[PRCo] Pittsburgh-Some Place Special

[Bob Rathke]

Bob,

I've been away on business for most of the past 10 days, so I'm just getting
around to replying - off list - to your comments.

I too watched the Aerotrain on its quick turnaround, but usually from Penn
Station.  It may have been the only PRR train in the mid-50s that needed to
be turned on the Panhandle wye (all other passenger trains would go out to
28th St. for servicing).  The Aerotrain ran on the PRR for only 18 months -
from the Spring of 1956 to the Fall of 1957.  One of the Aerotrains still
exists, at a museum somewhere in the Midwest, I believe.

I too started out shopping (not much buying) at Bill & Walt's on Smithfield
St.  I still have some of the HO locomotives and cars that I bought there in
the late 50s.  Varney made a model of the Aerotrain, but I bought their
freight train sets instead.  I shopped at B&W's location on the Blvd. of the
Allies when I worked downtown, and in the late 70s when it had new owners -
at that time I was buying mostly old 027 stuff there for nostalgia reasons.

Bards comnpeted with Isaly's but generally not in the same neighborhoods.
There was a Bard's on Perrysville Ave. south of the 21-Fineview layover, and
another on highway Rt.19 just north of the 10-West View line north of West
View Park.

The Allegheny Market House on the North Side lasted until 1966, but then it
was torn down to make way for Allegheny Center which is now closed, I hear.
The old Market House had those same fish smells and sawdust on the floor.
Today, it would never have been allowed to be torn down.

I remember the ration tokens and coupons.  I wish I had saved some of them,
but I guess we spent them all.

I believe that you can still take cars and bikes on the incline in
Johnstown.

Bob 2/1/03



----- Original Message -----
From: Dietrich, Robert J. <Robert.Dietrich at unisys.com>
To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2003 7:26 AM
Subject: [PRCo] Re: Pittsburgh-Some Place Special


>
> I still think Pittsburgh IS Someplace Special and now I'll have more
excuses
> for (forced) visits, my daughter will start Pitt in the fall.
>
> Thank you all for your memories and bringing out some of mine which I'll
> un-eloquently share:
>
> Sun-Telegraph - My Sun-Tele paper route took me down over the hill above
the
> Panhandle bridge.  I fell in love with the AeroTrain while delivering that
> paper, they would turn it around on the wye at the end of the bridge on
days
> when I would be late finishing my route.
>
> Hobby Shop -- My hobby shop was Bill & Walt's on Smithfield Street or The
> Blvd. Of the Allies, depending on the year.  I very seldom had enough
money
> to buy what I wanted but they allowed me to spend hours looking and
> dreaming.
>
> Only the kids speaking English -- This it why most immigrants moved into
> neighborhoods were they found people of the same ethnic backgrounds.  The
> reason the city became many ethnic neighborhoods.  I don't remember what
> ethnic values were practiced on Mt. Washington, mostly German with a
> sprinkling of Italian, but they did call Duquesne Heights "Dutch Hill".
>
> Diamond Market smells - Well remembered but the smells themselves were not
> the greatest (fish?) but thinking about them can almost put me in the
place,
> looking up at that big white meat counter.
>
> Movies - The one I didn't get to see was my grandfather playing the piano
at
> the nickelodeon.
>
> Richard King Mellon and the Renaissance - "Witness to the Fifties" is a
> photo book of the Pittsburgh Project, mane of the photos are on-line at
> http://www.clpgh.org/exhibit/ .  Anyway, the book describes the powers
> behind Renaissance and RKMs involvement, things like forcing the Pennsy to
> stop polluting with the threat to recommend to his customers to use
another
> railroad.
>
> Isaly's - don't forget the competition - Bard's.  Bard's was on Shiloh
> Street but I don't recall an Isaly's on Mt. Washington.  Several drug
stores
> with soda fountains.
>
> WWII - I remember waiting in line with Mom to buy meat, she had rationing
> coupons in her hand.
>
> Inclines - I loved to ride my bike around in the huge expanse of the
Castle
> Shannon Incline while it took me up the side of the hill.  Bike rides off
> the Mount were not as much fun on Sundays, the incline was closed and
unless
> the Mon Incline operator to allowed us to cram our bikes on that small
car,
> we has to push them up the hill.
>
> Thanks again Harold and everyone.
>
> Bob