Pittsburgh and Butler Street Railway

The Pittsburgh and Butler Street Railway, commonly called the Butler Short Line, was a broad gauge[1] interurban streetcar line connecting Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States to Butler via Mars.

Pittsburgh and Butler Street Railway

Overview
Headquarters	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Locale	Western Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Butler Mars
Dates of operation	1907–1917
Successor	Pittsburgh, Mars and Butler Railway
Technical
Track gauge	Pennsylvania Trolley Gauge, 5 ft 2 ^1⁄2 in (1,588 mm)

Pittsburgh, Mars and Butler
New Castle Cascade Park W.A.R.R. Depot E. New Castle Rozzi Wilkinson Gardner Weir Shenango Rose Energy Cox Baldwin Moravia Springs Marquis Smiley Wayne Slippery Rock Wilson Hazel Dell Elwood Junction Wurtemburg Knox Frisco Hazen N. Sewickley Elwood Country Club Jackson Rustick Park Willow Grove River View Marion Eckert Goemring Fombell Spruce Hill Pine Run Pflugh Ben Venue Valley Allen Lockwood Zelienople Harmony Jct. Knights Pythias Nurseries Ziegler Burnstown Elwood Church Park Gate Hartman Belton Toll House Hoyt Dale Koppel Koppel Sub. Sta. So. Koppel Homewood Horne Grimm Morado Beaver Falls Butler Pierce Lyndora Highfield Duffey Eberhart Woodlawn Miller Meridian Cupps Reiber Walker Graham Connoquenessing Forward Buhl Ash Stamm Dambach Walden Bredanville Kummer Leibler Odell Phillips McCalmont Renfrew Thorne Creek McBride Brown Yingling Butler C. Club Nixon Duffey Star Conabee Adams Hughes Lloyd Hayes Pershing Rosebaugh McCandless Humes Hutchman Cashdollar Ludwig Evans City Mars May Irwin Marburger Callery Kaufman Kiser Burke West Plains Church Frankilin Rd. Rowan Criders Dutihl Thornhill School Robinson Fowler Warrendale Wheatland Bradford Woods Burmar Brennan Wexford Crystal Springs Richards Biening Pine Creek Ingomar Glen Manor Willoughby Peets Brants Highland Perrymont Kaylor Pines Keown Mellwood North Ivory Heim Evergreen McCutcheon Brookview Brooks Myers Eakin Belper Ross Ivory Brickworks Dight Downieville Valencia Arcadia State Road Bakerstown St. Barnabas McKelvey Dickey Gibsonia Richland Hts. Gemsys Hts. Smith Hardies Hampton Poff Bardona Wickline Health Farm Wildwood Sample W. Hoffman McCune Furgason Allison Park Elfinwild Mt. Royal Vilsack Stock Farm Glenshaw Under Cliff Braun Broadway Gibson Shaler Hts. Etna Pittsburgh (Liberty and Market)

History

The Pittsburgh and Butler Street Railway was opened in 1907 between Pittsburgh and Butler[2] traveling via Etna, Glenshaw, Allison Park, and Mars. In 1914 the railway converted from AC to 1200V DC which reduced power consumption by 15% and reduced the weight of each car by 6 tons.[1]

In 1917 the railway amalgamated with the Pittsburgh, Harmony, Butler and New Castle Railway, who operated the Harmony Line between Pittsburgh and New Castle, the new company being named the Pittsburgh, Mars and Butler Railway.[3]

In April 1931 the company went into receivership. The Butler Short Line was closed on April 22, 1931[4] as it was in poor condition, services being absorbed into the existing PA 8 bus service. The stub of the Butler Short Line continued to be used by Pittsburgh Railways as the 2 Etna service until closure in 1952.[5]

Route

Leaving Butler going south along South Chestnut Street the railway crossed the rails of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) and the Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad (B&LE), before turning west down the valley of the Connoquenessing Creek through Bredinville.[6] Running parallel to the B&LE through Odell and then east into Thorn Creek past Renfrew Station, the line then headed south, climbing out of Thorn Creek valley alongside Three Degree Road, where the Butler Country Club had a stop of their own. When Butler County Airport was constructed Three Degree Road was diverted to use the old track bed, now forming the eastern perimeter road of the airport.

The line continued south, descending into the valley of Breakneck Creek and passing through Mars.[7] It continued south along the valley, through Downieville and Valencia to Etna, where it joined the local Pittsburgh Railways route to downtown.

Incidents

Two cars collided on March 27, 1909 after one was delayed by a derailment on the grade crossing of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad near Mars. The crash occurred near Bryant Station and three people died at the scene, all employees of the railway.[8]

References

1. William D. Middleton (1961). The Interurban Era. Kalmbach Publishing. pp. 113, 430.
2. Robert B. Van Atta (December 23, 2001). "EARLY NORTH HILLS CARS". Pittsburgh Tribune. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
3. "Rachel Carson Trails – Harmony Trail". February 3, 2007. Retrieved September 2, 2009.
4. "Zelienople Historical Society – The Harmony Line – The End of an Era". 2004. Archived from the original on July 6, 2010. Retrieved October 4, 2009.
5. "Pittsburghtransit.com – The Routes – PCC Operation". August 28, 2005. Archived from the original on August 28, 2005. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
6. Butler, PA Quadrangle (Map) (Feb. 1911 ed.). 1:62500. 15 Minute. United States Geological Survey.
7. Sewickley, PA Quadrangle (Map) (Feb. 1911 ed.). 1:62500. 15 Minute. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved November 14, 2010.
8. "Three killed as electric cars crash" (PDF). The New York Times. March 28, 1909. Retrieved November 22, 2009.