Allegheny Valley Street

Company History: The AVSR opened in 1906 with an 18 mile broad gauge streetcar line linking the communities of Tarentum, Aspinwall, Springdale, New Kensington, Arnold, Natrona and Parnassus, all northeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company later became a subsidiary of West Penn Railways (although the two did not directly connect.) The last streetcars ran on these lines in 1937.

Successor/Parent History: WPRwys was born in 1904 when the railways were split from the electric generation and distribution business of its parent company. At its peak, WPRwys ran 338 miles of electric interurban and streetcar line in 6 disconnected segments in western Pennsylvania, the panhandle of West Virginia and eastern Ohio. Five of the six segments were 5’ 2.5” gauge and the sixth was standard gauge. WPRwys had a relatively long life as far as interurban lines go. They were the beneficiary of poor roads in their region and lower than average automobile ownership. Many of their riders worked for the region’s coal mines and coking plants and avoided despoiling their own autos on the trip home from work by taking the WPRwys. The last train ran from Connelsville to Uniontown, Pennsylvania in 1952.

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.