[PRCo] Re: Fw: Harlansburg, PA Then and Now Amazing Discovery

Tue Oct 11 00:00:14 EDT 2011

The reason this was brought up was because of the "Skybus" push going on
during the period I started at So Hills Station. One of the selling points
touted to the electorate concerning Skybus was that the Smithfield St Bridge
would become a motor vehicle bridge only. The Skybus proponents failed to
mention that the spans had different widths and only one lane would be
inbound. Ange Nazzo knew the bridge, however.
On Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 23:53, Derrick Brashear <shadow at gmail.com> wrote:

> well, presumably the rail side was constructed to the width it
> required, and no more?
>
> On Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 11:50 PM, Herb Brannon <hrbran at cavtel.net> wrote:
> > Operating PCC cars over the bridge it was always very noticeable, to me,
> > that the streetcar side was not as wide as the vehicle side. By looking
> at
> > the two arches side by side, not the decorations on them, the difference
> can
> > be seen immediately. This difference was also brought up on at least two
> > different occasions by PATransit Training Instructor Angelo Nazzo while I
> > was learning the rail system. Angelo was always sharing little tidbits of
> > PRCo and PATransit operations trivia and the bridge width was one of
> them.
> > When constructed with two different widths on each span I will conjecture
> > that one of two things occurred. Either the City of Pittsburgh saved a
> lot
> > of money, or, the contractor pocketed a lot of money.
> > On Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 19:17, Fred Schneider <fwschneider at comcast.net
> >wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> This link shows a wide variety of pictures.    Apparently, and contrary
> to
> >> what I previously believed and wrote, the upriver span always was
> narrower
> >> than the downstream span and still is.  It is only wide enough for a
> single
> >> lane inbound.   The outbound bridge has two lanes.  The confusion lies
> in
> >> the treatment of the panels in the circa 1915 portals ... there are ten
> >> panels on each side creating an optical illusion that both sides are
> >> identical.   If you measure the width, you find they never did correct
> it.
> >> The trolley span was and still is narrower.
> >>
> >> http://www.brooklineconnection.com/history/Facts/Smithfield.html
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On Oct 10, 2011, at 6:27 PM, Edward H. Lybarger wrote:
> >>
> >> > Don't know just yet, Ed.  I'm not near the material and will be
> traveling
> >> > this week.  I doubt if there was ever four-track operation...just a
> photo
> >> of
> >> > a new bridge before they took out the other two.
> >> >
> >> > I'll find out what I can, but it's heavy travel season for me and that
> >> may
> >> > mean November.
> >> >
> >> > Ed
> >> >
> >> > -----Original Message-----
> >> > From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementix.org
> >> > [mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementix.org] On Behalf Of
> >> eskuchas
> >> > Sent: Monday, October 10, 2011 5:56 PM
> >> > To: pittsburgh-railways at dementix.org
> >> > Subject: [PRCo] Re: Fw: Harlansburg, PA Then and Now Amazing Discovery
> >> >
> >> > Ed,
> >> >
> >> > What was the sequence on the Smithfield St bridge?
> >> > Single width with tracks.
> >> > Double width with tracks both sides.
> >> > Double width segregated.
> >> > What were the transition dates?  I am working out of town and Pgh
> >> histories
> >> > are home.   Did the changes eventually come about due to
> consolidation?
> >> > Thanks
> >> >
> >> > Ed
> >> >
> >> > Sent from my iPhone
> >> >
> >> > On Oct 10, 2011, at 5:47 PM, "Edward H. Lybarger" <trams2 at comcast.net
> >
> >> > wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> This is Don Barnes's private transportation memorabilia collection.
>  I
> >> >> believe Don is a retired pilot for U S Air.  I was in the place in
> >> >> probably 1994...lots of stuff.  I go past it occasionally but haven't
> >> >> stopped in since.
> >> >>
> >> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> >> From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementix.org
> >> >> [mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementix.org] On Behalf Of
> >> >> Dwight Long
> >> >> Sent: Monday, October 10, 2011 4:42 PM
> >> >> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementix.org
> >> >> Subject: [PRCo] Fw: Harlansburg, PA Then and Now Amazing Discovery
> >> >>
> >> >> Content-Type: text/plain;
> >> >>   charset="iso-8859-1"
> >> >> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
> >> >>
> >> >> List
> >> >>
> >> >> Can anyone answer Bill's question?  This was something new for me.
> >> >>
> >> >> Dwight
> >> >>
> >> >> ----- Original Message -----=20
> >> >> From: bvolkmer=20
> >> >> To: David Goehring ; Dick Hasselman ; Dwight Long ; Edward H.
> Lybarger
> >> >> ; = Wayne Koch=20
> >> >> Cc: C.K. Leverett ; Dennis Lamont ; Frank Tatnall ; Frank DiBugnara ;
> >> >> = Fred Schneider ; Henry Raudenbush ; Jack May ; Lew Schneider ;
> Peter
> >> >> = Weiglin ; Phil Lind ; Robert B Watson=20
> >> >> Sent: Friday, October 07, 2011 6:39 PM
> >> >> Subject: Harlansburg, PA Then and Now Amazing Discovery
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>     All:
> >> >>
> >> >>     I stumbled upon this picture of a roadside stand at Harlansburg,
> >> >> = PA on Shorpy.com.  I thought "That's interesting.  I wonder where =
> >> >> Harlansburg is."
> >> >>
> >> >>     So I drew in a Bing birdseye and noted that there was an "old" US
> >> >> =
> >> >> 19 so I zoomed in on it to see if I could see remnants of the =
> >> >> Pittsburgher Inn.''
> >> >>
> >> >>     When I did that I said, "Whoa. Them's Railroad Cars, bro!"
> >> >>
> >> >>     So then I Google Street viewed it and there they were, two =
> >> >> stainless steel Budds ex PRR and two heavyweight sleepers.
> >> >>
> >> >>     How about THAT?
> >> >>
> >> >>     Now, somebody fill us in on the particulars, Please.
> >> >>
> >> >>     Oh and while we are at it with things Pittsburgh, for the bonus =
> >> >> round check out the last picture of Smithfield St. Bridge with FOUR =
> >> >> trolley tracks on it. Anybody know when the two in pavement were
> >> >> ripped = out?
> >> >>
> >> >>     WDV=20
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> -- Attached file removed by Ecartis and put at URL below --
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> >> >> -- URL :
> >> >>
> http://lists.dementix.org/files/pittsburgh-railways/Harlansburg,%20PA%
> >> >> 20Then
> >> >> %20and%20Now%20WDV%201.jpg
> >> >>
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> >> >> -- URL :
> >> >>
> http://lists.dementix.org/files/pittsburgh-railways/Harlansburg,%20PA%
> >> >> 20Then
> >> >> %20and%20Now%202%20WDV.jpg
> >> >>
> >> >>
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> >> >> -- URL :
> >> >>
> http://lists.dementix.org/files/pittsburgh-railways/Harlansburg%20PA%2
> >> >> 0Resta
> >> >> urant%202011.jpg
> >> >>
> >> >>
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> >> >> -- Size: 66k (68221 bytes)
> >> >> -- URL :
> >> >>
> http://lists.dementix.org/files/pittsburgh-railways/Harlansburg%20Stat
> >> >> ion%20
> >> >> 2011.jpg
> >> >>
> >> >>
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> >> >> -- URL :
> >> >>
> http://lists.dementix.org/files/pittsburgh-railways/PittsburgherInn%20
> >> >> _%20Ha
> >> >> rlansburg%20PA%20ca%201940.jpg
> >> >>
> >> >>
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> >> >> -- Size: 62k (63648 bytes)
> >> >> -- URL :
> >> >>
> http://lists.dementix.org/files/pittsburgh-railways/Harlansburg%20PA%2
> >> >> 0map%2
> >> >> 02011.jpg
> >> >>
> >> >>
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> >> >> -- Size: 1420k (1454783 bytes)
> >> >> -- URL :
> >> >>
> http://lists.dementix.org/files/pittsburgh-railways/Pittsburgh%20Smith
> >> >> field%
> >> >> 20St%20Bridge%201905SHORPY_.jpg
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > Herb Brannon
> > In Cuyahoga Valley National Park
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Derrick
>
>
>

-- 
Herb Brannon
In Cuyahoga Valley National Park