Good news for Liberty Liner/Electroliner fans!

[Overmod]

Press release at 5:30 this morning (I have left all the links in):

Rockhill Furnace, PA – The Rockhill Trolley Museum (http://www.rockhilltrolley.org), the operating entity of Railways To Yesterday, Inc., a 501(c) (3) non-profit educational corporation, is happy to announce the return of its historic Electroliner/Liberty Liner streamlined train to operating condition.

Two of these historic trains were constructed in 1941 by the St. Louis Car Company for the Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad, which provided high speed electric service from downtown Chicago to downtown Milwaukee until 1963. These trains were specially designed to provide the most modern comforts at the time yet still be capable of operating in the tight confines of the Chicago elevated railways and with automobile traffic in the streets of Milwaukee. These trains were studied by the designers of the original Japanese “Bullet” trains in the early 1960s and perhaps influenced some of the features of these trains.

Both of these historic trains were sold in 1963 to the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company of Upper Darby, PA, commonly referred to as the “Red Arrow Lines”. These trains were refurbished and returned to operation on that company’s Norristown division in January 1964 and operated in regular service until 1978. Railways To Yesterday purchased train #803-804, named “Independence Hall”, in 1982 and moved the train to Rockhill Furnace where it was returned to operating condition. The train was set aside for display-only purposes in 1996 due to significant problems with the train’s electrical control system. Museum volunteers again restored the train to operation in 2011 for a special Membership event but electrical problems again sidelined the train in 2012.

Thanks to a substantial donation, replacement control system components were assembled and more than a dozen volunteers from several museum departments worked as a team over the past four months to return the train to operating condition once again. The train made its ceremonial roll-out and first trip on Saturday evening, February 15, at an annual gathering of volunteers from many east coast trolley museums.

The museum intends to maintain the train in operable condition in the future and operate the train on special occasions. The museum is accepting donations to help defray the costs of maintaining this historic vehicle and to rebuild additional components to provide increased reliability. The museum is a 501(c) (3) non-profit educational corporation and donations are tax-deductible. If interested in donating towards this worthwhile project, please contact the POC provided below.

The Rockhill Trolley Museum is one of the oldest continuously operating trolley museums in the Middle Atlantic, having operated trolleys every year since 1962. The museum offers a very scenic three mile round trip ride along scenic Blacklog Creek. For more information on the museum, as well as information on how to contribute to museum projects, when to visit, how to become a member, or how to volunteer, please visit http://www.rockhilltrolley.org.

For additional information please contact:

Railways To Yesterday, Inc.
P.O. Box 1601
Allentown, PA 18105
http://www.rockhilltrolley.org
https://www.facebook.com/rockhilltrolley

POC: Matthew W. Nawn, Chairman
[e-mail]

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Since the IRM has restored its Electroliner to its original North Shore Line appearance, it would be nice if Rockhill restored its LibertyLiner to its Red Arrow Lines appearance.

[daveklepper]

Isn't that what they did?  Or is it in SEPTA colors?

[Overmod]

It's been restored mechanically.  The interior and exterior are still a bit 'rough' -- but that will change with a little more applied volunteer effort...

There are lots of little 'gotchas', like corrosion at the bottoms of the 'new' windowframes, that affect restoration.  To my knowledge, the restoration will be more as a Liberty Liner as an Electroliner... and I concur 'that is as it should be' since IRM has done such an exacting restoration on theirs.

[daveklepper]

But I hope they restore the animal crackers in the cafe interior.

[Firelock76]

Will they be serving Electro-Burgers in the cafe' car?

[NorthWest]

The Rockhill Electroliner is still in Red Arrow colors, although tattered.

Thanks for posting, this is great news!

[Overmod]

Firelock76

Will they be serving Electro-Burgers in the cafe' car?

I did ask.  No, the grill is long gone.  (I think they should put it back, but that would only make the lights dim even MORE in greater Orbisonia when they open up the controller...  ;-} )