[PRCo] Re: WEST END LINES

[Edward H. Lybarger]

What we have is a report of a 1949 meeting with the regional planning
commission, in which PRCo agreed to remove the streetcars at the appropriate
time.  Remember that this was a time before the reorganized company was left
with few funds and a dwindling revenue base, so Bob Parker's comments may
have merely reflected the latter-day reality of "it costs least not to
change anything."  But it had to cost them less to run the division with
buses, especially since someone else bought the buses.

-----Original Message-----
From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
[mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org]On Behalf Of
HRBran99 at aol.com
Sent: Friday, June 01, 2001 9:28 PM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: [PRCo] Re: WEST END LINES


In a message dated 5/31/01 4:31:11 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
twg at pulsenet.com
writes:


> The Smithfield Street Bridge was already full.  PRCo had agreed in 1949 to
> get rid of the West End lines, and indeed welcomed the opportunity ten
years
> later.  Anything that crops up which may appear to support any other
> position was posturing on the company's part to be sure it got enough from
> Pa. Dept. of Highways to cover both removals (track, especially) and the
> cost of the replacement buses (they did).
>
>

In one of my several conversations with Mr. Robert Parker, PAT Manager of
Transportation (and former PRCo staff member) it was stated by Mr. Parker
that PRCo had gone before the PA Highway Department and told them in
meetings
that, "we could run the streetcars at 50 MPH over the new bridge if that was
what was needed to maintain the West End lines." Inside the quotes is the
exact wording Mr. Parker used when relating this story to me. He went on to
say that the Highway Dept would not defer to this request because they knew
that the new bridge would eventually be part of the Interstate Highway
system
and streetcars and high-speed auto traffic would not be a good mix.

This conversation would indicate to me that PRCo did try to maintain these
routes as streetcar operated. Does the museum have any minutes of the
meetings with the PA Highway Department concerning this subject?

HrB