[PRCo] Re: Pittsburgh Streetcar Loops

[Derrick J Brashear]

> On Tue, 22 Jul 2003, Joshua Dunfield wrote:
>
> > > The "Braddock Avenue streetcar loop" was actually an alternate alignment
> > > of Braddock Avenue from before the Parkway was built.
> >
> > So Braddock Ave itself moved?
> >
> > See, I thought it was a loop because the PERC map in the Carnegie Library
> > shows a "former/unusable trackage" loop around there.  Looking at it
> > again, though, the route itself takes a jog that doesn't correspond
> > to (the present) Braddock Ave, so the stuff in the picture could well
> > be the line itself.  In which case, I wonder where the loop on
> > the PERC map was.
>
> Someone will probably answer before I can walk upstairs and find my copy.

That's the jog in the street. The "dash" at the lower right is the second
(north/west bound) track jogging onto the old alignment.

Other extant loops:
Jane St in Wilkinsburg (though in this case loop just means a half-block
turnback track)
Pirl St in McKeesport

I think the loop in Glassport was still evident the last time I was
there, likewise the Brookline loop.

And popping up a level, subway local service ran from Station Square
to Gateway Center and back, and while Overbrook service was suspended
after the runaway PCC incident, LRVs signed "Subway Local" would sometimes
be seen laying over just south of South Hills Junction on the line from
Overbrook.

43S was used on one car of 2 car trains from the South Hills, the second
car opening doors only at the high platform stations. Whether this was the
intention, I don't know, but it worked out that way in practice during the
few rush hours I found the time to just ride south for the heck of it.