[PRCo] Re: Pittsburgh 7-Charles Street abandonment

[Jim Holland]

> Shirley Tennyson wrote:

> . . .  Since LRT was modernized to keep SkyBus
> out, the taxpayers are entitled to their stops. They are not entitled to
> block two-car trains. If I were running Pat, I would turn single-car
> peak trains at Mt. Lebanon every six minutes, to run i9n front of 42-S
> two-car trains following by three minutes. This would provide 30 cars
> per hour for 3,,600 passengers 7:45am to 8:45am and 4:45pm to 5:45.
> That will cost less and increase revenue. Library as you point ot will
> run via Ovebrook at 47-L. Maybe there should be a 47-S from South Hills
> Village via Overbrook so that 42-S would have only one-car trains and
> 47-S would get the two-car peak trains.

	Because of the faster speeds through Overbrook, it seems that everyone
from South Hills Village to Castle Shannon would opt to ride the Library
car through Overbrook.  That is why it would seem that the 42S would be
cut back to 42C--Castle--Shannon!!
	Maybe we need another route designation  -- 
45--Shuttle--South--Hills--Village--Castle--Shannon!!

> . . .  In all my
> life, P.Ry.Co and Pat running times from Greyhound Staion downtown to
> Castle Shannon were 27 minutes inter- urban and 30 minutes local,
> perhaps 14 miles per hour local and 15.5 mph inter- urban over some
> single track.

	Looking closer at a 1950.01.22 schedule for Charleroi reveals what you
mention above with some longer running times in both the AM and PM
peaks.  For example, the 4.24PM Riverview car took 33-min to Castle
Shannon while the 4.30PM weekday run to Roxcoe took 31-min.  The 4.49PM
Riverview car took 32-min; the 4.54PM car went to Charleroi Car House
and took 31-min to CS.  The 6.00PM car is the first to return to 27-min
Pgh. to CS.
	The 1957.10.14 schedule does not list running times but it seems that
28-min from Castle Shannon to Pgh. was common weekdays and Saturdays
with 26-min on Sunday.  Sunday service on Drake and Library was still
every 40-minutes with 20 minute headways inbound of Washington Jct.
	But the running times listed on the 1964.04.26 schedule reflect what I
remember from riding the interurbans  --  25-minutes from Castle Shannon
to Pgh and same in reverse  --  about 1958--1962!  Sundays saw 1-hour
headways on Library and Drake with 30-min service inbound of Wash. Jct.

> . . .  With Stage II, it should  be
> faster as there will be all double track (a waste) and fewer stops with
> less curves, cutting off three minutes.

	I can see where all double track is not absolutely needed because
probably only the Library car will use this line (at least initially)
but double track will not represent any increase in maintenance costs,
or minimal increase.

> The last time I rode 42-L in the rush hour, it arrived at Library five
> minutes ahead of schedule which was obvioulsy set too slow.  P.Ry.Co
> time-studied the trips using a supervisor to operate and allowing the
> signed up regular operator to watch and file a grievance if any corners
> were cut. I do not think Pat does that, but I am not sure.

	Fascinating  --  first I learned of how PRCo set their schedules!  How
often did they check this?  Wonder how much they did this by the late
1950s; seems that running on all lines was quite liesurely when I rode
the cars, and was boring to me.  The only time that cars really moved
out is if there had been some kind of delay!

>      To my knowledge, Routes  35, 36 and 37, now 42-S and 42-L  never
> lost passengers after World War II when they carried 24,000 weekday
> passengers in 1953 after the interurbans were gone. Mid-day may have
> lost riders, offset by more commuters in the peaks.

> E d   T e n n y s o n

-- 
James B. Holland
        Pittsburgh  Railways  Company  (PRCo),   1930  --  1950
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