[PRCo] West Penn talk

[Dennis F Cramer]

$10.00 to hear a talk of the distinctive orange color of West Penn cars----Hmmm?
http://www.dailyamerican.com/lifestyle/home_family/da-ot-lincoln-highway-experience-offers-virtual-streetcar-tour-20120722,0,7570579.story
Lincoln Highway Experience offers virtual streetcar tour
Before residents of the region had a car in every garage and an adequate network of highways on which to travel, they had the West Penn Railways system. 

Glenn Smeltzer will present a brief history and virtual tour of the West Penn streetcar system of Westmoreland and Fayette counties at 2 p.m. Aug. 5 at the Lincoln Highway Experience. The visual program, which will showcase the photo collection of former motorman John Soles and modern images of the remains of the original routes, will cover Irwin, Jeannette, Greensburg, Latrobe, Connellsville and Uniontown operations.

West Penn Railways was the great mass transit system of Southwestern Pennsylvania from 1904 until 1952: at its zenith, it controlled, or operated, roughly 340 miles of track. West Penn's traction equipment was powered by overhead electric lines, and its vehicles resembled trolleys. Larger and heavier than the typical city streetcar, West Penn cars were noted for their distinctive orange color. 

Improved roads, increasing use of automobiles, and industrial decline all contributed to the gradual abandonment of West Penn routes over a period of several decades. Although interurbans, such as West Penn Railways, were short-lived systems, they played a key role in rural passenger transportation in an era of few automobiles and poor roads.

A lifelong Greensburg area resident, Smeltzer taught physics and math in the Derry Area and Hempfield Area School Districts and at Westmoreland County Community College before his retirement. As a local historian, he has given numerous presentations to libraries, historical societies, Civil War round table groups, and college classes, and has written a variety of articles for Westmoreland History Magazine.

The Lincoln Highway Experience is at 3435 Route 30 East (near Kingston Dam) in Latrobe. Because of limited seating, advance reservations are required. Visit www.LHHC.org to make reservations through PayPal, or call 724-879-4241. An entrance fee includes light refreshments.

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http://www.lhhc.org/
The history of Streetcars in Westmoreland County
On Sunday, August 5 at 2 p.m. the Lincoln Highway Experience will host Glenn Smeltzer as he talks about streetcars.  Glenn Smeltzer will give a virtual tour of 
the West Penn Railways, discussing the street cars that operated in Irwin, 
Jeannette, Greensburg, Latrobe, Connellsville and Uniontown, PA. His 
presentation will showcase the photo collection of former motorman John Soles 
and modern pictures of the remains of the original routes. Cost is $10. 


          Dennis F. Cramer
http://home.windstream.net/dfc1