[PRCo] Bethel Church Trestle at Mesta St.?

[Bob Rathke]

This photo was taken on Brightwood Road, and the view is to the north 
(toward Washington Jct.).  The single lane road under the terstle may be 
Mesta St., but more likely it's Bertha St.  Today, Mesta St. crosses the 
trolley line at St. Valentine's Church which is on higher ground than the 
background seen in this photo.

Two to three blocks south of the location in the photo (to the left and out 
of the view) is South Park Road which was/is two lanes. I recall seeing an 
old photo of a larger, higher trestle over South Park Road.  Both trestles 
were removed by the time I lived in Bethel Park in the 1970's.

Our house was off Logan Road between South Park Road and Bethel Church Road. 
I walked to/from the Brookside stop on 36-Drake nearly every day for 12 
years.

Bob 10/28/07

-----------------------------
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Holland" <PRCoPCC at P-R-Co.com>
To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
Sent: Sunday, October 28, 2007 4:06 PM
Subject: [PRCo] Re: Bethel Church Trestle


> Hi Mark & Matt!
>
>
> Glad you like the photos  --  always nice to go back in time to view the
> TrolleyCars!!!
>
>
> Don't know what it is called today but the road heading east does go to
> South Park  --  sure many motorists called the trestle unpleasant names
> before it was removed  --  only one lane of traffic beneath.     Rode
> over the trestle many times and over the shoofly many times as well.
> Believe there had always been an X-Over south of Mesta where DE cars
> could be turned if sent out on Fair trippers  --  this X-Over was used
> when the trestle was removed.       It was a single track shoofly used
> bidirectionally.      The shoofly was built while the trestle was still
> being used so they cut a switch into the outbound track for the fly.
> Less than a car length beyond the switch they cut the tracks and it was
> a steep drop off  --  Didn't Not Nohow like operating through that
> switch onto the shoofly  --  never any problems but the psychology of it
> was terrible~!~!~!
> .
> Once the work was complete the double track grade just north of the
> crossing had a distinct zig-zag to it and I surmised that this was to
> allow settling // expansion // contraction over time.       Took Many
> Years but the zig-zag Did Disappear~!~!~!       Didn't Not Nohow like
> the traffic signal installed here which caused the Interurban to wait a
> length time  --  they did that at several grade crossings along Library.
> .
> Early AM pullouts on Sunday would drop newspapers at this stop.      I
> would finish delivering my newspapers Very Early on Sunday and then jump
> on the TrolleyCars with an Sunday Pass for All Day Riding~!~!~!
>
>
>
>
> Mark McGuire wrote:
>>  My previous comments/question was meant for this photo. This is near the
>> Mesta stop, correct?  Another question:  What was the name of this road
>> before it became South Park Rd., or was it the same?
>>
>> -- Jim Holland <PRCoPCC at P-R-Co.com> wrote:
>> ^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^
>> .
>> .
>> Jim  Holland
>> .
>> Studying Pittsburgh Railways Company (PRCo)
>> .
>> ..............................From 1930 -- 1950
>> .
>> Pennsylvania  Trolley  Museum  (PTM)
>> .
>> http://www.pa-trolley.org/
>> .
>> N.M.R.A.
>> .
>> http://www.nmra.org/
>>
>
> http://lists.dementia.org/files/pittsburgh-railways/02-1719_35+OB_BethelChurchTrestle_19520703.jpg
>
>