My picture says otherwise!
Taken 1948 before conversion coach ("bench"?) seating
According to the car sponsors, the chairs in LVT 1030 are identical to the ones it had at LVT. The car had bench seats installed when it came to Seashore.
My first visit to LVT had me (and John Stern and Bill Watson), April. 1947, arriving at Easton on the Lehigh Valley RR from NY. I took these two photos at Flemington Junction, where I remember a connection to and from Flemington, NJ.
So, it is not a really authentic restoration?
Some more pictures:
Easton again
LVT 1030 is in the Seashore shop, or at least it was last Thursday. Most of the required work at this point is cosmetic, but some control-related work also remains.
The chairs inside are all singles, so they can be rearranged as necessary.
The first time I visited Lehigh Valley Transit was the only time I rode Easton Limited in regular service. LVT denied me the privilege of riding in one of the beautiful Cincinnsati curved-side ex-Dayton and Troy interurban cars and sent a regular streetcar to fill-in for the run. But I did photograph a meet with one of the interurbzn cars.
Here is better view of freight equipment at the Allentown Fineview Yard. Both purpose build equipment and a car converted from passenger equipment.
Regarding the 1030's interior seating, I got this message regarding the arrangement at Seashore:
No. The car has all perimeter seating - facing each other. Perhaps the Museum opted to restore the car to original seating configuration.
The 8th St. and Hamilton Ave. downtown Allentlown terminal had just a trailing crossover and no way to turn the single-end cars. After each run from Philadelphia (1949-1953 from Norristown) a run in reverse to Fairview Yard and back to 8th and Hamilton was normal. The car interior was usually cleaned at the yard.
Note in the first photo at 8th and Hamilton, the operator has yet to pull the front pole down.
and one more at the Yard:
I avoid Facebook. If I use them for anything they then bother me.
Perhaps if the furniture arrngement is not per my photo, it should changed to suit for accuracy. (It's only my photo, not my furniture arrangement!)
More pictures at Fairview Yard in 1948:
LVT 1030 on Friday 8/21/2020:
https://www.facebook.com/neerhs/photos/pcb.10158963253827932/10158963246187932/
Ex-Indiana 1030 is ahead of one of the ex-C&LE cars in a line-up in Fairview Yard, 1948, and note the slighty higher roof, ;etterboard,and front windows:
I wish I had seen this earlier yesterday so I could have done a comparison. 1030 was outside at Seashore as part of a bunch of positioning moves to get it (and a bunch of other cars) in place so they can get some shop time. The interior might not be laid out exactly as shown, but the parlor-style chairs are on it, which replaced the coach seats it had in it's last couple of years on the LVT. I'll look more closely the next time I'm there.
Just to close up an old thread, 1030 was equipped with Cincinnati arch-bar trucks (off of the damaged 1004, if I remember right), because the Commonwealth trucks Indiana RR used did not have enough room for a third rail beam, required for the car's use on the P&W. The other change was to the body, providing an extra exit door also required by the P&W. The cahnge made the car look very much like the ex-C&LE cars.
This photo is posted esspecially for RC. The interior of Liberty Bell ex-Indiana 1030 before it was converted to coach.
Is the interior at Seashore like this?
Also from Richard, regarding my photo of the two Strafford Phil. & Western cars (69th St. Terminal):
Ok- this view was taken from the inbound platform and shows the upper level outbound track and platform. It was rarely or never used as a boarding since boarding was easier at the lower level which was at same level as the Market Frankford El. Cars were stored there in off peak and weekends but almost never Bullet cars. For obvious reasons it was a popular place for fan trip boarding.
From Richard:
Ok. David-here is the story. The power house shown is not LVT-it is the Market-Frankford Subway-Elevated of PRT/PTC. It was shot from roughly where the outbound platform was for northbound P&W and LVT cars. See the third rail for the work car, which is underrunning? The tracks I the foreground were shared by LVT and P&W.
Rick msy provide the location of the P&W Powerhouse.
Just received from R. A,:
Frpm Richard Allman regarding the immediately preceding photo:
LVT car 812 is southbound at Acorn siding behind Normandy Farms. This was the third siding north of Norristown . Liberty Bell Limited car and Lansdale local often had meet there.
812, the single original Liberty Bell wood interurban car not converted into a freight motor:
Previous photo meet between Bethlhem and Easton. Below Philadelhia and Western Stratford cars, I think at 69th Street.
Again, a suburban fantrip car on the Liberty Bell route.
And you residing in the USA do have interurban lines to ride, but they are called light rail. I rode the following USA interurbans before they quit: Liberty Bell and Eastern Limited, Laural Line (Lackawanna and Wyoming Valley), Pittsburgh Railways Charleroi/Roscoe and Washington, Baltimore and Anapolis, the three Chicago Insulls (Aurora, Batavia, and Elgin, and Shore Line and Skokie Valley and Mundelein, South Shore to downtown), Waterloo, Ceder Falls, and Northern, Charles City Western in a freight motor, and the complete post=WWII West Penn system, all six interurban routes plus the local Connolsville - S.Connolsville streetcar. And the experience is not much different on the new lines I was able to ride before moving to Israel, particularliy the Baltlmore line over the old PRR Baltimore Northern, San Diego - San Yesidro, and the line to the east, Portland's MAX system, and of course the recreation of the PE line LA - Long Beach. West Penn and the North Shore were pretty special, however, and very difficult to replace. Well, I suppose all were special in their own way. But maybe some of the new ones will be just as special. Has any poster ridden St. Louis - Bellville? That should be a winner.
And Richard Allman's comment on the downtown Easton photo:
I have to rest content that I can ride Jerusalem light rail anytime I want to, and downtown, in a pedestrianized zone, it certainly behaves like a streetcar. Farther into northern residential areas, one stretch is "interurbanish."
Yes, tragically the Streetcars and Interurbans are absent now and gone. The Lehigh Valley is gone too. All those cars are scrapped, many, most of the people have passed. I wonder if that nice clock and the Lafeyette Hotel are still there?
I think there were a lot of Hotels named Lafayette in the day, it's a good name for a Hotel, classy and sturdy. The kind of place where you enjoy a nice cigar. That's gone too!
But who will go to Easton, PA. without either an interurban or a regular passenger train to ride?
Nice pic. Busy place. What's needed is a comparative picture as it appears now.
And another downtown Easton photo
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