Capital Transit in Washington, DC

[WILLIAM O CRAIG]

That definitely is New York Avenue, with the Washington Building on the left where I used to work and the Treasury Building beyond.

[daveklepper]

Also I believe a New York Avenue location, at the crossover that was once used by WB&A inerurbans.

[Miningman]

Thank Mike .. courtesy of Mike!

[daveklepper]

Wow!  Thanks!

[Miningman]

Posted by daveklepper on Monday, October 07, 2019 3:07 PM

Can someone identify the location and the specific church in this photo?

Posted by daveklepper on Wednesday, October 09, 2019 1:19 PM

Richard Allman tells me a similar photo by Ed Miller identifies the church as the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, so the location is on NY Av.

[daveklepper]

Richard Allman tells me a similar photo by Ed Miller identifies the church as the New York Avenue Prewbytereian Church, so the location is on NY Av.

[daveklepper]

Can someone identify the location and the specific church in this photo?

[daveklepper]

Now that I discovered and did my best to fix this photo, it is obvious the one above the previous one and this one are not at Rosylin but at Seat Pleasant.  The two layup tracks are what remains of the WB&A line from Washington to Annapolis Junctionl.  Note the continuation of the RoW beyond the end of the layup tracks.

[daveklepper]

Possibly, I was confused when discovering, fixing, and posting theses two photographs.  Could the top photo be of the loop at Roslyn, with the two tracks to the left layover storage tracks, and the lower photo that of Kenilworth Junction?

[daveklepper]

Two more discovered Capitol Transit photos from my teen-age past, first at Kenilworth Junction, where the Seat Pleanant double-track and Kenilworth single-track branches join to form the Benning - Roslyln line.  No idea why the lightweight double-end car appears headed in the reverse direction toward Seat Plsasant on the Roslyn-bound track.  Don't remembere riding any fantrips, just always regular service.  Any ideas?   And where is the junction of the second photo located?

[WILLIAM O CRAIG]

That last photo is on 14th Street, not New York Ave.  I watched a fire at that Hanover shoe store one day.

[Jones1945]

daveklepper

A 1948 downtown New York Avenue photo not posted earlier:

 

Besides the amazing trolley, I think there is a Buick 2DR Sedanette, a Buick Coupe, a Ford Business Coupe (?) and a DeSoto Custom Suburban taxi in the pic. 

[daveklepper]

A 1948 downtown New York Avenue (correction 14th St.) photo not posted earlier:

[daveklepper]

Did not have chance to look at these earlier.  Great photos.   Thanks!

[Jones1945]

https://rrmuseumpa.andornot.com

[daveklepper]

Richard Allman sent me these Ed Miller photos, beginning with Ed himself at the controls of a PCC.  He was a streetcar operator and later supervison for Capitol Transit and a devoted and very sharing railfan.

[Trinity River Bottoms Boomer]

Not to be critical of small museums but times as hard as they are today, before equipment gets stolen or vandalized, such museums should seriously consider shutting down and donating same to larger ones where all will be safe for everyone to enjoy. 

Another advantage: Equipment will get properly restored.  Many pieces now sitting in small museums across the nation are in grave danger of getting scrapped due to improper funding.

[Jones1945]

My pleasure, Dave.  I have seen some private owned museums haired enough security guard to protect their collections, but many smaller museums are vulnerable.

[daveklepper]

Jones.....thanks for the information.    sorry to hear the car was lost.

Othr museums and historic operations should take note.

when a member starts saying he hates any part of the collection, he should be  watched closely and not permitted free access anymore.

Please spread the word.   Important!!!!

[Trinity River Bottoms Boomer]

A great read: 100 Years of Capitol Traction:The Story of Streetcars in the Nation's Capitol.  Leroy O. King, Jr.  c.1972 Taylor Publishing Co., Dallas, TX.

[Jones1945]

I found a stories about the Silver Sightseer after the fire, please take a look if you like. 

http://www.trainweb.org/Tomsrailtravels/Washington%20DC%20trip%202013%20part%202.htm

[daveklepper]

I think, given enough money, it could be restored.  The damaged body has not been scrapped, as far as I know.  But it would be much less expensive to buy one of the near-complete MUNI PCCs being put up for sale as beyond their requirements, and have Brookfield restore and rebuild it into a duplicate.

Anyone know what Capitol Trolley Museum's current plans for this are?

[Jones1945]

Too bad that this beautiful trolley had such fate. 

This is another color photo of her:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rllayman/5350299732/ 

[daveklepper]

This was the "Silver Sightseer," Capitol Transit's only air-conditioned streetcar.

It was saved in running condition at the Capitol Trolley Musum but severly damged in a carbarn fire.

[Jones1945]

Found this on the web, the streetcar had whitewall wheels and was caring the prewar livery  On another web site it stated that the prewar livery of DC streetcar was simplified because of the World War II. 

[daveklepper]

This photo, redently "revived," is imporant because it shows Capitol Transit maintaing streetcar service on the Cabin John line when a typical authority would substitue buses during the construction period and not install a temporary bridge with single-track operation.

 

[Deggesty]

Thanks, Dave.

[daveklepper]

Like the conduit plows, see the photo of one in a plow-pit, wood, shellacked to avoid moisure penetration, The scoop could not really transfer much garbage into the slot-cleaner car, but pushed most of it along the channel under the two contact rails.  About every half-mile, the slot-cleaner would stop, reverse half a car-length, and two workmen would open the two manhole covers each side of the slot and use wood shovels to get the accumulation out of the channel.  All this was 1-5AM stuff.

[Firelock76]

Thanks for that response David, I knew about the conduit system and always wondered just how much effort it took to keep it going.  Looks like it was quite a bit.

[Deggesty]

Dave, I wonder: what material was used in the making of the scoops? I am sure that it was non-conductive and was of some material that resisted the wearing.