[PRCo] Re: West Carson Street

[Edward H. Lybarger]

This is exactly what I found when I looked in PTM's copy yesterday but
haven't had time to report.  Thanks, Bob!

-----Original Message-----
From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementix.org
[mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementix.org] On Behalf Of robert
netzlof
Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2012 4:13 PM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementix.org
Subject: [PRCo] Re: West Carson Street

On Thu, Mar 1, 2012 at 11:28 AM, Edward H. Lybarger <trams2 at comcast.net>
wrote:
> Somewhere I saw an article that said PRC acknowledged to (I believe) 
> the Allegheny Conference in 1949 that they would not be operating 
> streetcars over the new bridge.  I fervently wish I could find the 
> reference, because it would demonstrate that the later commotion about 
> replacing money-losing West End trolley routes with buses was a bunch 
> of crocodile tears designed to get someone else to pay for the buses 
> and let PRC of easy on the paving obligations.

A short time later Derrick said:

If they did, I bet it would be in here:
Mass transportation study of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, Volume 1
http://books.google.com/books?id=xWpAAAAAIAAJ&q=%22allegheny+conference%22+%
22point+bridge%22+1949&dq=%22allegheny+conference%22+%22point+bridge%22+1949
&hl=en&sa=X&ei=QqdPT_epOsiJsQKI68XADg&ved=0CEYQ6AEwAQ

Now I say:

I got a copy of the 1949 report* from the Penn State library. The only thing
I found in it regarding the new bridge at the point was in a discussion of
through routing to reduce or eliminate street car loops in the Triangle.
Page 35 has:

"Routes coming over Point Bridge would be combined with routes along Penn
and Liberty Avenue. This combination requires no looping whatsoever in
crossing the Triangle. More than 900 passengers or almost 11 per cent of all
passengers originating on routes that cross Point Bridge would be potential
users of this route combination during the morning period.

"Discussions are now taking place with a view to toward substituting buses
for street cars on the new bridge that will replace the present Point
Bridge. If that takes place, then this recommendation would have to be
modified."

* The report I got may not be the report y'ns had in mind. This one has two
cover letters. One, dated Sept. 22, 1949, signed by Phillip Robinson, says
that the report is:

"the results of the study of mass transportation in Pittsburgh and Allegheny
County which has been made for your three agencies [Allegheny Conf. on
Community Devel., Pittsburgh Regional Planning Assoc., Pennsylvania Economy
League]...". 

The other letter, dated Aug. 27, 1951 says:

"...results of the study are set forth in two reports; one completed in
September 1949, jointly sponsored by [list of agencies as above] ... the
First Phase Study was not released publicly. The Second Phase Study has been
substantially completed and will be released when printed." 

I conclude that what I have is only the first of the two reports. It was the
only such report I could find in the Pattee/Paterno Library's catalog. 

Bob Netzlof a/k/a Sweet Old Bob