[PRCo] Re: Pittsburgh, Knoxville and St Clair Railway

[Edward H. Lybarger]

About 15 years ago, when Carl Schultz was producing his Trolley: The Cars
that Built our Cities video, he visited the Historical Society of Western
PA, an organization that owns seven negatives of this company's facilities
and operations.  They actually let him borrow these negatives so that Fred
Schneider could print them.  On that occasion, I acquired a personal set of
properly-printed photographs, which clearly show the early cogwheel and rack
arrangement.  The two that best illustrate it are attached.  I believe this
will clarify the issue.
Ed

-----Original Message-----
From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
[mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org] On Behalf Of Derrick
Brashear
Sent: Sunday, August 01, 2010 11:46 AM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: [PRCo] Re: Pittsburgh, Knoxville and St Clair Railway

Given the line lasted but 3 years, it's conceivable this was a dismantling
shot?

Derrick


On Aug 1, 2010, at 10:37 AM, "Dwight Long" <dwightlong at verizon.net> wrote:

> Derrick
> 
> I got the part about it being a Daft system, which is usually thought of
as a counterpart to the Van de Poele "troller" system with OLE and flexible
wires connecting the OLE contactor ("troller") and the powered vehicle.
However, it is also claimed that Leo Daft invented the third rail system.  
> 
> What I find curious is the slot between the rails in the foreground.  On
the trestle there seems also to be provision for some sort of apparatus
between the rails.  Could this have been Daft's third rail, a sort of
conduit, which was later replaced by his OLE system?  Or is it the remnant
of an earlier cable system?
> 
> Take a closer look at the first fot.  Supports for the OLE are clearly
visible on the trestle part of the line, but there does not appear to be any
contact wire strung on them.  The slot appears continuous up to the place
where the workers are congregated, where there is a gap in it on both
tracks.  Now look at the "slot" on the actual trestle.  It could not be very
deep or it would have cut the bridge ties and destroyed their structural
integrity.  But it would have been deep enough to enclose a small contact
rail?
> 
> Mysteries!
> 
> Dwight
>  ----- Original Message -----
>  From: Derrick Brashear
>  To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>  Sent: Sunday, 01 August, 2010 09:44
>  Subject: [PRCo] Re: Pittsburgh, Knoxville and St Clair Railway
> 
> 
>
http://www.lifeinwesternpa.org/viewDetail.asp?SpecSub=Cars%2CStreetcars&titl
e=Transportation+-%3E+Cars%2FStreetcars&ID=118#
> 
>  suggests the portion along Brosville (Birmingham, at the time) used
>  trollers, anyway...
> 
>  On Sun, Aug 1, 2010 at 9:03 AM, Derrick Brashear <shadow at dementia.org>
wrote:
>> It was a Daft operation, so that seemed conceivable, but there's no
obvious sign of it between the sidewalk and the ramp.
>> 
>> I dumped what I could find into a wikipedia article, and corrected
another that claimed it was an. 1870s incline.
>> 
>> Derrick
>> 
>> On Aug 1, 2010, at 1:28 AM, Dwight Long <dwightlong at verizon.net> wrote:
>> 
>>> Derrick
>>> 
>>> From the photo,it looks more like a cable in a slot between the rails
than a rack.
>>> 
>>> Dwight
>>> 
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: Derrick Brashear
>>> To: Pittsburgh Railways Group
>>> Sent: Saturday, 31 July, 2010 11:41
>>> Subject: [PRCo] Pittsburgh, Knoxville and St Clair Railway
>>> 
>>> 
>>> I could swear we talked about this, but I find no evidence...
>>> 
>>> Apparently this came back what is now South 13th St in the South Side,
>>> then just before reaching the PV&C (PRR Mon Division) tracks, turned
>>> left between two houses, and went up a ramp, turning hard right *over*
>>> South 14th and jumping over the railroad, before heading up what is
>>> now Brosville. Was there in the 1890s, and was gone by 1901,
>>> presumably because the line over New Arlington Avenue was faster,
>>> lower maintenance, and served more people, and also this approximately
>>> paralleled the Knoxville Incline?
>>> 
>>> Related:
>>>
http://www.lifeinwesternpa.org/viewDetail.asp?SpecSub=Cars%2CStreetcars&titl
e=Transportation+-%3E+Cars%2FStreetcars&ID=119
>>> 
>>> This was the rack (geared) operation, presumably?
>>> 
>>> --
>>> Derrick
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
> 
> 
> 
>  -- 
>  Derrick
> 
> 
> 
> 




-- Attached file removed by Ecartis and put at URL below --
-- Type: image/jpeg
-- Size: 704k (721624 bytes)
-- URL : http://lists.dementia.org/files/pittsburgh-railways/PK&StC%20Track%20on%20Trestle%20HSWP.jpg


-- Attached file removed by Ecartis and put at URL below --
-- Type: image/jpeg
-- Size: 551k (564700 bytes)
-- URL : http://lists.dementia.org/files/pittsburgh-railways/PK&StC%205%20on%20Grade%20HSWP.jpg