1930s Third Avenue Railways purchase of 2nd-hand lightweight streetcars

[daveklepper]

1201-1225:  Osgood Bradley, 1924, from Richmond (Staten Island) Railway.  Greater width and non=tapered ends restricted them to Webster & White Plains Av. service.

1251-1256, American Car, 1923-25, Lake Superior District Power, Ironwood, Michigan

[Flintlock76]

I just found out from Mike, and I know it's tomorrow in Israel by now, but...

Happy birthday David!   

And thanks for the new "trolley tales!"

[Miningman]

David is one of the very few rail enthusiast's and perhaps the only Forum member who actually rode behind the PRR T1's and knows it and can report about it. Also probably the S2 and one of the few still around that saw the S1 live and in person on more than one occasion. 

Jan 25, 1932   Day 1  Birthday Card from Mike 

This ad ran the day David was born.

 

[Erik_Mag]

Happy Birthday David!

Figured I might as well chime in with the greetings - yesterday was my aunt Pat's 92nd - she has vague memories of the movie Danger Light being filmed.

[Jones1945]

Wish you a belated happy birthday, Mr. Klepper! 

[daveklepper]

Thanks to all of you.  And blessings.   Been busy.  Never road behind the S1.  but did get close to it several times, 1939, 1940, NYWF.

Great NYNH&H If pix

[MidlandMike]

The picture of the train running by the Catskills also remind me that Dave K also rode the NYC (ex-U&D) branch into those mountains while they still had passenger service.

[daveklepper]

Restored some more old photos.  First the streetcar that I first ran in Autumn 1947 with the Irish-born operator who was my teacher, at 233 and Broadway, same as the earlier photo of 1252 (ex-San Antonio) at this thead's first posting.

1240 - 1249   St. Lous Car, 1925, San Antonio Public Service, narrow-guage there

Next, in taking a the 3/4-angle picture on the first posting, the operator allowed me to make a photo stop.  So a 163rd Street Crosstown put-in headed from the Kingsbridge Car-house (connected to The Bronx tracks by the K's tracks with both conduit and wire north of the carhouse, although the K had gone bus by the time I learned streetcar operation) made a meet with us on the Bailey Avenue double track, and the operator stopped to learn what, exactly, was going on.

1240 - 1249   St. Lous Car, 1925, San Antonio Public Service

 

[daveklepper]

Do not remember poles and wires at the Washington Bridge

 

Photo is thus at the eastern end of the McCombs Dam (155th Street) Bridge, close to the labeled intersection of Jerme and Ogden

 

Date around 1935, after purchase of the 2nd-hand cars, but before construction of any of the 301-400.

The grey out-of-focus background must include the 9th AVenue Elevated ex-Putnam Division Bridge.

[daveklepper]

1251-1256, American Car, 1923-25, Lake Superior District Power, Ironwood, Michigan

 

1256 was a regularly assigned University Avenue car when this photo was taken in June, 1947.  After the bustitution of "U," its dassh was repainted for The Bronx & Van Coutrtland Parks "C" line, and the photo below shows it at West Farms Square in that service:

 

But the upper photo is a rare photo.  I assumed it was at a Loews Theater on University Avenue.  Joe Frank corrected me.  This  Loews Theatre was vin Yomkers, on the Wwest side of S. Broadway between the 262nd Street City Line and  the junction with McClean Avenue and itts "4" Line from Woodlawn,  The 1, 2, and 3 came up Broadway from the 242nd Street Broadway Subway Terminal,

 

Joe and I congectured that possibly the car was used transfer people and/ot material between the Kimgsbridg and the Foot-of-Msin Street Carhouses, or some special Yonkers event required borrowing cars from The Bronx. A rare photo.

[daveklepper]

1201=1225:  Osgood Bradley, 1924, from Richmond (Staten Island) Railways

1226, 1227   Osgood Bradley, Nortahern States Power, Eiu Clair, Wisconsin

1228, 1229   Wason, 1922, Androseeggin & Kennebc, Lewiston, Maine

1230 - 1239   American Car, San Antonio Public Service, 3' - 6" gauge there

1240 - 1249   St. Lous Car, 1925, San Antonio Public Service, ditto above.

1250     St, Louis, 1924,  Kankahee & Urbana, Kankahee, Illinois

1251-1256, American Car, 1923-25, Lake Superior District Power, Ironwood, Michigan

1257-1258, Wason, 1925, Interstate Street Railway, Attlerboro, Massachusetts

1259  Not secondhand.  First home-made lightweight from two single-truckers, 1934.

1260-1262, Brilll, 1926, Sunbury & Salinagrove Ry, sunbury, Pennsylvania

 

 

 

[daveklepper]

Thread more useful by car-types attached to photo captions

[daveklepper]

 

1210, ex-Staten Island, was cin a mishap, and the damaged end was  replaced with one similar to that of the home-made lightweights.  Above on Webster Avenue, about 200th Street, the junction for the Third Avenue Elevated's Bronx Park Branch is visible to the left, above.  The second picture showing the rebuilt end is the Webster Avenue and Fordham Road intersection.

1221. ex-Staten Island, is just north of 205th Street on Webster Avenus.

Home-made lightweight 103 and ex-San Antonio 1244 are on West 181st Street, Washinton Heights, both signed for The Bronx 167th Street crosstown.  Joe Frank assisted repairing photo damage. 

 

Ex-Sunbury and Salinagove Brill 1261 is on University Avenue in April 1947.

[Joseph Frank]

Hello Dave

 

Thanks for the  mention -- yeah, I try to help where I can -- here is another photo BELOW of the same scene -- that was called the LOWES YONKERS theater opened new in 1928- and in the 1950's Lowe's divested itself of it under a Fed Anti-trust suit -- and it became BRANDT'S Yonkers theater.  It was demolished in 1975.

 

[Overmod]

Viennese Waltz came out, I believe, in 1932 (it was a German import film).

And Barto & Mann were 'the laugh kings of vaudeville'.

[daveklepper]

Ex-Staten Island 1203 on webster Avenuw, 1947, and

ERIC OSZUSTOWICZ

gave the locatuon:

Looking north from about E170th. The fireproof warehouse was at 1360-Webster Av.

 

Late February or early Narch, a non-school day, just after a heay snow-storm, the sun was sgining, and I went to The Bronx fotr streetcar photography.  The streets were wet with melting snow.  After bohotos at the east end the the Washington Bridge, the 181st Street Bridge, I rode the Ogde n Avenue line to the 155th & Amsterdam terninal, but did not take photos there, brecause it was dusk already anfd I already had photos there.  U walked east to the !55th St & bSt. Nicholos Avene Station, spied ex-San Antonio 1244 coming up the grade from the 'aa' oBronx, and despuite the low llight level, walked toward tit for a "grab attempt."  With this resultL

 Then walked  west a few steps and took the "AA" (weekend eveng) or "BB" (weekday evening) to 86th and home on 85th in time for dinner.

Joe Frank and Jack May helped refresh my memory.