2010 Annual Report - the Seashore Trolley Museum

New England Electric Railway Historical Society
Above: Philadelphia 2709 with a new rubber
roof mat and trolley boards after leak repairs. JS
Right: Bernie Bisnette drills holes along the
belt rail in newly installed side sheets for Denver
Birney 1 in preparation for hot riveting. DC
making the car operational, which involves
the very arduous process of reversing
the many undocumented changes
to the control system made by General
Electric, rendered more difficult by the
absence of drawings of the car’s original
wiring. The goal is to have the car essentially
complete and operational in 2011.
Philadelphia PCC No. 2709: This car
has been plagued by roof leaks and a motor
short-circuit. What started as a simple
patch job on the car’s steel roof grew to
include the repair of a number of rusted
out areas, replacement of the rubber roof
mat, and new trolley boards. The defective
traction motor was replaced with a
spare and the car operated without incident
during Ghost Trolley.
Connecticut Company open car
No. 838: Over the years this car has
received significant component overhauls
but, because of the age of its motors
(the oldest in the operating fleet—105
years) and wear on its trucks, still more
work was required. A volunteer painted,
striped and lettered the body. Its no. 1
traction motor was overhauled and installed.
Remaining is overhaul of the second
truck and replacement of all wiring.
Eastern Mass. Street Railway deluxe
lightweight No. 7005: When
the car entered the Shop, there was very
little connection between the upper and
lower sections of the body. The vertical
T-posts at each window were rusted
away. To stabilize the car, a wooden
framework was erected, supporting the
roof while the lower part of the body was
rebuilt. The rebuilding involved replacing
the angle iron side sill running along the
bottom of each side as well as significant
portions of the steel sheathing. The roof
was stripped of trolley boards, ventilators,
wiring, and canvas. Many of the
components such as window sash, seats,
and smaller accessories were placed
in a container for safe storage. The T-
posts have had new sections welded in
replacing the rusted-out areas. With the
acquisition of better riveting and welding
equipment, body work can be done more
rapidly, with less energy. Much of the
welding is done with small, easily portable
welders powered by ordinary 110
volt circuits.
Thanks to the Pullman Library of the
Illinois Railway Museum, we now have a
nearly complete set of blueprints for the
construction of the car. These have been
scanned and laminated for convenience
and use.
Denver & South Platte Railway
Company Birney car No. 1: As work
was proceeding on replacement of the
car’s wood roof, it became obvious that
the car body was wracked to the point
the roof would not be straight if work
continued. This led to replacement of
corner posts and underframe steel. The
early Seashore-applied structural patches
over the floor line corrosion (“lightweight
disease”) were too weak to maintain
rigidity. This meant the original steel side
sheathing will have to be removed and
replaced. The window sash and doors
have been repainted and are ready for
re-installation.
Wheeling Traction Company
Curved-side No. 639: This car has
had the most extensive restoration of
any in the Museum’s collection. However
there are many details that were worked
on even after its dedication last year.
These include production of all new roll
signs using Seashore-developed fonts.
The destinations are representative of
Above: Volunteer Dann Chamberlin lays out
side striping on Connecticut open No. 838.
DC
Above: Repair and renewal of the steel structure of Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway No. 7005 is
well advanced. Vertical side posts have had corroded areas replaced and the side sheathing of the car
has been replaced or spliced to repair damage from decades of road salt in Massachusetts winters. DC
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