[PRCo] Steepest grade in Pgh

[Bob Rathke]

I always thought that Lanark St. was THE - if not one of the - steepest
grades on 21-Fineview.  For a photo that I took there on 2/12/66, see
www.rr-fallenflags.org/lightrail/pat-1695ar.jpg   And, that narrow patch of
concrete was called a "street."

Bob 10/5/03

-----------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "Fred Schneider" <fschnei at supernet.com>
To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
Sent: Sunday, October 05, 2003 6:33 PM
Subject: [PRCo] Re: Steepest grade in Pgh


> I've been told that there was a very short section of track on the
Fineview line that exceeded 14 percent.  The 12.5 figure is commonly
mentioned.  Ten percent was far from
> abnormal.  Six to eight  percent grades were common as fleas on a shaggy
dog.  What I'm trying to say here is that Pittsburgh Railways and West Penn
Railways commonly ran using
> only adhesion on grades far steeper than those that would have caused
European designers to resort to cog and rack operations.   I remember
reading somewhere that the steepest
> tramway grade in Germany was on the order of six percent.
>
> The American practice of going up walls also helps to explain why both
West Penn and Pittsburgh resorted to track brakes very early.
>
> Pepa Kalousek wrote:
>
> > Hello, guys!
> > What was the steepest grade in Pittsburgh trolley system? Some steep
grades were on the 21 Fineview line, about 12.5%, em I right? But also 16.8%
grade was mentioned somewhere.