Vintage Trolley Crashes in Pittsburgh, Injuring 32

A vintage 1940s trolley car lost its brakes and derailed at a busy intersection during the morning rush hour today, glanced off a bus and truck and crashed into a building, injuring at least 32 people.

Most of the injured were on the trolley, police said.

The injured--two in critical condition and five in serious condition--were taken to area hospitals, Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Margaret Rizza said.

The 19-ton trolley, carrying about 45 people, was heading for the downtown subway from the city’s South Hills suburbs when it lost its brakes on a downgrade in a tunnel about 8:12 a.m., Port Authority Transit Operations Manager Mike Scanlon said.

Realized Brakes Were Gone

Trolley driver John Stromple, 47, told police that he realized his brakes were gone and told passengers to get to the back of the car, Scanlon said.

“It was just remarkable what this individual apparently did to try to minimize the injuries in this tragedy,” Scanlon said. “I’m told he either pulled or carried a woman who was fright-frozen.”

The trolley jumped the tracks as it left the tunnel, struck the side of a bus and the rear of a transit maintenance truck, shot across a heavily traveled intersection and plowed into the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Building near the Station Square Mall.

Officials were not immediately able to determine the speed of the trolley at the time of the crash, PAT spokeswoman Debbie DeCourcy said.

The trolley was built in the late 1940s but had been inspected twice monthly, Scanlon said. It is one of dozens of old cars that share the suburban and subway tracks with modern light-rail vehicles.

The crash crumpled the front of the trolley and shattered windows in the P≤ Building.

The accident happened across the Monongahela River from downtown near the south side of the Smithfield Street Bridge, which spans the river. Police closed the bridge.

“The trolley operator made a service stop at South Hills Junction, which is just on the other side of the Mount Washington Tunnel,” Scanlon said. “He proceeded through the tunnel and very early in the tunnel he applied brake because it is a 15-m.p.h. speed limit down the grade through the tunnel. He could get no brake and he went through a number of procedures to try to apply emergency braking--the car is equipped with three different braking systems--but was unable to get any brake.

“He was able to contact our control center and let them know he was sliding out of control. He got all the people into the back of the car, as far back as possible.”