Dwight Long
April 15, 2016
Pittsburgh Railways in the PCC Age
Pittsburgh Railways Company PCC 1483 on the 98-Glassport line passes McKeesport B&O station in May 1961.
Ray Berger cover photo (Headlights, July-December 2005)
Pittsburgh Railways in the PCC Age
Conventional car 4208 works the 0.8-mile 17-Reedsdale Shuttle in 1948.
Ray Berger Collection (Headlights, July-December 2005)
Pittsburgh Railways in the PCC Age
4244 is at the end of the only slightly longer (1.5 mile) 24-Schoenville shuttle.
Ray Berger Collection (Headlights, July-December 2005)
Pittsburgh Railways in the PCC Age
All Electric 1704 meets air car 1614 at Canonsburg Wye in the early 1950s in the heart of Pittsburgh Railways’ interurban network.
Ray Berger Collection (Headlights, July-December 2005)
Pittsburgh Railways in the PCC Age
1767 is passing a long gone White Tower at Liberty & Grant outbound on route 88-Frankstown in September 1963. This is now the beginning of the East Busway.
Ray Berger Collection (Headlights, July-December 2005)
Pittsburgh Railways in the PCC Age
PCCs 1719, 1240 and 1770 are lined up at Tunnel Carhouse in 1963. The difference between interurban 1719 and city car 1770 can be clearly seen.
Ray Berger Collection (Headlights, July-December 2005)
Pittsburgh Railways in the PCC Age
1693 negotiates the famous 21-Fineview on Pittsburgh’s north side in September 1963.
Ray Berger Collection (Headlights, July-December 2005)
Pittsburgh Railways in the PCC Age
Inbound route 56 car 1651 is on the wooden decked western approach of the Glenwood bridge over the Monongahela River in September 1963.
Ray Berger Collection (Headlights, July-December 2005)
The presenter at our April meeting will be Pittsburgh native Dwight Long. Dwight rode and photographed Pittsburgh streetcars for many years in the 1950s and 1960s, a time when the system was largely still intact. His presentation, “Pittsburgh from 1 to 99: Pittsburgh Railways in the PCC Age,” is a departure from the usual ERA slideshow in that it combines maps and photos, covering each route (from the 1914 renumbering scheme) sequentially.
Pittsburgh Railways Company operated one of the larger and more interesting streetcar systems in the U.S. The combination of industrial development with the hills and river valleys of the surrounding area provided a network substantially different from systems in the flat terrain of most American cities. Operating over 600 miles and over 100 routes at its peak, Pittsburgh also boasted the second largest fleet of PCC cars in the U.S., as well as operating obsolete deck roof “Jones Cars” well into the 1950s.
Because of the length of Dwight’s presentation, tonight’s show will cover the first half of the Pittsburgh Railway routes, with a subsequent show portraying the balance. Come enjoy an inside look at a fascinating system!