Pittsburgh PCC Streetcars

Pittsburgh PCC streetcar at South Hills Junction

Description

In the early 1960s, Pittsburgh had the largest surviving streetcar system in the United States. The Pittsburgh Railways Company operated more than 600 PCC cars on 41 routes. In 1964 the system was acquired by the Port Authority of Allegheny County, which rapidly converted to buses. By the early 1970s, the only routes remaining were the ones which used the Mt. Washington Tunnel just south of the Monongahela River to reach the South Hills area.

In the 1980s, much of the remaining system was rebuilt into a modern light rail system, and many of the PCCs were replaced by light-rail vehicles built by Duewag. The tracks in downtown streets and the Smithfield Street bridge were replaced by a short subway and a former railroad bridge.

In 1971-72, the following routes operated. All routes looped through the streets of downtown Pittsburgh and crossed the Monongahela River via the Smithfield Street bridge.

35 Shannon-Library: through the Mt. Washington tunnel to South Hills Junction, then via Overbrook to Castle Shannon, Washington Junction and Library. Until the early 1950s this line continued as an interurban to Charleroi.
36 Shannon-Drake: same as route 35 as far as Washington Junction, then branching off to Drake. Until the early 1950s this line continued as an interurban to Washington (Pennsylvania, not D.C. :-).
37 Shannon: same as routes 35 and 36 as far as Castle Shannon, where it terminated.
42/38 Mt. Lebanon via Beechview: through the Mt. Washington tunnel to South Hills Junction, then via Beechview to Dormont and Mt. Lebanon. During rush hours, some cars continued past Mt. Lebanon to Castle Shannon, connecting with routes 35, 36 and 37.
49 Arlington-Warrington: Unlike the other routes, this one did not use the Mt. Washington tunnel. Instead, it climbed over the top of Mt. Washington via Arlington and Warrington Avenues, ending at South Hills Junction.

A schematic map of the routes listed above

Pictures

These pictures were taken in December 1971 and March 1972. In November 2022, I replaced the old images posted in 2007 with larger versions, and added some new images, marked with ✅.

Some cars are still in the decrepit old orange and cream paint scheme from the Pittsburgh Railways days. These pictures are noted accordingly. The rest are relatively freshly painted in the Port Authority’s gray, red and white.

[picture] Two cars (one with old paint, one with new paint) leave the Smithfield Street bridge over the Monongahela River and enter downtown Pittsburgh. In the background is Mount Washington, on top of which you can just barely see the upper terminal of the Monongahela Incline (funicular). It’s in front of the large apartment building. [March 1972]

[picture] A route 42/38 car (old paint) inside the steel structure of the Smithfield Street bridge. [March 1972]

[picture] The station building at South Hills Junction, with a rear view of a departing northbound car, which is about to enter the Mt. Washington tunnel. [December 1971]

✅ [picture] A few minutes later, a southbound route 36 car leaves South Hills Junction, after emerging from the tunnel. [December 1971]

[picture] A crowd of passengers is about to board a northbound route 35 car at South Hills Junction. [December 1971]

✅ [picture] A southbound route 42/38 car (old paint) heads south on Broadway in Beechview. [December 1971]

[picture] A northbound route 42/38 car (old paint) picks up passengers on Broadway in Beechview. After a few blocks, this car will cross a couple of spectacular bridges and arrive at South Hills Junction. [December 1971]

[picture] Not only does this route 42/38 car have old paint, it’s an older model car than the other ones shown here. It’s heading north on Broadway in Beechview, a bit south of the location of the preceding picture. [December 1971]

[picture] Just a bit further south along Broadway, a lone passenger boards an northbound 42/38 car, with a row of houses lined up along an embankment in the rear. [December 1971]

[picture] A route 36 car crosses Castle Shannon Boulevard just before stopping at the Castle Shannon municipal building on its way to Drake. [March 1972]

[picture] A route 35 car poses in front of the Castle Shannon municipal building. [March 1972]

[picture] Two cars meet at the Martin Villa stop just south of Castle Shannon. They’re either route 35 (Library) or 36 (Drake), which ran together between downtown and Washington Junction. [March 1972]

[picture] An inbound route 35 car approaches South Park on the Library route. [December 1971]

🚋 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: PCC Streetcars in the 1970s

Description

Pictures