[PRCo] Re: Fwd: Hog Island

[Fred Schneider]

Again, something I could probably answer if I was home and had my files.

There were several groups of cars involved.   Philadelphia Railways  
had a group of War Board cars that were scattered to the winds after  
the end of World War I.   That company, for those unfamiliar,  
operated on Penrose Ferry Avenue in South Philadelphia, then across  
the Schuylkill River and out to Hog Island Ship Yard.   It also ran  
all the way to Chester at one time.   Also went under the name of  
Southwestern St. Ry.   When it failed about 1931 or 1932 it was  
running mostly cast of box cars from the Third Avenue Railway in New  
York City.

Philadelphia Rapid Transit also had a group of War Board Cars in the  
5500 series that were deemed surplus at the end of the war.   They  
too were scattered everywhere.   They were numbered into the PRT  
numbering series but were owned by the federal government.

Out of those two groups of cars -- perhaps 135 in number if my memory  
is working --  I think you will find a lot of cars that wound up in  
Asbury Park, Wilkes-Barre, Sunbury, Atlantic City and Shore and a  
host of other properties.

The cars that PRT operated into the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s that the  
railfans commonly called Hog Island cars were two groups owned by  
PRT.   The 4000s were classed as "Suburban PC" cars on PRT because  
they were fitted with General Electric PC control and could operated  
in trains.  I believe most of these were out of service by the late  
1940s except that a number were restored to duty as permanently  
coupled trains in ship yard duty during the war.
Three went to Philadelphia Suburban (20-21-22, renumbered in 1949)  
and one of those was preserved and later burned by vandals on the  
waterfront trolley operation.   The 5000s were classed as "Suburban  
K" cars on PRT.   They had K-35 drum controllers and were designed to  
operate only as single cars.   Some were still running into the early  
NCL era (1955) and a few were used as utility cars into the late 1950s.

On Nov 11, 2007, at 6:20 PM, James B. Holland wrote:

> "George W. Gula" <scranton-pa at ...> wrote:
>
> Gene D.Gordon's book on Susquehanna Trolleys provides little  
> information
> on these cars. He describes them as 3 cars purchased second-hand from
> the from the U.S. Shipping boar at Hog Island, Philadelphia for  
> $10.394
> each shortly after WWII in 1919. They were numbered 116-118-120 and  
> were
> 45-1/2 feet long Brill cars painted yellow. The cars were not kept in
> the best shape and the 1936 flood ruined all three. Only #118 was
> repaired. The system quit in 1939.
>
> In all likelihood these cars were unneeded Philadelphia Railways "War
> Board" cars that the Emergency Fleet Corporation was selling off
> following the cessation of hostilities. In an article written by  
> Cox in
> 1965, he mentions that any movement of Philadelphia Railways cars for
> repairs for sale to other properties was accomplished by running the
> cars from the Philadelphia Railways Penrose Ferry Depot over
> Philadelphia Railways tracks to Hog Island and thence over PRT  
> trackage
> of the Hog Island line, Island Avenue and Woodland Avenue to the Brill
> Plant. PRT carefully noted all of these car movements with the  
> exception
> of two. After purchasing and operating five of these cars Wilkes Barre
> Railways ordered three more in March 25, 1921. The car numbers not  
> noted
> on any PRT movement records were 136, 137, 140, 141, 142 and 143. If
> three of these went to Wilkes Barre it may be safe to deduce that the
> remaining three were ordered by the Sunbury system.
>
> George Gula
>
> --- End forwarded message ---
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