Route PH Red Flyer came into PAT's
route structure during the rapid expansion of routes during the early years of the MOD
era. It was somewhat of an oddity as it only ran in the morning peak. The PH wasn't one of
the more successful Red Flyer routes instituted during the heyday of MOD era and the one
way only operation may have helped play into the early elimination of this route.
Garages assigned to the PH:
- West Mifflin Division - 09/03/74 - ??/??/76
Destination Signs:
Operated with window cards. Some coaches may have
destination signs and that is being investigated.
The above is representative of what was used on the route.
Routing:
Inbound - From Old Clairton Road (Old Route 51) at Broadway via
Broadway, Green, McCellan, Rennie, Broadway, Colson, Temona, Arbor, West Bruceton, Hi Tor,
Dutch , Mowry, Old Clairton Road, National, Caryl, Columbia, Delano, Nantucket, Audrey,
Caryl, Constitution, Old Clairton Road, Clairton Blvd. (Rt. 51), Saw Mill Run Blvd. (Rt.
51), Liberty Tunnels and Bridge, Blvd. of the Allies, Grant Street, Liberty Avenue to
Stanwix.
No Outbound Trips.
A one way trip on the regular routing took approximately 55 minutes.
Route Highlights:
Started: 09/03/74 - A result of the rapid expansion of services
during the MOD era.
Ended: ??/??/76 (The PH was discontinued between 07/04/76 and
09/05/76. We are trying to locate an exact date.)
Service operated Monday through Friday with no Saturday. Sunday or
holiday service.
The PH was routed through 3 fare zones (zones 1 through 3 under the
original zone boundaries).
2 trips only inbound in the AM rush. No outbound trips. One was a
direct trip to the US Steel Building and Gateway Center and one was a shopper express that
went directly to the 3 department stores in Downtown. The first trip ran non-stop from
Stilley Road. The second PH trip was designated as a "Shopper's Express" and
made all the stops. This trip remained after the PH was discontinued and ran under the 46H
route designation. The "Shoppers Express" was a service PAT offered to get
people into town and the 3 major department stores. When the Red Flyers were instituted,
many of the "Shoppers Express" trips around the system were redesignated as a
Red Flyer Trips.
The schedule indicates that there was a transfer at Hi Tor Gardens to
accommodate the Gill Hall Road extension trip of the 46H. The 46H trip from Gill Hall ran
the 7:05AM trip with the same exact times as the PH also except the downtown arrival time
and pretty much followed the PH then entire way into Downtown.
Interestingly, the PH was only 3 minutes faster than the regular 46H
Pleasant Hills in getting to Downtown even with the express service from Stilly Road. This
was primarily due to the heavy delays experienced by buses on Saw Mill Run Blvd. during
rush hour prior to the opening of the South Busway.
This was an example of the many "one way only" type routes
PAT offered over the years.
Schedules (Known PAT issued schedules are listed):
The PH had 2 distinct schedule styles issued.
The PH schedule was included in the 46G Elizabeth schedule and carried
a folder number of W-4. The schedule was also included in the West Mifflin Red Flyer
schedule and carried the folder of W-21.
- W-4S - 09/01/74
- W-4T - 11/24/74
- W-4U - ?
- W-4V - ?
- W-4W - ?
- W-4X - ?
-
-
- W-21F - 11/25/74
- W-21G - ?
- W-21H - 07/04/76
Route Disposition:
The PH was discontinued and service absorbed by the regular routing of
the 46H Pleasant Hills, 46G Elizabeth, E Elizabeth and CL Clairton. A small portion of the
original PH express service in Pleasant Hills along Old Clairton Road was picked up in the
1980's by the JL Jefferson - Large Red Flyer.
Click on images for larger view
The route map for the PH will be added after it is drawn up. Existing
maps don't show the Downtown routing of this route. |
