Muni's PCC streetcars were not mu equipped and only operated as single cars. Even today, MINI and Market Street Railway do not own mu PCC's. The replacement Boeing LRV's did operate mu, and so do the replacement Breda LRV's today.
Note my posting covered only streetcar-LRV North American PCC's. All PCC rapid transit cars, even those designed primarily for single-car operation (Skokie Swift originals) were mu-equipped. Most European PCC's were mu (Tartras). Exceptions were The Hague, Antwerp, and Ghent.
Boston: All PCC's eventually made MU, including the original 25 "Tremont" class and the all-electric "City Point" class. All mu PCC's single-end, front-entrance, center exit with center doors on both sides, doors available for boarding of course depending on platform at prepaid stations. Exception: 25 ex-Dallas PCC double-end, front and rear door cars were purchased second-hand from Dallas, Texas. These were not made mu, used for specific shuttle services, although equipped with Tomlinson couplers.
Shaker Heights, Single-end, front-entrance and center-exit
Toronto, Single-end, front-entrance and center-exit.
Pacific Electric: Double end, front-entrance and center-exit, only PCC's of this type
Illinois Terminal: Double-end, front and rear doors. Body type same as first PCC's in San Francisco and the same body used for non-PCC Red Arrow cars.
daveklepper wrote: Multiple unit PCC streetcar and light rail operation in North America, five properties:Boston, 2 and 3-car trains Largest applicaton, nearly all PCC lines and eventually all carsShaker Hieghts, 2 and 3-car trains, all PCC's, both lines Pacific Electric 2 and 3-car trains, all PCC's Glendale-Burbank line from Main St. LA Subway terminalIllinois Terminal 2-car trains, all ten PCC's, local line to GraftonToronto 2-car trains, about 15% of the total PCC fleet, Bloor-Danforth prior to replacement by east-west heavy-rail subway, then possibly for a time on Queen Street prior to replacement by articulated LRV's.The ten post-WWII St. Louis-built cars for Philly Suburban (Red Arrow) looked like double-end PCC's and were mu but were not PCC's. They had an older conventional type of electrical control system and used outside-frame drop-equalizer trucks.
Multiple unit PCC streetcar and light rail operation in North America, five properties:
Boston, 2 and 3-car trains Largest applicaton, nearly all PCC lines and eventually all cars
Shaker Hieghts, 2 and 3-car trains, all PCC's, both lines
Pacific Electric 2 and 3-car trains, all PCC's Glendale-Burbank line from Main St. LA Subway terminal
Illinois Terminal 2-car trains, all ten PCC's, local line to Grafton
Toronto 2-car trains, about 15% of the total PCC fleet, Bloor-Danforth prior to replacement by east-west heavy-rail subway, then possibly for a time on Queen Street prior to replacement by articulated LRV's.
The ten post-WWII St. Louis-built cars for Philly Suburban (Red Arrow) looked like double-end PCC's and were mu but were not PCC's. They had an older conventional type of electrical control system and used outside-frame drop-equalizer trucks.
The CTA also ran its PCC's in multiple unit sets on the L, single-car operation was found on the Evanston shuttle and Skokie Swift. I believe that Cleveland's rapid transit PCC's also operated in multiple.
From the Jan-Feb 2008 ROLLSIGN, Boston Street Railway Association, www.thebsra.org
Refer to page 7: The ten PCC's from 1945 and 1946 rebuilt for Ashmont - Mattapan service have 41 seats. Length 46'
The light rail cars (single-articulated, three trucks) for the four Green Line subway-surface routes have either 44 or 46 seats. Length 74 or 72 feet.
Most PCC's seated between 38 and 48, and those seating 38 could accomodate about 80 standees easily, not crush conditions, and those seating 48 could accomodate about 40 standees, giving an overall capacity for the typical PCC, such as Brooklyn, St. Louis, Detroit, Cleveland, Toronto, Boston, of between 88 and 118. Washington, DC's and Dallas were a we bit smaller, Dallas because of double-end configuration and Washington one window less length to accomodate the Georgetown carbarn elevator. Chicago, Twin Cities, Pacific Electric all had somewhat larger cars.
Looking at weight, remember these cars generally had a top speed of only 45-50mph on level track, did not have air-conditioning. It was an excellent and time-proven design that has stood the test of time.
Possibly there were some PCC's (El Paso's international line) that had only bowling ally seats, all sideways facing the aisle, and luggage racks in addition taking up space, and thus ended up with only 30 seats? If so, easily 100 standees could be accommodated. But maybe on this line they limited the number standees to make the customs inspectors' life easier. That is only explanation I have for your figures! A modern regular non-articulated transit bus, an old Fishbowl, or the classic GM standee window bus, all have more seats and more standees than your figures and all were less than the PCC's.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.