posd Pittsburgh Operational Switching District
Distribute freely (unless otherwise noted) Corrections? Additions? Questions? Email your webmistress!!!
(take me back home)
(take me back to the documents main page)
General Description
Unlike the other entities listed on the previous page, the
Pittsburgh Operational Switching District (or POSD) was not an
officially recognized divisional area in the 1940's. Instead, the
POSD linked the Pittsburgh termini of the divisions coming into the
city from all directions. Pittsburgh was the hub of the Central
Region and had traditionally been the break between the PRR and the
Pennsylvania Company - Lines East and Lines West. Administrative
control of routes in and out of the city changed hands over short
distances, so that an inbound train would often cross parts of two or
three divisions as it moved around the city. The POSD
semi-formally bound the ends of five divisions into a loop around
downtown. Beginning on the east at Pitcairn Yard, it followed the
Pittsburgh Division main line to 'PERRY', the Port Perry Branch to
'PG', the Monongahela Division main line to 'OB', the Scully Branch to
'ESPLEN', the Ohio Connecting Railway to 'ISLAND AVENUE', the Eastern
and Conemaugh division mains up the Allegheny to 'UY', the Brilliant
Branch to 'CM', and the Pittsburgh division main again back to
Pitcairn. All facilities within this loop were considered part of
the POSD, as well as Peter's Creek Yard, Scully Yard, Coleman Yard, and
Conway Yard. During the 1920's much of this loop had been
established as the Pittsburgh Terminal Division, but for reasons
unknown this arrangement ended after only a few years. Track Charts
