[PRCo] Re: Liberty Avenue (and tunnel under PRR tracks)

[Bob Rathke]

When the PRR station and platforms were rebuilt in the early 1950's, an
alcove was built in the new concrete retaining wall along Liberty Ave. just
east of 16th St. (and possibly at other trolley stops east of there).  The
sidewalk was very narrow - maybe non-existent - there, and so the alcove
allowed people to wait for trolleys. Farther west of this point, the
sidewalk on Liberty Avenue was wider, and so there was normal waiting space
at 14th St. and at the PRR station stop between 11th and 12th St.

The tunnel under the PRR wall and tracks was between 12th and 14th, and
allowed railroad vehicle access to the lower level of the station which was
used by baggage wagons and service vehicles.  The tunnel entrance wasn't
used after the mid-1960's and was fenced in.  The opening may still be
there.

Wasn't Liberty Avenue a 2-way street until the late 1940's?  That might
account for the second trolley track there.

Bob 7/20/04

-----------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "Joshua Dunfield" <Joshua_Dunfield at mlist-0.sp.cs.cmu.edu>
To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
Sent: Monday, July 19, 2004 5:17 PM
Subject: [PRCo] Re: Liberty Avenue (and tunnel under PRR tracks)


>
> Matt Barry wrote:
> > Hello all,
> >
> > Liberty Avenue, from 16th street to____?  is currently being scraped for
> > eventual asphalt repaving.   Travelling over it yesterday afternoon, it
> > was fairly easy to see that all of the rails that former PRC routes
> > 77/54, 88 Frankstown, 87 Ardmore, and 94 Sharpsburg used, are in tact.
> > This includes the rails that turned in and out of 23rd and 24th streets
> > (I may be off a street or two) from Penn Avenue to Liberty Avenue.
> [...]
>
> OK, I just rode the 54C out there.  Turning rails visible at 23rd and
> 22nd, as follows:
>
>     22nd        23rd
>      :           :
> .....:...........:.............Liberty
>    \ : /         : /
>     \:           :/
>      :           :
>
> The tracks going from Liberty outbound onto 22nd are truncated
> (exposed track-ends, without continuing under the pavement on 22nd).
>
> Since there's no real sidewalk on the north side of Liberty, I wasn't
> in a position to see the main tracks.
>
> They've finished resurfacing as far as 17th, so if anyone wants
> to take pictures they should do so ASAP.
>
> > Just interesting to see this history uncovered.
> >
> > On that same trip yesterday, we were on the North Side, and drove up
> > Chesnut Street from Spring Garden.  There on Chesnut, almost from the
> > intersection with Spring Garden, was the original red brick street with
> > car tracks in tact.   The wheels on my Ford rode the rails quite well.
>
> Yes, the Chestnut tracks are very well preserved.
>
> Also, regarding the tunnel under the tracks on the 1923 map, there is
> a suspicious-looking alcove (strewn with trash and blocked by
> chain-link fence) in the right place (just east of I-579, which is
> between 14th and where 13th would be if it now intersected Liberty).
> It's quite wide, which fits the 1923 map.  I didn't feel like getting
> myself killed crossing Liberty, so I didn't get a closer loo.
>
> -j.
RR