In 1995, the Brilliant Branch (aside from the southernmost wye section) was leased and/or purchased by the fledgling Allegheny Valley Railroad (AVRR). The segment south of the Brilliant Branch Railroad Bridge was used as AVRR's main link from the Pittsburgh Line to its Allegheny Subdivision along the south shore of the Allegheny River.[5] The Brilliant Branch Bridge was subsequently repaired and was used by AVRR to access the AZCON scrap yard on the north side of the river.[6][7] In 2003, a segment of the P&W Subdivision was leased by AVRR[8] and became their main link between the Pittsburgh Line and the Allegheny Subdivision, leaving the Brilliant Branch to be used for local traffic only.[citation needed]
In 2015, the AZCON scrap yard, the last remaining customer on the line, closed.[9]
In 2016, the line was used as a detour from AVRR's usual route over the P&W Subdivision between the Allegheny Subdivision and the Pittsburgh Line while a trestle on that route was repaired.[10][2] The line was to be used as a detour again during another phase of the trestle repair in 2019.[11]
Current statusEdit
There is no regular traffic on the line as of 2019,[12] aside for at the wye on the south end of the line which is used to turn around Amtraks's daily Pennsylvanian trains.[13]
There are proposals to turn the Brilliant Branch into a rail-with-trail or rail-to-trail.[14][15][16]
PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD, BRILLIANT CUT OFF, SOUTH WYE
October 15, 2023
brilliant, branch, this, article, uses, bare, urls, which, uninformative, vulnerable, link, please, consider, converting, them, full, citations, ensure, article, remains, verifiable, maintains, consistent, citation, style, several, templates, tools, available,. This article uses bare URLs which are uninformative and vulnerable to link rot Please consider converting them to full citations to ensure the article remains verifiable and maintains a consistent citation style Several templates and tools are available to assist in formatting such as reFill documentation and Citation bot documentation August 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Brilliant Branch also known as the Brilliant Cutoff is a railway line in Pittsburgh and Aspinwall Pennsylvania It connects the Pittsburgh Line to the Conemaugh Line and to Allegheny Valley Railroad s Allegheny Subdivision Brilliant BranchFreight cars can be seen on the Brilliant Branch in this 1913 photographOverviewOwnerAllegheny Valley Railroad Norfolk Southern RailwayTerminiPittsburgh Line at HomewoodConemaugh Line at AspinwallServiceTypeFreight railOperator s Allegheny Valley RailroadHistoryOpened1904 1904 TechnicalTrack gauge1 435 mm 4 ft 8 1 2 in Route mapLegendConemaugh LineBrilliant Branch Railroad Bridgeacross Allegheny RiverAVRR Allegheny Subdivision 1 2 Highland DriveLincoln AvenueBrilliant Cutoff ViaductPittsburgh Line Contents 1 History 2 Current status 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksHistory EditThe line was built in 1903 04 3 by the Pennsylvania Railroad PRR as a cutoff to avoid the busy Union Station and its yards 4 After the collapse of the Penn Central Transportation Company the PRR s successor company in 1976 the Brilliant Branch was abandoned In 1995 the Brilliant Branch aside from the southernmost wye section was leased and or purchased by the fledgling Allegheny Valley Railroad AVRR The segment south of the Brilliant Branch Railroad Bridge was used as AVRR s main link from the Pittsburgh Line to its Allegheny Subdivision along the south shore of the Allegheny River 5 The Brilliant Branch Bridge was subsequently repaired and was used by AVRR to access the AZCON scrap yard on the north side of the river 6 7 In 2003 a segment of the P amp W Subdivision was leased by AVRR 8 and became their main link between the Pittsburgh Line and the Allegheny Subdivision leaving the Brilliant Branch to be used for local traffic only citation needed In 2015 the AZCON scrap yard the last remaining customer on the line closed 9 In 2016 the line was used as a detour from AVRR s usual route over the P amp W Subdivision between the Allegheny Subdivision and the Pittsburgh Line while a trestle on that route was repaired 10 2 The line was to be used as a detour again during another phase of the trestle repair in 2019 11 Current status EditThere is no regular traffic on the line as of 2019 12 aside for at the wye on the south end of the line which is used to turn around Amtraks s daily Pennsylvanian trains 13 There are proposals to turn the Brilliant Branch into a rail with trail or rail to trail 14 15 16 See also EditBrilliant Cutoff Viaduct Brilliant Branch Railroad BridgeReferences Edit Allegheny Valley Railroad Carload Express Inc carloadexpress com 21 April 2014 Retrieved 16 November 2018 a b 04 21 2016 Filing 240535 www stb gov Archived from the original on 2019 02 28 Cut Off Ready for Service Pittsburg Press October 28 1904 Retrieved November 23 2022 via Newspapers com The Railway Age 1903 Federal Register Allegheny Valley Railroad Brilliant Branch RR Bridge Bridges and Tunnels of Allegheny County and Pittsburgh PA Federal Register Former UY Tower location AVR Brilliant Industrial 1 September 2015 Federal Register Federal Register PRR Brilliant Branch bridge Aspinwall PA 4 22 2017 22 April 2017 Jersey Mike s Rail Adventures 17 10 06 PHOTOS HOME 6 October 2017 A brilliant plan for bikes Brilliant Branch Rail to Trail would connect Pittsburgh neighborhoods and beyond 17 July 2017 Brilliant Branch Envisioning Study by AE7 Pittsburgh Issuu Aspinwall to east liberty rail line rail trail External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brilliant Cutoff 1 PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD BRILLIANT CUT OFF SOUTH WYE Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Brilliant Branch amp oldid 1123409238, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
