[PRCo] Re: [PRCo]End of a Street car line?

Sat Aug 9 11:37:45 EDT 2008

sorry for the delay, John-day job. Route 60 would now be a whole lot lighter 
than in the 60's and 70's due to depopulation and decline of the 'hood. 
Ditto 56 west of Broad, though East of there and through the Tacony section, 
it was and could be a brisk feeder to the El @ Erie Torresdale. I guess the 
stretch from Broad to the Hunting Park loop was short enough to preempt 
looping further east.The 53 corridor has also seen some decline both 
numerically and demographically, w/ fewer people needing to get to the Eris 
stop of the Broad St. Subway for trip to Center City. Routes 47 and 50? Part 
of the routes traversed the section of the city aka "The Badlands" where 
drug and gang activity would scare the bejeepers out of anyone. The Fifth 
St. and Rising Sun corridors are semi-vibrant ethic areas-Korean, Columbian, 
Brazilian, but the trek to Center City would be slow, arduous, and 
frightening, w/ no convenient interchange to Regional Rail or rapid transit 
divisions. The stretches of those lines from South Philly to Center City? 
Not sure but intuitively, seem like they should have been busy. Both 
traversed what were and are highly populated areas, where many residents had 
employment connections to Center City, but that is merely a hunch. Before 
the bus conversion, those routes were off and on, trolley to bus for years. 
Interestingly, 23 and 47 were all-electric routes initially, after the 
Nearside era. When they underwent temporary conversions, they later came 
back as mixed all-electric and air-electric operations after PTC figured out 
it could run all-electrics in the trolley subway. 50 was an all-electric 
route, but had the cars without the little apertures, aka the Kansas City 
cars, which also served part of 56. The line in the S.E. corner of the state 
that defensibly could and should have stayed a rail line is the West Chester 
Pike line-rising ridership @ time of conversion in June 1954, the current 
bus trip in peak hours is substantially longer than the trolley trip in 
1954. At the time however, the moving of the line to the  median of the 
widened Pike which is wide enough to have accommodated the 2 track line 
seemed imprudent, especially since the reconfigured Pike had many more 
traffic lights that the pre-existent 2 lane rural highway.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fred Schneider" <fwschneider at comcast.net>
To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
Sent: Sunday, August 03, 2008 7:30 PM
Subject: [PRCo] Re: [PRCo]End of a Street car line?


> Agreed.
>
> On Aug 3, 2008, at 3:16 PM, John Swindler wrote:
>
>>
>> Hi Ken
>>
>> The route 23 cars were seldom nearly empty, even into the SEPTA
>> era.   It is/was one of the heaviest routes in Philadelphia.  So is/
>> was 60 and 56.
>>
>> Route 53 Wayne Ave. was another matter.  And 47 and 50 were not
>> that busy either.
>>
>> I'd appreciate Rich's comments as I'm just trying to remember
>> ridership statistics from the 1980s.  Today would probably be a
>> different observation.  That is the reason for use of the past
>> tense above.
>>
>> John
>>
>>
>>> From: ktjosephson at embarqmail.com> To: pittsburgh-
>>> railways at dementia.org> Subject: [PRCo] Re: [PRCo]End of a Street
>>> car line?> Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 10:31:43 -0700> > I do know for a
>>> fact that many, many people living along St. Louis' > Hodiamont
>>> line raised a big fuss when that line was slated for bustitution,
>>> > but they did not have the political clout the people in
>>> Philadelphia had > twenty years later to keep the nearly empty
>>> Route 23 cars shuttling past > their homes for ambience.....heck,
>>> even that line has been "suspended" since > the early 1990s.> > I
>>> do know some people in the South Hills put up a good fight to save
>>> the > Library, Drake and Mount Lebanon lines.> > Remember, though,
>>> some of the loudest streetcar opponents were motorists who >
>>> didn't live in a particular car line's corridor, but drove through
>>> it, > hating to drive on the tracks and getting "trapped" behind
>>> streetcars > picking up passengers.> > I know a person who rode
>>> and wanted the 42/38 saved, but !
>>  was happy when the > 53 was abandoned because he hating driving in
>> traffic with streetcars.> > K.> ----- Original Message ----- >
>> From: "Jerry MATT Matsick" <mtoytrain at bellsouth.net>> To:
>> <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>> Sent: Sunday, August 03, 2008
>> 10:16 AM> Subject: [PRCo] Re: [PRCo]End of a Street car line?> > >
>> > My question when PRCo/PAT decided to cut a street car line, did
>> not the > > people fuss about it?> > I was in the Service during
>> the 60s, if I had been in town I would have > > tried to stop it,
>> but was> > it just the sign of the times? I remember when the drop
>> the Donora car? I > > was just 11 but I was> > upset. Now cities
>> are looking and the establishment of new RAIL LINES , > > I guess
>> it is what> > comes around goes around! Groups thought?> > Jerry
>> Matsick> > Former Donora/Pittsburgher (North Hills)> >> > --> >
>> Jerry "Matt" Matsick> > You don't stop laughing because> > you grow
>> old. You grow old> > because you stop laughing from the> > River
>> City by th!
>>  e sea!> > Jacksonville, Florida!> >> > -------------- Original
>> message
>>  from "Ken & Tracie" > > <ktjosephson at embarqmail.com>:
>> -------------- > >> >> >> OFF TOPIC WARNING!> >>> >>> >> -----
>> Original Message ----- > >> From: "Fred Schneider"> >> To:> >>
>> Sent: Saturday, August 02, 2008 5:28 AM> >> Subject: [PRCo] Re:
>> Greyhound crime> >>> >>> >> >I love the choice of advertisements
>> that go with it, Philip. Teen> >> > teeth whiteners and high blood
>> pressure medicines! They're a hoot.> >>> >> Back in 1981 or '82,
>> some jerk in Waukesha, Wisconsin kidnapped his> >> estranged wife
>> (she lived across the street from me), murdered her,> >> hacksawed
>> her head from her body, dumped the body in a cornfield and > >>
>> burnt> >> the head in his parents' wood burning stove.> >>> >>
>> Anyway, I was listening to a news report about the case some months
>> > >> later.> >> Immediately after the newscaster mentioned that the
>> suspect had sawed off> >> his wife's head, they went to a
>> commercial break. The commercial was for > >> a> >> home
>> improvement store and began with the!
>>   sound of somebody sawing. Then > >> the> >> music started with
>> people cheerfully singing, "When you're working at > >> home,> >>
>> and you need a helping hand.............."> >>> >> K.> >>> >>> > > >
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>
>
>