[PRCo] Re: 1948 1.>--Allegheny__County__Fair__Service 2.>--Radio__Telephones 3.>--Track__Renewal 4.>--New__Bridge

[Fred Schneider]

OK.  Then we know the phones lasted only briefly from the late 1940s until the
Washington Division shut down in August 1953.  On August 30 1953 there was no
longer a need for the phones, tool boxes, spare trolley pole, receipt printers,
and luggage/mail racks.   We know that some cars (and our 1711 is an example)
retained the mail rack until the end probably because no one found a spare seat
and the time to install it.  The first time I rode an interurban car after
August 1953 was in the third week of August 1954, and by then everything was
gone.   I was told that the Ohmer receipt printers were leased, and therefore
they probably went back to the lessors in a flash.  If I were paying good money
to have them, and I had abandoned Charleroi and had Washington down to hourly, I
would probaby have already ditched 2/3rds of them before July 1953.  I would
imagine the poles could have stayed until a replacement was needed ... I can see
no reason why you would waste time removing them.
Does this ferret out any memories?

"Edward H. Lybarger" wrote:

> As far as I know only Route W got the trolleyphones.  I don't have a list of
> the cars so equipped.  John Baxter wrote most of the Pittsburgh material for
> Headlights in that era and was generally accurate.  But I can't conceive of
> 7-10 minute delays on a routine basis.  Maybe Harold G. could shed some
> light here.
>
> Ed
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
> [mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org]On Behalf Of Fred
> Schneider
> Sent: Monday, November 03, 2003 9:03 AM
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: 1948 1.>--Allegheny__County__Fair__Service
> 2.>--Radio__Telephones 3.>--Track__Renewal 4.>--New__Bridge
>
> ED LYBARGER PLEASE ANSWER:
>
> Linsky claims radio telephones were being installed.  Were these only used
> on the Washington line?  Was the installation limited to Washington and
> Tunnel based cars?  Is my memory correct that Charleroi continued to use
> wayside phones?
>
> Why would seven to ten minutes be spent getting orders from phones?  I only
> saw a phone used once and that was on a fantrip.  I don't recall that
> regular cars used them ... I only recalled that signals were used to handle
> meets.  Of course I'm talking 1953 and not in the days before US&S signals
> ... I suspect timetable authority was used prior to 1929.
>
> fws
>
> Jim Holland wrote:
>
> > Good Morning!
> >
> >         The following information comes from Dennis Linsky and is
> > something that Tom Phillips has described for us in some detail
> > in the past:::::::
> >
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >
> >        It was 55 years ago [1948] over the Labor Day weekend when
> > Pittsburgh Railways Co. had a minimun one-minute headway during
> > the peak hours to handle crowds to the Allegheny County Fair at
> > South Park.  Cars were turned at the W.Library loop.
> >         All inbound cars used the regular route (#37-Shannon)  *-but all
> > outbound cars-*  ran over route #38 to Mt. Lebanon, thence via
> > #38A shuttle track to Castle Shannon and regular route from that
> > point to W. Library.
> >         All road crossings were protected by flagmen.    Inspectors were
> > stationed along the way to keep cars spaced and signals from
> > Castle Shannon to W. Library were covered to permit close
> > headways.
> >         To avoid outbound South Park cars, #38A was temporarily made
> > bus.
> >         No outbound service was given on the single track from South
> > Hills Jct. to Oak Stop but double-end cars ran both directions on
> > the outbound track from Oak Stop to Castle Shannon but hauling no
> > passengers inbound.    The special outbound routing was also used
> > by regular interurbans.
> >         The Castle Shannon crossover was reversed to permit excess cars
> > to get into the barn, then turn on a new switch and back into the
> > storage tracks.    This new switch, plus a new facing point
> > switch from the outbound track, became a new permanent loop for
> > route #37 which had previously wyed.
> >
> >        Radio telephones were being installed on interurban cars
> > to replace the wayside call boxes.    At present, 7 to 10 minutes
> > per run were spent in getting orders from the boxes.    Signals
> > were being replaced with new ones on the outer part of the
> > Charleroi line.....
> >
> >         Routes #27-Carnegie and #28-Heidelberg have new track on both
> > sides, as has route #7-Charles along Strauss Street.....
> >
> >         The new bridge over the Monongahela River, planned for the foot
> > of Liberty Street, would carry 6 lanes of auto traffic with a
> > recessed lane in the center for 2-way trolley traffic.
> >
> >        From ERA HEADLIGHTS, December, 1948, page B-8, left side.
> >
> >        Very Sincerely,
> >
> >        Dennis M. Linsky
> >        1350 East 5th Street, Apt. 3P
> >        Brooklyn, NY   11230-4686
> >        11/2/03
> >

xxx