[PRCo] Re: 46--line vs 49--line --- & 47--line

[John F Bromley]

The 1938 guide shows 47 looping via Water St, Grant, Liberty, Wood, Water
and the 1950s guide say nothing other than over Smithfield Bridge althpough
the map shows the same route (except Water St wa then Fort Pitt Blvd).

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Holland" <pghpcc at pacbell.net>
To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2001 5:54 AM
Subject: [PRCo] Re: 46--line vs 49--line --- & 47--line


>
> HI!
> Many  THANKS  to Tom, John-F, and Don who all chimed in to give
> direction and clarification.
>
> > John F Bromley wrote:
>
> > Sorry, I wasn't clear.  49 via Tunnel RHO, every 15 minutes, the 46 on
the
> > hill was base service.  Sort of explains the replacement eventually by
47.
>
> What was the downtown route for the 47-line?  Did it travel Smithfield
> and turn down 3rd, go out 4th, and then Grant back to the tunnel?
> Comparing schedules, the 48-line took 19 minutes to get to Arlington and
> Brownsville while the 53-line took 16-minutes to reach the same point.
> Seems like any time savings for the 47-line would be slim, if any, and
> if it looped ala the 48 or latter day PRCo-49, then it would take
> longer!!
>
> >> Tom Phillips <tsquare at toad.net> wrote:::::::
>
> >> S'funny!  But I don't recall ever seeing a 49-Beltzhoover
> >> running thru the tunnel.  (It may have been a rush-hour-only
> >> operation, however, as I didn't usually ride at that time of
> >> day -- I do recall seeing 47-Carrick via Tunnel on occasion.)
> >> A point to remember:  PRCo's operators often would give only
> >> a partial turn of the rollsign crank or otherwise show a
> >> false destination when deadheading -- this trait was peculiar
> >> to PRCo -- thus showing an inappropriate message.
>
> >> Tom
>
> > John F Bromley wrote:::::::
>
> > Route 46-Brownsville was replaced (date?) by a re-routed 49-Beltzhoover
> > when  49-Beltzhoover stopped coming up through the tunnel (and was
replaced
> > by rush hour 47 Carrick via Tunnel).  The 46 went to Gearing & Chalfont,
> > just as did the 49, so the denizens of the surrounfing area could whip
> > downtown via the fast route or the scenic route.  This from the Lewis
1926
> > guide and the June 1936 and October 1938 PRC route guides (all gleaned
from
> > bids on the odious eBay in the past few months).  Oh, that it were so
today.
> > Riders from this area are probably lucky now if they see the odd bus
that
> > might drop them at the junction!
>
> > Presumably the changes occurred in the 1940s.  The guides don't list
loops
> > and PERHAPS the line stopped in the street at the intersection and that
a
> > loop wasn't necessary until the 1940s.   On the other hand I remember
that
> > loop well (lots of pix as well) and I can't see PRC buying a property in
the
> > 1940s and tearing down a house or three for the purpose of building a
loop,
> > so maybe it was there all along (or at least from the beginning of the
> > single end car era).   So far I haven't turned up a route guide for that
> > period.
>
> >> JFB
>
> >>> "Jim Holland" <pghpcc at pacbell.net> wrote:::::::
>
> >>> Trivia question.  The other day, Ed said:::::::
>
> >>>> Edward H. Lybarger wrote:
>
> >>>> Became "Beltzhoover" September 30, 1946.  Now if I were only this
efficient
> >>>> and knowledgeable about real work...
>
> >>> ...And I have mentioned the MD McCarter photo of a PCC signed
> >>> 46--Brownsville so PCCs worked the line which means
> >>> there was a loop somewhere.
>
> >>> ...AND  Tom Phillips, John-S, and others have mentioned that
> >>> there was a 49-line that ran up through the tunnel,
> >>> possibly as late as 1950 (although the quote from Ed
> >>> above would seem to rule that out.)
>
> >>> ...And  it has also been mentioned that the 46--line ran into
Allentown.
>
> >>> ...Now  --  did the original 46-line terminate near Warrington
> >>> and reverse ends?  Did the original 46-line terminate
> >>> anywhere else in this vicinity and then reverse ends?
> >>> OR  did the 46 line always operate out Climax to Gearing?
>
> >>> Just prior to the 1946.09.30 sign change of the 46-line,
> >>> 1)--was the 49-line running thru the tunnel?
> >>> 2)--Did both these lines have the same outer terminal on Gearing?
>
> >>> The plot, like Chunky, gets thickerer!
>
> --
> James B. Holland
>         Pittsburgh  Railways  Company  (PRCo),   1930  --  1950
>     To e-mail privately, please click here: mailto:pghpcc at pacbell.net
> N.M.R.A.  Life member #2190; http://www.mcs.net:80/~weyand/nmra/
>