[PRCo] Re: Bethel Church Trestle

[Jim Holland]

Bob Rathke wrote:
> 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.
It is Bethel Church Road - single lane with  *spare*  dirt 
runaround~!~!~!      Thus the Charleroi Interurban, 1719 in this photo 
on 1952.07.03, is heading south to Charleroi  --  or at least to some 
point further south.
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> Today, Mesta St. crosses the trolley line at St. Valentine's Church which is on higher ground than the background seen in this photo.
>   
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As it did when the Charleroi Interurban operated;   Mark just asked if 
the trestle was  *near*  Mesta, and it was   -   the next intersection 
south.     Mesta is the Fair Ground Stop where cattle gates were 
installed to handle all the peoples to and from the County Fair.
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> 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.
>   
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The road leading to South Park  (so as not to confuse names of these 
roadways)  was directly across from the trestle in this photo and thus 
Could Be Considered a continuation of Bethel Church road or vice 
versa.     Beeses came up and down Brightwood to this location to and 
from Mesta and South Park.
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There was Only One Trestle here that was removed in 1960 with a shoofly 
to maintain operation during such.     The Interurban is on the west 
side of Brightwood and   I~F   South Park Road starts at Brightwood and 
runs east it is impossible for the Interurban to Cross South Park Road 
Itself.
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Jim__Holland
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> Bob 10/28/07
>
> -----------------------------
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Jim Holland" <PRCoPCC at P-R-Co.com>
>   
>> 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:
>>     
>>> 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