[PRCo] The Other Wheeling Company

[Fred W. Schneider III]

Answer to your question is no.  No Monongahela West Penn cars went to
Birmingham.  BEC did, however, buy a dozen cars from Wheeling Public
Service Company (WPS 101-112, Kuhlman, 1912, BECo 585-596). Like the
EMSRy cars, the units from Wheeling were rebuilt as you suggested to
front entrance, center exit single-end cars.    

The Wheeling Public Service cars were identical to three cars built for
West Virginia Utilities in Morgantown, West Virginia, which later
migrated to Mon-West Penn as their 113, 114, and 115.  The former
Morgantown cars were used on both MWP divisions.  One carbody survives
in West Marietta, Ohio, painted in the proper orange and blue but with
all the windows smashed out by the restless natives. 

The last time I was at Seashore, CoOp 39 was buried again and one of the
young members in the shop, who obviously had his own agenda, remarked
that it was where it belonged.  He believed strongly that other cars
were more important than something from Wheeling, West Virginia.  I
don't know closely his attitude mirrored those of the NEERHS board, but
it was clear that, whether everybody was in agreement or not, work had
ceased on the Wheeling car.

For those youngsters or foreigners on the list, Wheeling had two
separate trolley companies.  Wheeling Traction Company, the larger
property, was owned by West Penn Railways until 1931 (maybe it was 1932)
when WTC went belly up and West Penn refused to provide the cash to pay
off the bond holders.  The employees bought the WTC property, renaming
it Cooperative Transit Company.  One small portion of the WTC empire was
not thrown into insolvency in 1931, and it, the Panhandle Traction Co.,
continued to operate the interurban to Steubenville, Ohio until about
1939 under West Penn ownership.  Wheeling Public Service operated routes
distinct from those of WTC, and was owned by West Virginia Utilities
Co., hence the order of 3 Kuhlman cars for Morgantown and the 12 for
Wheeling came out of a cookie cutter.                  

ROGER Jenkins wrote:
> 
> Didn't some of the M-WP cars end up going to Birmingham Al. for wartime
> service ? They of course had everything re-built into single end front
> entrance-center exit cars by Southern Car Co. Some Eastern Mass. St. Ry.
> cars of the Newest 7000 class were thusly treated .  Also Cinncinati
> Curve side cars were done over too. Speaking of which #39 from Wheeling
> at Seashore has been a long time project by Jim Schantz and has had the
> entire curve sides replaced with new steel along with many frames. Its
> not done yet but will be some day . Basic roof , ends and windows are
> original where possible. The car had sliding  doors and rode on CP35
> trucks with which the Boston Type 5   cars rode on. The job on this car
> is similar to what needs to be done to WP #832  at PTM . So donate to
> this project to get it running again. Its a big job ,but as you can see
> whats happening with #39 it is doable.