[PRCo] Routes that Could Have Been Retained

[Matt Barry]

Looking at this photograph, 
http://www.davesrailpix.com/pitts/htm/pitt245.htm  I recalled what a 
pleasant ride it was heading out to the Highland Park Zoo from East 
Liberty, after a transfer from an outbound 88 car. 

I realize that the Oakland portions of the line, Fifth and Forbes are 
now mostly one-way from Downtown to Oakland, but a solution would have 
been using 88 Frankstown trackage to East Liberty, then to Negley Ave, 
and on to the Highland Park terminus.   Penn Avenue is still relatively 
Penn Avenue, as it was before the conversions in 1967.  OK, for awhile 
there was a huge building parked on top of Penn in East Liberty, but it 
had an underpass for buses, then ultimately all transportation once the 
idea of a pedestrian mall failed.  And Negley and the Highland Park area 
still has the same two-way streets and one-way streets the trolleys used.

Why am I thinking about this at all?     Tourists.     While I was in 
New Orleans this past May, I realized that a lot of the folks riding the 
St. Charles (in particular) and the newer Canal Street lines, were tourists.

Another line I thought would have made a decent tourist one was 39 
Brookline.   And, of course, the grand tourist line of all, the Fineview.