[PRCo] Ardmore Car House

[Edward H. Lybarger]

I've just spent a frustrating few minutes trying to get information
about this palace.  That's palace, not place.  It was a fairly extensive
facility, being designed as the complete shops, etc. for the original
company.  There is a January PRCo 1923 blueprint showing the layout and
all, but absolutely nothing else of any utility!  No other records of
the carbarn have surfaced.

But the 1918 Snow report is more helpful.  The line was built in 1908
and almost at the same time leased to Consolidated Traction/Pittsburgh
Railways.  The report discusses the barn:  "The carbarn is a brick
building about 40x200, with three tracks equipped with work-pits but no
other equipment.  At the present time it is used as a store house, as
the operation of this company, as part of the Pittsburgh Railways
Company system, makes a carbarn at this location undesirable from an
operating standpoint.  The building is appraised by Ford, Bacon and
Davis, Engineers, at $13,289., on the basis of 6¢ per cubic foot."

With this in mind, it may NEVER have been used as an operating car
house!  Rather, PRCo may well have shoved out-of-season or otherwise
unused cars there, because all the track shows up on the 1923 drawing.
There is no record of when the property fell into disuse and was sold.
The Depression sounds viable!

Incidentally, Wilmerding CH also opened in 1908, and Route 87 was always
based at Homewood CH (later Craft Ave.).  The other route that might
have been logigal to run out of such a location...62...was based at
Rankin until it closed in 1938, then Homewood.

Sorry I can't be of more help here.

Ed