[PRCo] Re: PRC 3761 Southbound at Allenport Siding, July 27, 1952

Fred Schneider fwschneider at comcast.net
Sat Dec 10 16:10:12 EST 2011 

You can be bored in retirement .... for a little while  ... and then if you have a few brain cells to rub together you find something else to do ... as in I am between the fall semester and the spring semester at Franklin and Marshall College.   I graduated 45 years ago ... and now I have gone back to study art only they are taking me free ... no tests, no grades, no credit but I still learn ... I have to pay for books but that's no big deal.   I have two architecture courses next spring which resulted from getting to know professors in the fall .... and I still haven't gotten to the Asian art class I wanted to take.    And it fits right in with history, right?   Just a different kind of history.

And gee whiz, if I could only find time to take up piano lessons too.  But that is a little intimidating when you have two concert pianists in the family.   Oh well.   I can at least enjoy listening.

So I am agreeing with all of you.   

My father observed many years ago that the people he knew at work who retired with plans to sit on the porch and watch people go by didn't spend very many years watching life go by before their funeral took place.   He also observed that those who retired with plans to go to work somewhere else ... perhaps go in business with their son ... 30 years later they were still around.   He was saying we need a purpose in life.

My father retired and took up working as a contract photographer (self-employed) for a construction company.   When he finally died I placed the negatives in the local historical society.   But keeping busy gave him 28 years of retirement.   He died at age 90.     





On Dec 10, 2011, at 11:23 AM, Bob Rathke wrote:

> 
> Ed, 
> 
> 
> 
> I agree completely with your last sentence. 
> 
> 
> 
> Bob 
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> 
> 
> From: "Edward H. Lybarger" <trams2 at comcast.net> 
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementix.org 
> Sent: Saturday, December 10, 2011 7:50:04 AM 
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: PRC 3761 Southbound at Allenport Siding, July 27, 1952 
> 
> "Distractions" is used tongue in cheek.  Being retired and without a 
> regimented schedule, everything I do is a distraction, especially a noontime 
> excursion to Allenport!  Since Janis is still working, there's no schedule 
> conflict. 
> 
> But as I've said on numerous occasions, being retired means that I don't 
> know when I ever had time to work.  I simply don't understand folks who 
> retire and complain about being bored. 
> 
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementix.org 
> [mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementix.org] On Behalf Of Phillip 
> Clark Campbell 
> Sent: Friday, December 09, 2011 4:12 PM 
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementix.org 
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: PRC 3761 Southbound at Allenport Siding, July 27, 1952 
> 
> Incredibly nice work, Mr.Lybarger; where do I write a letter of commendation 
> and recommendation for promotion? 
>   
> Phil 
> 
> 
> ps - can you share her name--your distraction?  Please give her "Thanks" for 
> allowing this mission on your lunch hour. 
> 
> 
> ________________________________ 
>  From: Edward H. Lybarger <trams2 at comcast.net> 
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementix.org 
> Sent: Friday, December 9, 2011 3:29 PM 
> Subject: [PRCo] PRC 3761 Southbound at Allenport Siding, July 27, 1952 
>   
> Content-Type: text/plain; 
>     charset="us-ascii" 
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 
> A couple days ago I said that I been troubled for several years that 
> something obvious was being overlooked in trying to positively identify this 
> photo location.  It's a nice day in suburban Pittsburgh, so I put my 
> distractions aside and spent my lunch hour visiting Allenport.  En route I 
> stopped at the PTM Library to recover my ledger book full of interurban 
> track sketches that I had copied years ago. 
> 
> Last evening I had assembled two basic documents on the subject:  1) Tom 
> Phillips's drawing of Allenport, showing a long passing siding in the middle 
> of Main Street and the track on an old highway alignment, labeled "circa 
> 1940," and 2) a PRC abandonment route map that showed the alignment through 
> Allenport as being solely on Main Street.  Needless to say, these were in 
> conflict with one another, and neither one supported my argument for the 
> location. 
> 
> I believe that Tom's map has been circulated to the group.  The PRC map is 
> unwieldy and shows nothing I didn't describe. 
> 
> The track sketches, however were most revealing, and I immediately 
> understood what was being overlooked.  It also reminded me that I had failed 
> to observe Rule #1:  Test Everything.  The passing siding shown on Tom's map 
> "circa 1940" had been removed in 1934.  To compound the problem, we have all 
> been thinking that the siding was at the north end of town.  Once sketch 
> 34-029 disabused me of that notion, I drove directly to the spot that today 
> allows the same long view as the 1952 photo.  The PCC photo that Phil posted 
> was helpful...it gave an indication of something other than weeds on a 
> hillside at the left.  That in fact is PA 88; the road dead ahead is the 
> entrance to the Wheeling-Pittsburgh steel mill, from whence I took today's 
> pictures. 
> 
> The following attachments clearly identify the location: 
> 
> "Track Sketch 25-084" shows the siding in the center of Main Street. 
> 
> "Track Sketch 34-029" shows the revision made in 1934, with the siding 
> clearly at the SOUTH end of town. 
> 
> Photo "South Main Street, Allenport" shows the same view, including a brick 
> house with a double window at the roof peak 
> 
> Photo "1852 Main Street, Allenport" shows that house and that window.  It's 
> at the southeast corner of Main and Washington Streets. 
> 
> Case closed. 
> 
> Ed 
> 
> P.S.  Tom's map shows the car line on the old highway alignment; PRC's map 
> doesn't.  Tom was right about this...the grade is still very evident. 
> 
> P.P.S.  The fifth attachment is the view north at Mapleview, clearly 
> demonstrating why it couldn't be the location. 
> 
> http://lists.dementix.org/files/pittsburgh-railways/Track%20Sketch%2025-084. 
> jpg 
> 
> http://lists.dementix.org/files/pittsburgh-railways/Track%20Sketch%2034-029. 
> jpg 
> 
> http://lists.dementix.org/files/pittsburgh-railways/S%20Main%20St%20Allenpor 
> t%2012-9-11.jpg 
> 
> http://lists.dementix.org/files/pittsburgh-railways/1852%20Main%20St%20Allen 
> port%2012-9-11.jpg 
> 
> http://lists.dementix.org/files/pittsburgh-railways/View%20N%20Mapleview%201 
> 2-9-11.jpg 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>

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