[PRCo] Re: Washington Interurban Forensics

[Edward H. Lybarger]

The first passing siding south of Drake was Cremona, and it was about a mile
south.  The grades at the location Bob photographed are inconsistent with
those in the historic photo, as well.

I believe the photo of 3761 was taken on the Charleroi route...I don't think
it went to Washington that day.

Ed

-----Original Message-----
From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementix.org
[mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementix.org] On Behalf Of Bob
Iannucci
Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2011 1:09 PM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementix.org
Subject: [PRCo] Washington Interurban Forensics

Phillip Clark Campbell wrote:
> In the archives is a picture of an old car that no one on this list 
> can identify isn't there.  It is reportedly on the Interurban lines.  
> A PCC was also photographed at the same location.  It is tedious 
> trying to find the photo in the archives.  This looks like the photo 
> in the archives, again, location unidentified by anyone:
> http://www.davesrailpix.com/pitts/htm/wvp009.htm
>

This is a really intriguing picture - I had never seen it before.  The lay
of the roadbed behind the car, the direction of the track, and the location
of the poles match a location in Upper St. Clair, just southwest of the
former Drake Trestle.   The area is now called Wiltshire Park.  Analysis of
old maps shows that a walking path in that park was once part of the roadbed
of the former Washington Interurban line.  On my trip to Pittsburgh this
summer, I shot photos of that area.  The poles are long gone, but there is
still pretty clear evidence of them on the right hand side (relative to the
direction in which the car in the picture is traveling) of the former
roadbed.  The widening of the walking path in that area now corresponds to
the passing siding we see in the picture from the 1940's.
Can anyone say if there was a passing siding just southwest of the Trestle?
The area is overgrown now, but when I was growing up in Upper St.
Clair in the 1960's, this area was just brush as in the 1940's photo.

I've made up the attached for your review - to give you some context and to
invite analysis of these two pictures.  Were they shot at the same location?
At present, the evidence is somewhat thin.  Any information to prove or
disprove this will be appreciated.

If anyone can find the picture of the PCC taken at the same location (as
mentioned above), I'd really appreciate it.  Also, I am looking for *any*
photos of the former Washington interurban line in the area from Drake to
the southwest edge of Upper St. Clair.

Thanks.

Bob



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