The Modern Tramway of July 1951 included an article by A. A. Jackson about the tramways of Pittsburgh. [1]
The featured image for this article is a vintage Presidents’ Conference Committee (P.C.C.) tramcar- No. 1604. It is from the 1600 series of P.C.C. cars, operated by Pittsburgh Railways and is pictured on Line 49 bound for Beltzhoover. This photograph was taken during the 1970s, © Voogd075 and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 3.0). [2]
Pittsburgh is situated at the point where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers converge to become the River Ohio, historically it is the most important Iron and Steel Centre in the United States.
Jackson wrote:
“It is also one of the greatest American Tramway strongholds. The present population of the city is just under 674,000 and the surrounding industrial area is densely peopled.
Public transport began in 1859, when the first horse cars ran, and up till 1902 there were a large number of competing tramway companies. In that year, these companies were brought together under the Pittsburgh Railways Company, which is still the operator today [(late ,1950)]. There are now 1,187 trams, 666 of them being P.C.C. cars. There are over 542 miles of 5ft. 2 in. gauge track. This network of 79 routes sprawls over the whole urban and suburban area, serving more than 50 communities from Sewickley in the west to Trafford and Pitcairn in the east and from Aspinwall and Etna in the north to Washington and Charleroi in the south. These latter two places are about 28 and 20 miles respectively from the centre of the city and the tramway routes serving them are of interurban character. The Charleroi line actually runs beyond that town to a point further south in the borough of Roscoe. It has a branch to Donora and California. Half-hourly service is provided on these two interurban lines.
“Many of the suburban routes have private right-of-way and reserved track.” [1: p160]
“All tram services are designated by numbers (1 to 99, with gaps) and by names which usually indicate the district served or the principal street the route traverses, All-night cars operate in most districts between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. “Car Stop” discs are attached to the overhead wire and at heavy loading points where more than one car loads at the same time, special signs are placed on the overhead wires reading: ‘First Car’, ‘Second Car’ and, in some cases, ‘Third Car’.
“The first P.C.C. car arrived on 26th July, 1936, and the remainder were delivered (all from the St. Louis Car Co.) as follows: 1937 (175 cars), 1938 (25 cars), 1940 (100 cars), 1942 (100 cars), 1944 (50 cars), 1945 (115 cars), 1948 (100 cars). Included in the 1945 batch was No. 1600, the first standard 1945 model all-electric, standee-window P.C.C. car to be produced. It was included as a sample model by agreement. (All subsequent P.C.C. cars ordered after 1945 were standardized to that design (with ceiling fans and monitor roof optional) replacing the electric-air operated, non-standee window P.C.C. design originating in 1935).” [1: p162]
“Thirty-seven of the P.C.C. cars have been modified for interurban operation on the Washington and Charleroi lines. These modifications include replacing Clark B-2 trucks with St. Louis B-3 trucks, replacing H-B. lifeguard fenders with ‘cow-catchers’, provision of sirens, cash registers and an emergency tool kit over the windows ahead of the centre doors. The cars are also equipped with baggage racks. Some of the interurban P.C.C. cars are also equipped with radio telephones. Pittsburgh is the only system using single-ended, single-unit P.C.C. cars in long distance interurban service and the only system to use all-electric cars on this type of service. All Pittsburgh’s P.C.C. cars are one-man operated, with front entrance (P.A.Y.E.) and centre exit.” [1: p162-163]
Tram No. 1614, emerging from the tunnel at South Hills Junction, running outbound from Pittsburgh to Washington Pa.) on the inter-urban route. This junction carries 6 city and 2 inter-urban services, all operated by PCC. cars. [1: p163]
Tram No. 1647 outbound from Washington Junction to Washington (Pa.). This tramcar is one of 12 specially equipped for inter-urban service with type B3 trucks, siren, emergency tool kit and cash register. [1: p163]
At its height, the Pittsburgh Railways Company operated 666 P.C.C. streetcars, the third-largest fleet in North America, after Toronto (745) and Chicago (683). The network comprised 68 streetcar routes, of which three remain in operation in partially modernized form as part of the Pittsburgh Light Rail system. [3]
Financially, the Pittsburgh Railway Company struggled. Its lease and operate business model proved hard to support and the company declared bankruptcy twice, first in 1918 lasting for 6 years and then again in 1938, this time lasting until 1st January 1951. Company costs rose in the early twentieth century. PRC faced constant pressure from the city to improve equipment and services and workers would walk out when a pay raise was rejected.
When A.A. Jackson was writing about the network for The Modern Tramway, the company was still in bankruptcy.
On 26th July 1936, the PRC took delivery of P.C.C. streetcar No. 100 from the St. Louis Car Company. It was placed in revenue service in August 1936, the first revenue earning PCC in the world. The company went on to purchase a very large number of these vehicles in batches of 100 on most occasions. Jackson’s table giving details of the PRC fleet (above) shows that after purchasing car No. 100 in 1936: cars 1000-1099 were purchased/leased in 1937; cars 1100- 1199 were purchased/leased in 1937/1938; cars 1200-1299 were bought/leased in 1940; cars 1400-1499 arrived in 1942; cars 1500-1564 were purchased/leased in 1944/1945; cars 1600-1699 arrived in 1945; cars 1700-1799 arrived in 1949. During much of this time the PRC was bankrupt.
Despite the size of the network, it was not able to withstand the winds of change and large scale abandonments of lines began in the late 1950s, usually associated with highway or bridge work. [3]
As examples:
- highway improvements in the Duquesne-McKeesport area resulted in the replacement of tram services with buses on 21st September 1958;
- The replacement of the Point Bridge with the Fort Pitt Bridge precipitated the abandonment of many routes to the West End, all on 21st June 1959. In the end, the company had to abandon 27 miles (43 km) of street track in situ and was awarded $300,000 as compensation.
These events “marked the beginning of significant abandonments: 90 percent of the network was dismantled over the next decade.” [3]
A network that seemed to A.A. Jackson to have a bright future was by 1970 a pale shadow of the network in the early 1950s.
Similar things were happening in respect of the PRC Interurban network:
- “The Charleroi interurban line was cut back to the Allegheny County border at Library (Simmons loop) in June 1953. It continued to operate until the 1980s as 35 Shannon-Library and became the southern portion of 47L Library via Overbrook when Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs) replaced [trams]. The [tram] loop was removed in 2004. In 2010 this line became the Blue Line – Library, and in 2020 was renamed the Silver Line – Library.” [3]
- “The Washington line was cut back to the county boundary at Drake in August 1953 and eventually became the 36 Shannon-Drake. This in turn became the southern portion of 42 South Hills Village (excluding the new link from Dorchester to South Hills Village, which was built in 1984). The final portion of the interurban from Dorchester to Drake was renamed 47 Drake, finally closing in 1999 and bringing to an end P.C.C. Streetcar operation in Pittsburgh.” [3]
Pittsburgh Light Rail
The Pittsburgh Light Rail is the successor to the original Pittsburgh Railway Company. Some residual parts of the old network are in use as part of the Pittsburgh Light Rail system.
“The Pittsburgh Light Rail (commonly known as The T or the Trolley) is a 26.2-mile (42.2 km) light rail system in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, serving the city and surrounding suburbs. The system operates as a deep-level subway in Downtown Pittsburgh, but runs mostly at-grade in suburban areas south of the city. It is largely linear in a north–south direction, with one terminus near the central business district and two termini in the South Hills. The system is owned and operated by Pittsburgh Regional Transit.” [5]
“The system is one of the surviving first-generation streetcar systems in North America, with portions of the network dating to 1903, when they were operated by the Pittsburgh Railways Company. It is one of three light rail systems in the United States that continues to use the broad 5 ft 2 1⁄2 in (1,588 mm) Pennsylvania trolley gauge rather than the 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge. In 2025, the system had a ridership of 3,104,400.” [5]
On 1st March 1964, the PRC system “was acquired by the newly established Port Authority of Allegheny County (PAT), which also assumed operations of more than 30 other transit companies in the region, including bus operators and the incline lines. The state hoped the consolidation would help stabilize the system as the private companies all had separate fare structures, labour agreements, and, in some cases, overlapping routes, while ridership had declined in the preceding years.” [5]
PAT undertook a program of consolidation and modernisation. MOT tram routes were converted to bus operation which it believed reflected lower operating and maintenance costs and reduced capital requirements. “By the early 1970s, only a small number of trams routes remained, primarily those using the Mount Washington Transit Tunnel to reach the South Hills, retained in part because they operated on private rights-of-way separate from street traffic.” [5]
PAT also planned to introduce guided busways. The programme was given the name ‘Skybus’. However investment was curtailed in the late 1970s because of public opposition.
Stage I
Planning shifted toward reconstructing the remaining tram lines as a modern light rail system, resulting in a ‘Stage I’ plan, the first phase of a broader program to develop a new light rail network. “The project included reconstruction of the Beechview line, construction of a short branch to South Hills Village, and a 1.1-mile (1.8 km) subway through downtown. Reconstruction of the existing line included double-tracking formerly single-track segments, replacing jointed rail with continuous welded rail, and upgrading the overhead power system to modern catenary.” [5]
“Only the busiest stops were rebuilt with high-level platforms, while lower-ridership stops retained low-level, street-level boarding. Because this work preceded the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, full systemwide accessibility was not required. The design also allowed continued operation of P.C.C. cars on unmodified portions of the network, with some shared stations providing both high- and low-level boarding.” [5]
Construction started at the end of 1980. The first modern light rail cars began operating on 15th April 1984. A full service across the subway, the rebuilt Beechview line, and the South Hills Village branch was operating by July 1985. [5]
Funding for upgrades to the segment of the line between Castle Shannon and South Hills Junction was approved in May 1985, including $20 million in federal grants. The entire Stage I project was declared complete on 22nd May 1987, at a total cost of $522 million, which included the purchase of 55 light rail vehicles. [5]
Stage II – The Overbrook Line
“The line from South Hills Junction to Castle Shannon via Overbrook (now called the Overbrook Line, part of the Blue and Silver lines) was first constructed by the Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Railroad (P&CSRR) between 1872 and 1874. In 1905, Pittsburgh Railways leased the route, and between 1909 and 1910, converted it to dual gauge, retaining the existing narrow gauge for the coal-hauling trains and adding the broad 5 ft 2 1⁄2 in (1,588 mm) Pennsylvania tram gauge for passenger service using trams (streetcars). While the line was electrified with overhead power, the coal trains continued to use existing steam locomotives.” [5]
The Beechview line was rebuilt during the 1980s, but the Overbrook line remained largely unchanged and continued to be operated using P.C.C. cars. “The reconstruction of this line would be part of the Stage II project, to be performed at a future date pending additional funding. However, the condition of the track and infrastructure of the Overbrook line continued to deteriorate and in 1993, Pittsburgh Regional Transit determined the line to be unsuitable for safe operation in its current state and suspended service on the line. The line remained dormant until 1999, when the PRT broke ground on the Overbrook Line reconstruction project.” [5]
“The rebuilt Overbrook line was essentially an entirely new line built along the original line’s right of way. As had been done with the Beechview line prior, the rebuilt line was completely double-tracked with continuously welded rail, pandrol clip fixation, upgraded catenary and signaling, and other improvements. The rebuilt line included eight accessible stations with high-level platforms; unlike the Beechview line, no street-level stops were retained. The Overbrook line reopened in June 2004, at a total cost of $386 million, including the cost of purchasing 28 LRVs. Coinciding with the opening, Pittsburgh Regional Transit purchased 28 additional light rail cars to support the line and increase overall system capacity. At this time, the 55 existing cars were completely rehabilitated as well. In addition, as part of the Stage II project, upgrades to the traction power network, Operations Control Centre, and signals and communications had been implemented.” [5]
North Shore Connector
In January 1999, Pittsburgh Regional Transit began planning for the construction of a light rail line to connect Pittsburgh’s Downtown and North Shore. Federal funding was approved for the extension on 6th February 2004.
The main project involved twin-bore tunnels below the Allegheny River to connect a refurbished Gateway Station, which was the former Downtown terminus, to North Side station, located just west of PNC Park, and Allegheny station, located just north of Heinz Field. The completed project opened to the public on 25th March 2012. The final cost was $523.4 million. [5]
2024–2028 Rail Replacement Projects
“From 2024 to 2028, PRT is undertaking a system-wide program of track rehabilitation across the network. The work includes phased closures, single-tracking, and temporary service reroutes. … In 2024, sections of the Red Line were closed for track replacement, resulting in single-tracking operations, shuttle bus substitutions, and a temporary Red Line Short service between Dormont Junction and Overbrook Junction. During part of this period, Red Line trains were also rerouted over the Blue Line alignment.” [5]
That programme continues in 2026.
Future light-rail and rapid-transit extensions are mapped out in the 25-year ‘NEXTransit‘ plan. [12]
Rolling Stock
The majority of Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs) in use on the network are Siemens SD-400 units, introduced to the network between 1985 and 1987. These units were rebuilt by CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles) in 2005–2006 and are currently numbered from 4101–4155. (Seven units salvaged for parts, then scrapped.) CAF also supplied 28 of their own design of LRV between 2003 & 2004. [5]
References
- A. A. Jackson; An American Tramway Stronghold; in The Modern Tramway, Volume 14, No. 163, July 1951, p160 & p162-163.
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PCC_uit_de_1600_serie_op_lijn_49_BELTZHOOVER.jpg, accessed on 18th May 2026.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_Railways, accessed on 18th May 2026.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_Railways#/media/File%3APCC_uit_de_1700_serie_op_lijn_10_WEST_VIEW.jpg, accessed on 18th May 2026
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_Light_Rail, accessed on 18th May 2026.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_Light_Rail#/map/0, accessed on 18th May 2026.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_Light_Rail#/media/File%3APittsburgh_T_System_map.png, accessed on 18th May 2026.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_Light_Rail#/media/File%3APanhandle_Bridge_from_First_Avenue_Station%2C_2023-04-21.jpg, accessed on 18th May 2026.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Line_(Pittsburgh)#/media/File%3AT_Lightrail_an_der_Station_Square_03.jpg, accessed on 18th May 2026.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Line_(Pittsburgh)?wprov=rarw1#/media/File%3ARed_Line_Car%2C_Beechview%2C_2015-09-10%2C_02.jpg, accessed on 18th May 2026.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Line_(Pittsburgh)?wprov=rarw1#/media/File%3ASilver_Line_(cropped).jpg, accessed on 18th May 2026.
- https://nextransit.network, accessed on 18th May 2026.
Roger Farnworth 
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