316 served in The Bronx and in Westchester, was saved as a work car by the Third Avenue system, restored largely by Ronald Perente. 34 was built for Lynchburg, VA, but spent most of its transit life on the Five Mile Beach Railway in Wildwood, NJ, which continued in summer operation until the end of WWII. Both came to SLTM early in its history, 1947 or 1948, and both were built before 1900.
Here is Third Avenue Transit 629 before in was restored from its Vienna paint and door configuration, but with trolley poles having replaced the center pantograph for current collection, at the museum around 1968. It had been returned to New York in early Spring of 1967.
I believe I may be the operator of open car 1414 some 35 years ago in this photograph, but I cannot be certain.
Great pics Dave, even with you included lol.
Here is 316 returning from Short Beach along the salt marsh:
Where is the 316 today?
Man, that looks like a lot of fun! For someone in my age bracket (Gen-X) born in late 69, if it wasn't for Fred Rodgers I probably wouldn't even know what a trolley is!
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
316 is safe inside a carbarn, with the ability to move to high ground in case of a flood. It is operable, even restored with the two longitudinal benches (bowling-alley seating) inside. It was in use on Members Day this past May.
It may have been relocated to one of the two new high-ground car houses. If not, it will be soon, once all the track and wire are complete.
daveklepper 316 is safe inside a carbarn, with the ability to move to high ground in case of a flood. It is operable, even restored with the two longitudinal benches (bowling-alley seating) inside. It was in use on Members Day this past May. It may have been relocated to one of the two new high-ground car houses. If not, it will be soon, once all the track and wire are complete.
October brings (or brought?) to the Museum the haunted isle days, where ghosts and goblins were simulated, and a scary journey was arranged for visitors who wished to brave it. I am uncertain if this event is continuing, because much of the real estate where it took place has been usurped by the two new raised-level car houses.
Here is Johnstown, PA St. Louis-built lightweight one-man 357 meeting some elfin animals near the "Quarry Trestle," the smallest of the three bridges along the line. It spans a cut that in the very distant past was used by a small narrow-gauge railroad to transport rock from a nearby quary to the a dock on Farm River, which the line crosses twice, once near the Sprague Station and again just before the straight stretch next to the salt marsh. Not sure whether this small railroad, that dissapeared except for the cut, ever used steam. May have been powered by horses or mules only. The same decorations were and probably still are for Christmas Santa Claus trips.
Lovely work and lovely photos!
Thank You, Sir.
NDG Lovely work and lovely photos! Thank You, Sir.
Here is a B&W photo of Don Engle standing (on th e left) proudly by Third Avenue Transit 629 still in Vienna colors shortly after its arrival at Branford. Don had the major resonsibility of getting the car from Vienna. Shipping was the cost. The Vienna system donated the car.
I am proud to have been one of Don's friends, and here we are both enjoying a meal in the two-unit Broadway Limited diner on the way to an ARM Chicago convention.
Don was the major player in substation construction. I helped.
Also posted on the Cox Birney book thread on the Transit Forum. The book has an important mistake on page 29:
Birney's ran on the Conner Street line during WWII. 2350 ran under its own power from the James St. carbarn to this museum in the summer of 1947.
daveklepper Here is a B&W photo of Don Engle standing (on th e left) proudly by Third Avenue Transit 629 still in Vienna colors shortly after its arrival at Branford. Don had the major resonsibility of getting the car from Vienna. Shipping was the cost. The Vienna system donated the car. I am proud to have been one of Don's friends, and here we are both enjoying a meal in the two-unit Broadway Limited diner on the way to an ARM Chicago convention. Don was the major player in substation construction. I helped.
The B&W photo was taken in 1970. Trying to get information on when we chartered PRR 120 plus to and from the Chicago ARM Convention on the Broadway. It was, I believe, during the period that George Pins owned the car, before the couple-on-the-roof problem at Penn Station, and subsequent ownership by Juniata Terminal. And a few years into Amtrak operation. The Broadway was still all heritage equipment, and I think still steam heat (but not required on a summer trip). And before the "Pins Cushions" article in Trains. Does that place it for you? Around 1974?
David, I've enjoyed your trolley posting so much I've just got to pay you back.
I found this on You Tube, hope you like it.
I'm sure you'll love the acoustics!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOj-lOVtgPs
Everyone else should look in too, it's very enjoyable!
I'll have to wait until wifi at HU-Mt Scopus Library. The Yeshiva connection is narrow band. Also, cannot post pix with narrow-band.
+1 Great stuff. I visited Branford a long time ago. Pictures make me want to go back!
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
The SLTM is mentioned in the "Car Stop" of the fall issue of Classic Trains. There are 3 photos, showing cars 1474, 1459 and 500. http://ctr.trains.com/issues/2017/fall-2017
Hey everybody, looky what I found!
A Shore Line Trolley Museum video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC0-6XgyyJA
Enjoy it!
It's amazing what you find when you really aren't looking for anything in particular.
So.....why, again, did they stop running these things in favor of smelly buses??????
Penny Trains So.....why, again, did they stop running these things in favor of smelly buses??????
Ah Becky, a lot of reasons but not any one reason.
Folks from different parts of the country will have different stories, so the one I'll tell is most familiar to me.
In Northern New Jersey the big trolley company was a division of the Public Service combine, specifically Public Service Coordinated Transport. They were all over the North Jersey area and quite well patronized. Then around the time of the First World War, just before and immediately after, bus companys began to spring up taking advantage of the improved roads in the area. And these bus companys were sneaky, they drove along the same routes the trolleys did and arrived at the trolley stops five minutes before the cars did, stealing passengers away.
To add insult to injury, the buses ran on public roads, while the trolleys ran on private rights-of-way (mostly) that they had to pay property taxes on.
Loss of business to the buses, and eventually the automobile, led to more and more abandonments of the trolley lines. And eventually Public Service said "What the hell!" and bought the bus companys, which lead many to suspect that's what the bus company owners had in mind all along.
Public Service buses ran along the same trolley routes until the 1980's when the whole commuter system was taken over by New Jersey Transit, who still run buses along those same long-forgotten trolley routes.
Occasionally though, the past comes roaring back into the present. About ten or so years ago there was a road improvement project along the border of the North Jersey towns of Paramus and Rochelle Park, and lo and behold what surfaced but some Public Service trolley tracks, lost since the line was abandoned in 1937!
The Behnke Historical Museum in Paramus sells sections of the track (paperweight size) in their gift shop. I've got one! Woo-hoo!
The last survivor of the Public Service trolley system is the Newark NJ subway. That, and the Atlas O gauge Public Service trolley on my layout!
At least the new natural gas powered buses aren't smelly like the old diesel ones!
Wayne
Trolleys were not making enough money for long term maintenance, and when rail structure needed to be replaced, many lines gave up to buses.
In some case political pressure, Washington, DC and New York City.
Well, around here there appears to have been a conspiracy of sorts: http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigation/cleveland-electric-car/
That Cleveland car sure is one handsome fella. It definitely was a conspiracy ...of sorts. The reasons are myriad and rational for the most part but just as equally one can make a rational argument in the opposite direction and for a myriad of reasons.
The good news is that there is a resurgence and these systems are making a comeback.....of sorts.
When it comes to Interurbans I maintain that way way too much was lost and not for the good. Definitley a minority position.
North Shore 709 at Shore Line Trolley/Branford, on East Haven Trestle and at Sprague Station, East HAven:
Miningman The good news is that there is a resurgence and these systems are making a comeback.....of sorts. When it comes to Interurbans I maintain that way way too much was lost and not for the good. Definitley a minority position.
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