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The Pittsburgh Railways Company was formed as
a subsidiary of Pennsylvania's transit giant, the Philadelphia Company. The company
was established following the passage of the Focht-Emery Transit Acts of June 8, 1901.
Pittsburgh's transit conglomerate officially began operation January 1, 1902,
but technically, the company history dates back to 1871 and the formation of the
Southern Traction Company.
The Southern Traction Company acquired several
street railway companies and grew into one of the dominant electrified railway system
in the southern Pittsburgh area. The rapid evolution of light rail technology and the
abundant growth in the city led to an increasing number of small, competing traction
lines. By the turn of the century there was a need to create a modern, unified
transportation system.
The Southern Traction Company acquired
Pittsburgh Railways Company and, on December 31, 1901, adopted the name of the
subsidiary company. The new entity consolidated the competing transit systems
throughout the Pittsburgh and Allegheny region. Hundreds of established railways,
and new chartered lines came together in a massive merger.
This page shows the names of nearly 300
separate transit companys that were owned or leased in the ever-increasing
corporate entanglement that was the Pittsburgh Railways Company as of October
25, 1906. A detailed account of these companies charters and specific routes
can be found in the Pittsburgh Railways Company Books.
Southern Traction Company
(incorporated May 25, 1871)
(changed name to Pittsburgh Railways Company 12/31/01)
Allegheny and Pittsburgh Elevated Railway Company
Allegheny Valley Street Railway Company
Belt Line Elevated Railway Company
Bloomfield Elevated Railway Company
Brunet Island Connecting Railway Company
Butler Street Elevated Railway Company
California and West Side Street Railway Company
Castle Shannon Railway Company
Central Rapid Transit Company
Charleroi, Belle Vernon and Fayette City Street Railway Company
Charleroi and West Side Street Railway Company
Chartiers and Robinson Turnpike Road Company
Chestnut Street Elevated Railway Company
Duquesne Garden Company
East End Elevated Railway Company
Eastern Allegheny Elevated Railway Company
Forbes Street Elevated Railway Company
Fort Pitt Elevated Railway Company
Liberty Avenue Elevated Railway Company
Maple Creek Street Railway Company
Mingo Creek Street Railway Company
Monongahela City Street Railway Company
Mount Washington Electric Railway Company
Mount Washington Tunnel Company
Penn Avenue Elevated Railway Company
Pittsburgh and Charleroi Railway Company
Pittsburgh and Charleroi Street Railway Company
Pittsburgh Express Company
Pittsburgh Railways Company
Pittsburgh Tunnel Company
Pittsburgh and Washington Turnpike Company
Rosslyn Street Railway Company
Second Avenue Elevated Railway Company
Smithfield Street Elevated Railway Company
Smithfield and Tunnel Street Railway Company
Southern Traction Company
South Side Underground Railway Company
Swissvale Street Railway Company
Third Avenue Elevated Railway Company
Western Allegheny Elevated Railway Company
Western Street Railway Company
Whitehall Street Railway Company
Wilkinsburg Elevated Railway Company
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West End Traction Company
- Carnegie Bridge Company
- Carnegie, Heidelberg and Bridgeville Street Railway Company
- Crafton and Chartiers Valley Traction Company
- Coraopolis and Neville Island Bridge Company
- McKees Rocks and Ingram Street Railway Company
- McKees Rocks and Neville Island Street Railway Company
- Pittsburgh, Neville Island and Coraopolis Street Railway Company
- Pittsburgh, Crafton and Mansfield Street Railway Company
- Pittsburgh, Banksville and Mt. Lebanon Street Railway Company
- Pittsburgh and West End Passenger Railway Company
- Pittsburgh and Temperanceville Railway Company
- Pittsburgh and McKees Rocks Railway Company
- Virginia Avenue Street Railway Company
- West End, Mt. Washington and Banksville Street Railway Company
Consolidated Traction Company
(incorporated July 23, 1895)
(acquired by Pittsburgh Railways Company 06/08/01)
Pittsburgh Traction Company
- Pittsburgh Oakland and East Liberty Passenger Railway Company
- Pittsburgh and East Liberty Passenger Railway (*)
- Central Transit Company
- Bloomfield Street Railway Company
A Pittsburgh Traction Company cable line
loop, located at
Fifth and Liberty Avenues in 1890.
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Duquesne Traction Company
- Duquesne Street Railway Company
- Larimer and Lincoln Street Railway Company
- Wilkinsburg and East Liberty Street Railway Company
- Larimer Street Railway Company
- Craig Street Railway Company
- Howe Street Railway Company
- East End Street Railway Company
- Boyd Street Railway Company
- Market Street Railway Company
- Peoples Street Railway Company
- Highland Street Railway Company
- Wilkinsburg Street Railway Company
- Grant Street Railway Company
- Bellfield Street Railway Company
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Central Traction Company
- Central Passenger Railway
- Pittsburgh and East Liberty Passenger Railway (*)
- Transverse Passenger Railway Company (*)
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Fort Pitt Traction Company
- Fort Pitt Street Passenger Railway Company
- Gross Street Railway Company
- Negley Street Railway Company
- Highland Park Passenger Railway
- Citizens Traction Company
- Citizens Passenger Railway Company
- Transverse Passenger Railway Company (*)
- North Side Passenger Railway Company
- Penn Street Railway Company
- Highland Park and Butler Street Railway Company
- Aspinwall Street Railway Company
- Allegheny Traction Company
- Millvale, Etna and Sharpsburg Street Railway Company
 
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Suburban Rapid Transit Street Railway Company
- South Twenty-Second Street Railway Company
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Monongahela Street Railway Company
- Monongahela Street Railway Company
- Braddock and North Homestead Street Railway Company
- East Pittsburgh and Wilmerding Street Railway Company
- Monongahela Boulevard Company
- North Braddock Street Railway Company
- Oakmont and Wilkinsburg Railway Company
- Oakmont and Wilkinsburg Street Railway Company
- Thompson's Run Bridge Company
- Turtle Creek and Millerstown Street Railway Company
United Traction Company
(incorporated July 26, 1896)
(acquired by Pittsburgh Railways Company 06/08/01)
Pittsburgh and Birmingham Traction Company
- Birmingham, Knoxville and Allentown Traction Company
- Brownsville Avenue Street Railway Company
- Mt. Oliver Incline Railway Company
- Pittsburgh and Birmingham Passenger Railroad Company
- Pittsburgh and Birmingham Traction Company
- Pittsburgh and Hill Top Street Railway Company
- Pittsburgh, Hill Top and Castle Shannon Street Railway Company
- Pittsburgh Incline Plane Company (Knoxville Incline)
- South Side Passenger Railroad Company
- West Liberty Street Railway Company
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Ben Avon Bridge Company
Ben Avon Street Railway Company
Corey Avenue Street Railway Company
East McKeesport Street Railway Company
Federal Street and Pleasant Valley Passenger Railway Company
Glenwood and Dravosburg Electric Railway Company
Glenwood Highway Bridge Company
Homestead Street Railway Company
McKeesport and Reynoldton Passenger Railway Company
North End Passenger Railway Company
North Side Traction Company
Pittsburgh, Allegheny and Manchester Passenger Railway Company
Pittsburgh, Allegheny and Manchester Traction Company
Pittsburgh Southern Street Railway Company
Pittsburgh Union Passenger Railway Company
Second Avenue Passenger Railway Company
Second Avenue Traction Company
The Second Avenue Traction Company
Turtle Creek Valley Electric Railway Company
United Traction Company of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Railways Company
(acquisitions as of October 1, 1901)
Allegheny Hilltop Street Railway Company
Aspinwall and Springdale Street Railway Company
Bates Street Railway Company
Beatty Street and Highland Park Street Railway Company
Ben Avon and Emsworth Street Railway Company
Benton Avenue Street Railway Company
Brereton Avenue Street Railway Company
Carson Street Railway Company
Cedar Avenue Street Railway Company
City View Street Railway Company
Duquesne Heights Street Railway Company
East End Connecting Street Railway Company
Eastern Rapid Transit Street Railway Company
East Street and Evergreen Street Railway Company
Grant and Liberty Street Railway Company
Howard and East Street Railway Company
Main and Mifflin Street Railway Company
McKees Rocks and Allegheny Street Railway Company
Morningside Street Railway Company
Mt. Washington Street Railway Company
North Side and South Side Street Railway Company
Pittsburgh and Knoxville Street Railway Company
Pittsburgh and Washington Street Railway Company
Ridge Avenue and Chartiers Street Railway Company
Ruth Street Railway Company
Stanton Avenue Street Railway Company
Superior Avenue and Shady Avenue Street Railway Company
White Hall Street Railway Company
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Pittsburgh Railways Company
(acquisitions as of October 1, 1903)
Allegheny and Perrysville Street Railway Company
Allegheny and Westmoreland Street Railway Company
Atlantic Street Railway Company
Avalon and Glenfield Street Railway Company
Baldwin Street Railway Company
Bank and Broad Street Railway Company
Bankers Street Railway Company
Bellevue and Perrysville Street Railway Company
Ben Avon and Baden Street Railway Company
Butler County Street Railway Company
Carnegie and McDonald Street Railway Company
Connoquessing Street Railway Company
Coraopolis and Aliquippa Street Railway Company
Coraopolis and McKees Rocks Street Railway Company
Coraopolis and Monaca Street Railway Company
Duquesne and Mifflin Street Railway Company
East Bank Street Railway Company
Elizabeth and Donora Street Railway Company
Elizabeth and Monongahela Street Railway Company
Ferry Street Railway Company
Hall Park Street Railway Company
Harmony Street Railway Company
Homestead and Mifflin Street Railway Company
Iron City Street Railway Company
Kilbuck Street Railway Company
Leechburg, Freeport and Tarentum Street Railway Company
Leet Township Street Railway Company
McKeesport Street Railway Company
McKeesport and Suburban Street Railway Company
Monaca, Aliquippa and Coraopolis Street Railway Company
Monongahela City and Clairton Street Railway Company
Munhall and Mifflin Street Railway Company
Muncipal Street Railway Company
New Grant Street Railway Company
New Terminal Street Railway Company
Pine Creek Street Railway Company
Pittsburgh, Carnegie and McDonald Street Railway Company
Pittsburgh and Clairton Street Railway Company
Pittsburgh, McKeesport and Greensburg Railway Company
Pittsburgh Rapid Transit Street Railway Company
Rosslyn Street Railway Company
Seventh Avenue Street Railway Company
Sewickley Street Railway Company
Sewickley and Leetsdale Street Railway Company
Sewickley and Osborne Street Railway Company
Springdale Street Railway Company
Spruce Run Street Railway Company
Squirrel Hill and Wilkinsburg Street Railway Company
Turtle Creek Valley Street Railway Company
Twin Creeks Valley Street Railway Company
Union Street Railway Company
Webster Avenue Street Railway Company
Wilkins Electric Street Railway Company
Wilkinsburg, Turtle Creek and East Pittsburgh Street Railway Company
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Pittsburgh Railways Company
(acquisitions as of October 25, 1906)
The Elizabeth Street Railway Company
Borough Street Railway Company
Douglass and Donora Street Railway Company
Wilkins and Braddock Street Railway Company
Leetsdale Borough Street Railway Company
Broadway Street Railway Company
Clairton Street Railway Company
The Carnegie, McDonald and Cannonsburg Street Railway Company
Allegheny, Evergreen and Millvale Street Railway Company
Monongahela City and Daggs Ferry Street Railway Company
The Morningside Electric Street Railway Company
O'Hara Street Railway Company
Harmer Street Railway Company
Tarentum and Brackenridge Street Railway Company
West Elizabeth Street Railway Company
Marshall Avenue Street Railway Company
Bridgeville Street Railway Company
Watson Street Railway Company
Dravosburg and Jefferson Street Railway Company
Murray Avenue Street Railway Company
West Etna Street Railway Company
Library and West Liberty Street Railway Company
South End Connecting Street Railway Company
Nobles Lane Street Railway Company
Pittsburgh and Butler Street Railway Company
West Liberty and Suburban Street Railway Company (39-Brookline)
Pittsburgh and Harmony Street Railway Company
Duquesne and Lincoln Place Street Railway Company
Rennerdale and Oakdale Street Railway Company
Oakdale and McDonald Street Railway Company
Carnegie and Rennerdale Street Railway Company
Bon-Air Street Railway Company
Ambridge, Sewickly and Osborne Street Railway Company
Ambridge, Leetsdale and Edgeworth Street Railway Company
Ambridge, Glenfield and Dixmont Street Railway Company
Ambridge, Haysville and Glenfield Street Railway Company
Ambridge, Edgeworth and Sewickley Street Railway Company
Ambridge, Dixmont and Emsworth Street Railway Company
Ambridge, Osborne and Haysville Street Railway Company
Peter's Creek Street Railway Company
The Glassport Street Railway Company
The Port Vue Street Railway Company
Electric Avenue Street Railway Company
Penn and Franklin Street Railway Company
Collins Avenue Street Railway Company
Boquet and Joncaire Street Railway Company
Atlantic and Baum Street Railway Company
Melwood Avenue Street Railway Company
Southern Valley Street Railway Company
Dravosburg Heights Street Railway Company
Wall Railways Company
Thornhill Street Railway Company
Mawhinney Street Railway Company
St. Clair and Sodom Street Railway Company
Bethel Street Railway Company
Mt. Bethel Street Railway Company
Rebecca Street Railway Company
Lawrenceville Street Railway Company
Coral Street Railway Company
Frankstown Avenue Street Railway Company
Glenwood Avenue Street Railway Company
Greenwood Street Railway Company
Haights Street Railway Company
Hale Street Railway Company
Halket Street Railway Company
Harriett Street Railway Company
Johnstown Avenue Street Railway Company
Portland Street Railway Company
Sylvan Avenue Street Railway Company
Winebiddle Street Railway Company
 
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