The 47 Drake was a PCC trolley line that was part of the Pittsburgh Light Rail

Pittsburgh Light Rail

The Pittsburgh Light Rail is a light rail system in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; it functions as a subway in Downtown Pittsburgh and largely as an at-grade light rail service in the suburbs. The system is owned and operated by the Port Authority of Allegheny County...

 system.

History

The 47D was the last line in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 to be used solely for PCC streetcars. It originally was part of an interurban trolley line that ran from Pittsburgh to Washington, PA until 1953, when the service was cut back to the Allegheny County

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...

 border at Drake and all trolleys turned using the newly constructed loop, situated below the trestle. The line to Drake became part of the 36 Shannon-Drake until the 1980s. After the 1993 closure of the Overbrook route the service became a shuttle between Castle Shannon and Drake and was renumbered 47D Drake shuttle. The line closed on 4 September 1999.

As of December 2009, most of the Drake Line still exists. The stretch of track from the Drake Loop to the "S" curve near the former Walthers stop was removed not long after the line was discontinued. When the Authority took delivery of new LRVs for use on the rebuilt Overbrook line in 2004, the new cars were tested on the Drake line prior to entering revenue service.

Fleet

During the final years of operation, three PCCs were used with a fourth kept as reserve. Car #4004 was donated to the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum

Pennsylvania Trolley Museum

The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, located at 1 Museum Road, Washington, Pennsylvania, is a museum dedicated to trolleys and includes several restored examples.-History:...

 where it has become part of a collection of historic streetcars and trolleys from all across the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

and other nations. San Francisco MUNI acquired #4008 and #4009 in an internet auction in 2002 for $5000 each. However, they are low on the priority list for a return to service as they need to be re-gaged and differ significantly from other MUNI PCCs.