[PRCo] Re: Cin

[Donald Galt]

On 14 Jan 2007 at 19:51, Jim Holland wrote:

> Here's a couple interesting shots of Cincinnati:::::::
> .
> 1166 appears to be on a short stretch of single track  --  ON  prw  ON  
> the Sidewalk(!!!)  --  with 3-wire overhead, one wire shared in common 
> in both directions.       Note the overhead in the distance how it 
> separates into w sets of double overhead and it is doing the same above 
> the front end of the car.
> .
> The second photo with 1165 confirms that there is a second track at this 
> location again with triple overhead, a set of which turns left across 
> the overhead that goes over the sidewalk!       Would like to know more 
> about the track layout here and if this is really near the Zoo for which 
> there may be several layover tracks!!
> .

No, just a single loop, I believe.

These views look southeast up Vine Street where it is just starting in earnest 
its descent to the Mill Creek Valley and Lockland. At the intersection in the 
distance, Vine Street itself angles to the right (due south) to continue south 
to Clifton and down the hill to the city, while Erkenbrecher Avenue comes in 
from the left (due east). The zoo is on our left beyond the private houses 
lining the street, with the main entrance at the corner.

Originally, all tracks were in the middle of the street. A large circle at the 
intersection served as a loop both for X-Zoo services coming directly from the 
city and the highly interesting route 49 which arrived via the Mount Adams 
incline, a bucolic run through Eden Park, the suburb of Walnut Hills and 
Erkenbrecher Avenue.

In 1930 this arrangement was replaced by a new off-street loop a short distance 
down Vine Street. The outbound (northbound) tracks were moved to the verge for 
this short distance. This was presumably to avoid crossing street traffic when 
entering the loop itself. I suppose it may also have allowed a bit of dwell 
time unloading passengers at the zoo entrance without holding up motor traffic, 
but only at the risk of delaying 78-Lockland cars outbound on the same track.

Beyond the loop, the 78 reverted to its location in the middle of the road.

The switch in the 1166 picture must be the entrance to the loop. I've no clue 
as to the unisex arrangement of positive and negative wires or to what happens 
at the junction farther back.

In the other picture, it's tempting to the say that the curved-side behind PCC 
1165 is a 49 car, nearing its terminus after having turned into Vine Street 
from Erkenbrecher Avenue. However, if the 1950 date is correct the 49 has 
already been bustituted (17 April 1949) following condemnation of its bridge in 
Eden Park, while the 78 has been cut back to the Cincinnati city limit (1949) 
ending the last instance of changing from dual- to single-pole operation.

Don G