[PRCo] Re: West Carson Street curves

[Phillip Clark Campbell]

Thank you, Mr.Gula; these are highly interesting additions.
So much was happening then wasn't it.
This is an observation on your comments, not a criticism.
Some time in the last several years I received an email with
a picture of a 3800-series Interurban in storage at Millvale.
The date was the very early 1950s.  One would presume an
out of service car at tunnel would then remain there.  This
suggests lack of space doesn't it.

To go along with your observations the other track from E.Carson
to Tunnel was installed new in 1949 wasn't it.  The other track
from Tunnel to E.Carson already existed but it was apparently
modified.  I just found information that the 50-line was still
operating from Craft about 1953 so the turn was not necessarily
installed for the 50-line.  The intent may have been to ease
movement of the scrapping train from the east.  That train
could come along Forbes and cross the river to S-22-nd and
Carson couldn't it.  This prevents operating through downtown.



Questions still remain as to operating the 3750s and the 23/25
lines out of Tunnel.  If this was the case for 5-10-years the
cost of those turns could have been paid almost 100-times over
by the time of the need to scrap cars.  In the mid-1930s when
this started Prc knew they were facing bankruptcy didn't they.
This is a possible reason for delaying action.  It takes time to
see clearly once in bankruptcy so more delay.  WW2 materials
need may have prevented track renewal.  That brings us to
the mid to latter 1940s and then the turns are built aren't they.
Do you have any observations on this time period?

We need to flag this as "observations" and hope something in
the Prc records shall be found which reveals the reasons
behind the decisions.
 

Phil


________________________________
 From: George W. Gula <scranton-pa at comcast.net>
To: Pittsburgh Railways <pittsburgh-railways at dementix.org> 
Sent: Friday, February 24, 2012 1:18 AM
Subject: [PRCo] West Carson Street curves
 
Ingram at one time was the scrapping location of choice and Tunnel car house
offered a lot of storage room for cars awaiting the scrapper's torch. Since
Pittsburgh Railways moved shop cars to and from Homewood using a tow car, it
is possible that they would also move cars to the scrap pile via the same
way. And if that was the case, they would want to keep a two-car train,
including an inoperable car, out of downtown altogether away from traffic
and from the possibility of an accident tying up paying service. The tow-car
was a picked union job and I doubt that PRCo or the operators would violate
it by running a group of cars to Ingram together and ferrying the operators
back. Even if they had, I doubt that PRCo would want this parade going
through downtown. 
By 1949, PRCo would have known of the rebuilding of East Ohio Street, which
sealed the fate of the Millvale and Etna lines, and in its bankruptcy would
have been contemplating cost reductions. The as now, the closing of the
smaller car houses would have been a distinct discussion topic. These
closures would have required the relocation of cars and the scrapping of
others. The construction of new curves gave the PRCo additional flexibility
while keeping non-revenue moves in downtown to a minimum.
At that time downtown was an extremely congested area and the city would
have frowned at all but essential non-revenue moves there. That was always a
sore spot with the city when I worked in PAT's Operations and Schedules
Departments and still is today with the regular service.

George Gula