[PRCo] Re: RANKIN BRIDGE??????

[Fred Schneider]

Wait a minute here, John.   When was the Rankin Bridge you mention  
built?  I know of a 1951 Rankin Bridge and an 1897 Rankin Bridge,  
alias West Braddock Bridge.

On Jun 6, 2008, at 2:59 PM, John Swindler wrote:

>
> West Braddock Bridge was the Monongahela St. Ry (?) bridge over the  
> Mongahela River.
>
> The Rankin Bridge was the highway bridge replacement (although both  
> carried streetcars and autos)
>
> The track up Eighth St. was to connect 67 with 64 so that  
> Monongahela St. Ry. could reach East Pgh.  The 2nd Ave. Pass. Co.  
> already occupied Braddock Ave.
>
> Perhaps the name choice was because the East Braddock Bridge never  
> got built.  Instead the 68 car line was built along hillside south  
> side of Mon. to Kenny's Wood or Grove and Duquesne.
>
> John
>
>> CC: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org> From:  
>> fwschneider at comcast.net> Subject: [PRCo] RANKIN BRIDGE??????>  
>> Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2008 13:05:50 -0400> To: Shadow at dementia.org;  
>> trams2 at comcast.net; j_swindler at hotmail.com> > Derrick, Edward and  
>> anyone else who can answer> > The Pittsburgh Railways route cards  
>> mention both a West Braddock > Bridge and a Rankin Bridge. My  
>> initial reaction was to believe > that one was over the river and  
>> the other was over the Pennsylvania > Railroad but the link below  
>> suggests that they are one and the same, > built> > http:// 
>> pghbridges.com/pittsburghE/0593-4473/braddock.htm> > The route  
>> cards also suggest continuous problems with the Rankin or > West  
>> Braddock Bridge.> > Rankin Circle was built in 1929. The structure  
>> must have been as > sturdy as schools in the Sichuan provence of  
>> China. Read on McDuff.> > On December 6, 1933 the northwest ramp  
>> collapsed. I thought this > was the issue caused by the overloaded  
>> work car but it may not have > been. Rout!
>  e 67 Swissvale - Rankin - Braddock was split with a > shuttle  
> running from Rankin Circle to 13th and Talbot, another > shuttle  
> running from the collapsed ramp to Wilkinsburg Junction > (Braddock  
> and Forbes) and the 67 cars running through to Jane St. > Loop.  
> They built a temporary wye at the bridge by December 30th but > did  
> not get through service restored from Pittsburgh to Braddock >  
> until October 29, 1939, almost six years after the collapse.> > Now  
> let's delve into the route 55 cards:> > From June 26, 1937 until  
> November 25, 1937 the Rankin Bridge was > closed to car operation  
> "Because of the bridge being destroyed," > route 55 was split into  
> two parts, one running from Rankin Circle to > East Pittsburgh and  
> the other from 800 feet from the circle to > downtown. Did they put  
> a temporary crossover on the bridge? Would > it support it? Or did  
> you walk across the bridge and the downtown > cars were simply  
> turning at Munhall Loop? Now this was the debacle > that resulted i!
>  n the closure of Rankin Car House.> > Allegheny County placed a  
> 14,000
>  pound weight limit on Rankin Bridge > on January 30, 1942.  
> Streetcar operation was suspended at 7:00 p.m. > that day. They  
> must have done something to reinforce the structure > because car  
> service resumed October 19, 1942.> > In 1951 the new Rankin Bridge  
> opened....> > SO, AM I CORRECT IN THE ASSUMPTION THAT WEST BRADDOCK  
> BRIDGE AND > RANKING BRIDGE ARE THE SAME?>
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