[PRCo] Re: Why was the Drake Loop Built?

[John Swindler]

I have a vague recollection that trip in from Simmons Loop warrented three 
'fares' on the fare register in early 1960s.

I too had heard that repair work to Drake trestle was the reason for cutting 
the Washington line back to Drake.  And it was still accessible from rt. 19 
and McLaughlin Run Rd (???????)  And on the Charleroi line, Simmons was a 
good place (with some population) for a loop on the Allegheny County side of 
the county line.

John



>From: "Edward H. Lybarger" <trams2 at comcast.net>
>Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
>Subject: [PRCo] Re: Why was the Drake Loop Built?
>Date: Thu, 14 Dec 2006 16:05:20 -0500
>
>I think, Fred, that those ridership numbers are zone fares rather than
>actual passenger counts.  You may want to analyze the numbers contrasted
>against the service...how many per day and how many per trip...that should
>tell us which.  PRCo records do not.
>
>My mother bought a car in September 1949...she had places to drag me that
>weren't served by the trolley.  But I went to elementary school, starting 
>in
>the fall of 1951, with lots of kids who lived in one-car families.
>
>In addition to avoiding future maintenance on Drake Viaduct, which was
>budgeted for re-decking in 1961 at an estimated cost of $19,000 (paint was
>not mentioned), there was no good place for a turnaround loop anywhere near
>County Line.  You might have squeezed one in at Paris Lake but the creek 
>was
>awfully close and the space was small.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
>[mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org]On Behalf Of Fred
>Schneider
>Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2006 12:47 PM
>To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>Subject: [PRCo] Why was the Drake Loop Built?
>
>
>In addition to being a picture of a switch, this picture is very
>interesting because it shows the Drake loop being built.   Pittsburgh
>Railways' intent was apparently to shorten the interurbans and get
>them out of Washington County where accident law suits always favored
>the plaintiff and never the railways company.   County Line Siding
>was roughly 10,000 feet south of Drake Loop.   The Loop was actually
>south of Drake Wye which was situated just south of Walther stop.
>At the time the rails were torn up in 1953 there were already a lot
>of new homes between Drake and Cremona Siding and Paris Lake stops.
>It was already substantially developed.
>
>One look at the interurban revenue chart between 1945 and 1952 would
>have made you want to shorten it too.   At the end of the war the
>Railways Company was hauling more than 30 million passengers on the
>two interurban lines plus the Donora shuttle and the three Washington
>city routes.   By 1949 that had dropped to about 21 million.  In 1950
>it was about 19 million.   In 1952 it was down to 15 million.
>Remember guys ... this was small town and suburban America.   By
>1948-49 the auto manufacturers caught up to the pent up demand for
>cars after World War II and by 1949 they were advertising to women to
>buy a second car for the family so that they didn't have to suffer
>with the bus or trolley.     People like Mrs. Samuel Lybarger got the
>message ... ultimately there was a second car in their garage.   Ed
>can tell us if his mom waited until after the trolley line was torn
>up in 1953 or if she bought it before.
>
>So it was obvious that the railway had good reason to shorten the
>interurbans to some point but where?  The picture is worth a thousand
>words.   The Drake viaduct was a 470 foot long maintenance nightmare
>that stood 44 to 45 feet above the valley floor at McLaughlings Run
>in Upper St. Clair Township.   Had it remained, the Port Authority
>would have no doubt been forced to replace it just as they did the
>three other viaducts along Saw Mill Run.   So much for not running
>the remaining 2 miles down to the Allegheny - Washington county line.
>
>I think any manager who looked at what was happening would have done
>the same thing.
>
>
>
>http://lists.dementia.org/files/pittsburgh-railways/03-Track%20Drake%
>20Loop%20Construct%201953xxxx%2001.jpg
>
>
>
>

_________________________________________________________________
Get free, personalized commercial-free online radio with MSN Radio powered 
by Pandora http://radio.msn.com/?icid=T002MSN03A07001