[PRCo] Re: Making a wrong turn?

[Phillip Clark Campbell]

I forgot at least one didn't I.  Penn / 7th for North side cars to turn, Penn
cars to continue straight.  This is another 3-way intersection; turning left
into 7th was a non-revenue move.

The 22-Crosstown  'possibly'  had the most electric points of any route:

++5th / Liberty - coast straight
++Federal / North - 3-way intersection so 2-switches
..........here but only one for the 22 as it turns right first
++Sandusky / Ohio - right turn diverge
++Ohio / Federal - left turn (right turn manually set)
++Federal / Lacock - coast straight
++6th / Penn - coast straight
++Liberty / 6th - right turn
++6th / Wylie = coast straight
++6th / 5th layover point - right turn.


Phil




> > ----- Original Message ----
> > 
> > From: "Jerry "MATT" Matsick" 
> > To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> > Sent: Sunday, May 3, 2009 5:32:31 PM
> > Subject: [PRCo] Making a wrong turn?
> > 
> > Driving my car every now and then I make a wrong turn, did operators
> > of street cars make wrong turns and what did they do to correct it?  
> > Looking at all the routes that were in downtown Pittsburgh I am sure that was 
> done?
> > Jerry "Matt" Matsick 
> > Jacksonville, Florida
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Phillip Clark Campbell <pcc_sr at yahoo.com>
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Sent: Monday, May 4, 2009 1:18:12 AM
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Making a wrong turn?
> 
> 
> Mr.Matsick;
> 
> 
> I was on a rush hour Library tripper Outbound one evening about 1960
> when the operator took the switch for the 42 at South Hills Junction.  More
> embarrassing than anything else;  it was caught immediately.  An Inspector
> was standing right there;  we backed, set the switch properly, and proceeded.
> There were probably others weren't there but they seem very unusual.
> 
> The chance to do that downtown, even with many routes, was very limited.
> As an example, the Interurbans had only 3-electric points  --  straight thru
> at Carson northbound, then set the point for diverge at the north end of
> the Smithfield Bridge inbound;  set the turnout for diverge at Carson
> outbound.  All other facing point turnouts downtown were set by hand.
> The turn from Grant to Liberty had an overhead contactor that
> automatically set the switch for the turn regardless of what the operator
> did;  cars moving straight through to Liberty eastbound were non-revenue
> moves and had to set the switch by hand.  The automatic reset prevented
> the following operator from taking the wrong route following a non-
> revenue move.
> 
> Continuing outbound on the interurbans there were 2-electric switches at
> South Hills, one at Castle Shannon, and one at Washington jct.  Nothing
> inbound until the loop around the admin building at south hills followed
> immediately by the derail.
> 
> I thought of a second wrong setting - Interurban outbound at the 37-loop;  the 
> motorman used the power for some reason which set the switch for the loop.
> He stopped, backed, reset the switch, then proceeded.
> 
> The route around town for the 38, 39, 40, 42, and 48 had 2 more electric
> switches than the interurbans;  4th for the short turn cars in rush hours and
> 7th.  Don't know what time the owl operator for the 42/38 started
> work but probably midnight or before.  For the 1.30-AM trip outbound
> from downtown the operator needs to remember to go straight at 7th
> instead of making a turn, then turn to Liberty and Wood.  Thus there is
> a route change for the motorman which could possibly be forgotten.
> The point into the 42-wye outbound was manual until the very late 1950s
> or early 1960s when it was electrified.  Same for the point inbound
> on the 38 at Dormont jct;  it was electrified late in the game, not long
> before the 42 became a 42/38 all day on Saturdays.
> 
> The 82 and 85 had three electric points downtown - 5th to Liberty -
> Liberty to 6th - 6th to Wylie.
> 
> The 5th Ave routes had only one electric point at the turn from 5th
> to 6th inbound.  This was probably the same as the point on Grant
> to Liberty that was used to 'always' set the point for the revenue
> direction;  the point was manually set for the non-revenue move.
> In the mid to late, possibly early, 1950s, revenue routes
> were not scheduled straight through the intersection of 5th and 6th
> inbound.  All other points encountered downtown were manual.
> 
> Forbes cars had only 2-electric points downtown, both outbound.
> One at Grant for rush hour short turn cars from Smithfield and one
> at Ross where Forbes and Second Ave cars diverged.  Second
> Ave cars had the same two identical electric points as the
> Forbes cars didn't they but no others downtown.
> 
> There was an electric point at Penn / 9th but I suspect it always
> set the point for the revenue / straight thru direction;  it would
> need to be set manually to take a short turn.  Otherwise, Penn /
> 11th and Penn 6th IB had electric points and Liberty / 6th as
> well as Liberty / 12th OB.  The intersection of Penn / 6th was
> 3-way but it was necessary to set the point manually to go
> straight through, electric point for North side cars to return
> north or Penn cars to turn to 6th then Liberty.  Liberty to
> Grant was mentioned above;  contactor always set the point
> for the straight thru revenue direction.  The point had to be
> manually set to take the turn didn't it.
> 
> North side cars encountered more electric points than other
> routes;  some of them may be automatic sets for the primary
> direction which require manual setting for non-revenue moves.
> I am not that familiar with the electric points for these routes.
> 
> West End routes did not have any electric points downtown.
> 
> 
> Phil