[PRCo] Re: Rankin Car House - Munhall last run

[John Swindler]

Hi Matt

That's the trouble with trying to remember back 40 plus years......

Pulled up a chart of streetcar line conversions, and it lists 22 Crosstown 
as 3 July 1964, and 55, 57 and 58 on 4 July 1964.  The 65 Lincoln Place was 
converted on 5 Sept. 1965.

And in trying to remember that night trip, assumed it was the last 65 car - 
but apparently instead, it must have been last route 55 car.  Yet I have no 
recollection from that night on whether we looped at Munhall or E. 
Pittsburgh.  It's the 65 ride I remember (vaguely) and that I passed out on 
the car inbound around 4am in West Homestead. (dozed off)

I have a group of slides taken while walking the 58 Greenfield line downtown 
almost to end of line near Murray Ave.   Did I take these on July 3rd 
mid-day before heading back downtown for a last couple rides on  22 
Crosstown car??  Possibly.  It was a sunny summer day.

Another vague recollection from that day was that there were quite a few 
other railfans on Second Ave., but don't recall any during the 22 Crosstown 
pm rush hour.  Was anyone else on this list there???

So going back to Fred the third's original question concerning owl cars:  
maybe I found out about that 55/65 owl trip on the last 58 trip in late 
pm????

And the memory of being on the last Castle Shannon Incline down trip?  That 
was 20 June 1964.  Apparently my memory of these two events has merged over 
the years.

So apparently rt. 65 continued operating for another year after conversion 
of Second Ave. routes.  I was in high school in Pittsburgh's east end at the 
time, but have no recollection of its continued operation.  Then again, my 
father started getting on my case during senior year;  preaching that I 
needed to stop 'playing with trolleys' - or I'd never be able to earn a 
living.  (:>)

Strange how things work out. (Fred, Ed L., HHG or Jim can provide the rest 
of the saga)

John







>From: Matt Barry <mrb190+ at pitt.edu>
>Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>Subject: [PRCo] Re: Rankin Car House - Munhall last run
>Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2004 10:19:15 -0500
>
>Hello John,
>
>I didn't know that about the 65 Munhall, that it made it's way out 2nd
>avenue to reach it's route for its last run.   That would mean that the
>old Glenwood Bridge was still in service in Sept. 1965.  I thought it
>had closed after the 55 East Pittsburgh route made it's last run in July
>1964.
>
>I thought that after the 55 made it's last run, that is when the 65 was
>extended to East Pittsburgh, and that the 65 was probably then operating
>out of Craft Avenue car house.
>
>It always seemed strange to me that the 65 Munhall was retained after
>the 55 service had been discontinued.   It seemed so isolated from any
>other operating carlines.  But I did believe that it's point of entry
>into and out of the Munhall/Homestead area was via route 67 Braddock
>trackage off the Rankin Bridge.
>
>Incidentally, I recall seeing a half-page ad run in an old Pittsburgh
>Press from 1965 that announced the arrival of the air-conditioned bus on
>the 65 Munhall route.  There was an illustration of a PCC with a big "X"
>going through it.   Pretty rough.
>
>Matt
>
>
>John Swindler wrote:
>
> >Speaking of PRC having some early runs to get guys to work:
> >
> >Last 65 car was a run that I never knew existed.
> >
> >Rode last 22 car in pm rush.
> >Then rode last Castle Shannon Incline trip around 10-11 pm.
> >Then the Arden crew told me about the last 65 car:  it was a pull out 
>from
> >Tunnel Car house - went out Second Ave. to Munhall or E. Pittsburgh 
>around
> >1am, then trip on 65 to Lincoln Place around 2am, then to Munhall or E.
> >Pittsburgh around 3am, then back to Tunnel Carhouse as the sun was 
>starting
> >to rise.  I have no recollection of passing Mesta Machine on that last
> >inbound trip - apparently that's where sleep finally won out for a while.
> >
> >Very grateful that I grew up in Pittsburgh at that time.
> >
> >John
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>

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