH STREET
51    CARSON TO 22ND STREET
52    CARSON TO 36TH STREET
53    SUBURBAN
54    CARRICK AND FORBES STREET ONLY
55    HOMESTEAD AND EAST PITTSBURGH
56    McKEESPORT
57    GLENWOOD ONLY
58    GREENFIELD AVENUE
60    HOMESTEAD VIA SHADY
61    EAST LIBERTY-HAZELWOOD AVENUE
63    TRAFFORD EXPRESS
64    WILKINSBURG AND EAST PITTSBURGH
65    BELL AND JONES
66    WILKINSBURG VIA FORBES STREET
67    SWISSVALE, RANKIN, BRADDOCK
68    DUQUESNE AND McKEESPORT
71    CENTER AND NEGLEY
72    BLOOMFIELD (OUTSIDE LOOP)
73    HIGHLAND PARK
75    OAKLAND, E. LIBERTY, WILKINSBURG
76    HAMILTON AVENUE (cars marked "SHORT" go to Wood and Tioga only)
79    FORBES, SHADY AND PENN (OUTSIDE LOOP)
80    FORBES AND MURRAY
81    ATWOOD STREET
82    CENTER AND LINCOLN
83    CENTER AND HERRON
85    WYLIE AND BEDFORD
86    EAST LIBERTY EXPRESS
87    ARDMORE (from East Liberty)
88    FRANKSTOWN (cars marked "SHORT" go to Wood and Tioga only)
89    FRANKSTOWN AND 22ND STREET
91    FORBES, SHADY, PENN (INSIDE LOOP)
92    BLOOMFIELD (INSIDE LOOP)
93    ALLEGHENY VALLEY (Butler St)
94    SHARPSBURG, ASPINWALL
95    SHARPSBURG, 22ND STREET
96    PENN-NEGLEY VIA BUTLER
98    LARIMER AVENUE

Then, not listed, but acknowledged elsewhere, are the shuttles and/or transfer routes:

CHARLES STREET TRANSFER
COREY AVENUE
EAST PITTSBURGH AND TRAFFORD CITY
GLASSPORT & WILMERDING
HAYS STATION TRANSFER
HEIDELBERG
HOMEVILLE
P & L E TRANSFER
SCHOENVILLE TRANSFER
SHADY AVENUE TRANSFER
SPRING HILL
VERONA, OAKMONT & HULTON
VERONA
WILMERDING & EAST PITTSBURGH

Other tidbits of data (selected):

Items of Cost: a new low-floor steel motor car of the 4200-type - $6,000.00; a mile of double track - $89,760.00; a mile of trolley wire, feeder and poles: $10,000.00

What your nickel buys: (sampling): changing tracks to new location in West Liberty Blvd (some only 8 years old) - $130,000.00; tolls over bridges free to traffic but not streetcars - $126,500.00 a year.

Included is a graph summary of evening rush hour service on the West View line, peaking at North Av and Federal.

Misc stats:-

Miles of single track: 600
Cars in Rush hour: 1000
Employees: 6000
Electric Switches: 90
Miles of bridges: 10
Number of Car Barns: 21
Number of Power Supply Stations: 22

An admonition on the circular car stop signs: "The motorman stops his car so that the door comes directly under the sign.  Will you co-operate in saving time by standing directly underneath the sign?" ( Ed-op: sort of defeats the attempt to speed service if they kill all the passengers!).

OK, download and have fun with it.

JFB