[PRCo] Re: Pittsburgh 7-Charles Street abandonment

[Fred W. Schneider III]

Many low-speed cars were brought out of retirement in World War Two. 
Manchester became a low-speed carbarn for the duration.  I've seen
enough pictures to know that Keating also had some low-speed cars during
the war.  I've been told that 87 ARDMORE was so busy that it used
everything that would turn a wheel, particularly with respect to
trippers running only from Homewood to East Pittsburgh. How about that
folks ... the heaviest load point was not the downtown end but during
the war it was the outer end owing to all the factories in the Turtle
Creek valley and all those working class homes in Homewood, Brushton,
Point Breeze and Wilkinsburg.  Dick Bowker told me that cars ran through
Forest Hills on roughly two minute headways during rush hours (shift
change times) in the war.  And you wondered why they had spacing signals
on Ardmore Boulevard?  By the end of the war, most low-speed cars were
out of service.  Rankin Carhouse was full of them in dead storage. 
Manchester again had high speed cars. I'm being very careful here not to
contest the Right Honorable Mr. Vigrass' assertion that he rode a
low-speed car in 1947 or 1948 ... I've not taken the time to match the
scrap data with the HS/LS car records and even then we would not know
which cars were stored and which were used.  I would suspect, however,
that due to rapidly declining patronage in 1948 and 1949, Bill had
seized on one of the last possible opportunities to ride a single-end
low-floor car.

I remember a ride which I thought was during the war ... I know there
was flooding ... Mom had taken me downtown to see "Snow White".  After
the movie we went out to Grandma's home off Perrysville Avenue.  In time
the average memories disappear ... the wonderful events like the first
date with your wife will be remembered as will the bitter ones (my
mother making me stay at the table until I finished dinner ... beef
which she had cooked so long that it could simply not be swallowed.  The
bitter memory here is a low-floor car that made so much gear and bearing
noise that I can remember crying all the way out to Perrysville and
Venture St.  The noise physically hurt my ears.  I don't remember
anything about the movie that day.  Don't know which theater.  Can't
remember what occupied me at the grandparent's house.  But I can
remember that damn low-floor car.  THIS PROMPTS US TO ASK, WHY AM I A
RAILFAN?    

"Vigrass, Bill" wrote:
> 
> I rode the Charles St. Transfer one time along with my friends Jim Greene
> and Bob Leech.  The three of us plus one regular passenger made a slightly
> above average load.  The car was an older single door double ender that
> ground up and down the hill. I think that we rode it in the late 1940's or
> early 1950's.    Charles Street itself still had low floor low speed cars.
> This may have been 1947 or '48.  I have one neg of the car.
> BillVigrass.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Swindler [mailto:j_swindler at hotmail.com]
> Sent: Friday, May 25, 2001 4:46 PM
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Cc: ALLMANR at aehn2.einstein.edu; rwan at dejazzd.com; csiebert at paonline.com;
> stennyson at webtv.net; elmerfry at desupernet.net; JacksoRE at STVINC.COM;
> billvigrass at hillintl.com
> Subject: Pittsburgh 7-Charles Street abandonment
> 
> For those who haven't had enough about route 7 Charles Street operations,
> here is information from two PUC abandonment proceedings.  Some operating
> statistics are included which seem to imply that ridership almost evaporated
> 
> during late 1950s.  Sort of a pre-1955 strike vs. post 1955 strike.
> 
> These PUC records are not intended to provide complete picture, but are an
> important piece of the larger picture when researching 'why things
> happened.'
> 
> Enjoy
> 
> John
> 
> p.s.  any interest in PUC proceedings at A-7933 of 1923 concerning agreement
> 
> to run and operate streetcars through Mount Washington Tunnel???
> 
> Pittsburgh Railways application A-80472 of 1953
> 
> para. 4:  Application of PRC to abandon street railway service and
> facilities beginning at a point in single track on Arch St. 200 feet north
> of North Ave., then north on Arch 990 feet to Jacksonia St., then west 1180
> feet on Jacksonia to Monterey.
> 
> para. 7:  Approval necessary because:
> 
> 1.  City of Pittsburgh proposes to resurface Jacksonia St.
> 
> 2.  Present use of track confined to outbound route 7 Charles St.  Inbound
> direction this trolley uses Monterey St. and West North Ave.  It is proposed
> 
> to operate the route in both directions over the present inbound route.
> 
> 3.  It is proposed to retain switching facilities, curves and existing
> single track on Arch St. for 200 feet for emergency purposes.
> 
> signed:  C. D. Palmer (notarized 24 Sept. 1953)
> 
> Hearing held in Pittsburgh Nov. 13, 1953.  PRC testimony included the
> following:
> 
> 1.  Traffic check made on Wednesday, March 8, 1953 on outbound route 7
> Charles St. using this track on Arch and Jacksonia.  166 passengers used the
> 
> three car stops to be eliminated, or 2.7 passengers per trip.
> 
> 2.  Present route 7 outbound service:  weekdays 60 trips between 5:32 am and
> 
> 12:18 pm.  Frequency is 15 min. peak, 20 min. midday, and 30 min. after
> 7:18pm.  There are 56 trips on Saturday, and Sunday schedule is 37 trips on
> a 30 min. headway.
> 
> 3.  Service furnished by outbound 6, 13, 14, 15 over North and Monterey
> consists of 308 trips on weekdays, 266 on Saturdays and 182 on Sundays.
> 
> 4.  Outbound service furnished on Federal St. by routes 8 and 21 consists of
> 
> 207 trips on weekdays, 173 trips on Saturdays and 137 trips on Sundays.
> 
> By PUC order dated 25 January 1954:
> 
> 1.  Approved PRC application to abandon street railway service on route 7 on
> 
> Arch and Jacksonia
> 
> 2.  That PRC remove overhead except poles used by others
> 
> 3.  That PRC cover track structure with 3 inches asphalt
> 
> 4.  That work to be completed by DEc. 31, 1955.
> 
> And now onto Pittsburgh Railways application A-88103 of 1961
> 
> For approval to abandon route 7 street railway facilities from
> Brighton/California to Charles/Irwin.  Reasons:
> 
> 1.  City of Pittsburgh sewer work in Charles St. will require economically
> unjustified track expenditures.
> 
> 2.  For number of years route 7 Charles St. was confined to peak hours of
> the day.  At other periods, service handled by means of transfer connection
> between City View bus at Brighton/California and street railway routes 6, 13
> 
> and 15.
> 
> 3.  Applicant intends to provide replacement bus service during peak hours
> between Charles St./Irwin Ave. area and Liberty Ave. in downtown Pittsburgh
> by combining rights presently held by applicant at A-76720, folder 47 and
> folder 17.
> 
> signed: C. D. Palmer, notarized 19 April 1961
> 
> Hearing held 28 June 1961
> 
> Testimony of Robert A. Hamilton, manager rates and service planning:
> 
> 1.  Proposed substitute bus service will duplicate route 7 streetcar line
> between outer terminus and intersection of California and Charles.  Then by
> way of Brighton Rd. to Ridge, to Stockton to Sandusky, to 7th St. bridge to
> Liberty.
> 
> 2.  Reasons for changing routing "would be to use wider streets more
> suitable for bus operation."  "I might also add that the capacity furnished
> by the Charles St. street car line is not needed in the area where it is
> common with the other three streetcar lines."
> 
> 3.  Under present schedules, route 7 Charles St. streetcar service consists
> of nine a.m. peak trips and eight p.m. peak trips
> 
> 4.  We (PRC) have necessary bus equipment on hand and will be able to
> establish it prior to city's sewer work.
> 
> Testimony of Mr. Hunttinger, Engineer of Way and Structures:  Total length
> of track of street railway facilities to be abandoned:  4569 feet single
> track, 650 feet double track.  Total round trip mileage route 7:  5.15 miles
> 
> or about 2.57 miles one-way.
> 
> Testimony of Stewart Dunn, Assistant City Solicitor:  "We want this
> substitution order made as quickly as possible because we are letting a
> contract for the sewer work" (trunk sewer on  Charles between Brightridge
> and Farris St.)
> 
> Attached to record is agreement dated 15 May 1961 between City of Pittsburgh
> 
> and Pittsburgh Railways Co.
> 
> 1.  Contingent upon PUC approval, PRC will abandon 7 Charles St. street
> railway route.
> 
> 2.  Upon abandonment, PRC will leave in place its track facilities,
> including rails, ties and accessories.
> 
> 3.  PRC surrenders to city track facilities left in place and poles which
> may be required for city use.
> 
> 4.  PRC will remove poles not required for city use.
> 
> 5.  City accepts ownership and responsibility for track facilities and poles
> 
> left in place.
> 
> Signed by Mayor Barr for the city and C. D. Palmer for PRC.
> 
> PUC Order approving abandonment of street railway facilities dated 7 Aug.
> 1961.
> 
> _________________________________________________________________
> Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com