[PRCo] Returning Home

[Edward H. Lybarger]

Wednesday and Thursday were busy days for PTM volunteers, as they worked to
bring Pittsburgh Railways 4145 to the museum from its most recent home at
the Lake Shore Electric facility in Cleveland.
 
For the unfamiliar, 4145 is a 1911 high-floor car built in McKees Rocks.  It
remained in service into the late 1930s and was then converted for snow
scraper service.  Acquired by Magee Transportation Museum in Bloomsburg in
1968, 4145 was extensively rebuilt by the late Ed Blossom and ran on that
museum's line until it was destroyed by Hurricane Agnes in 1972.  The
following year, the car was purchased by Trolleyville USA just south of
Cleveland, and following the sale of that property was stored, along with
the bulk of their collection in hopes of establishing a new historic trolley
operation in the city.  As that now appears to be unfeasible, the car was
made available to PTM.  Costs were covered by a small number of generous
individuals who made possible the acquisition and move.
 
As good as the car is, it falls short of current restoration standards (not
a big deal), and a number of items were never completed.  They will need to
be dealt with, along with the re-re-gauging, which will require new wheels
and axles (perhaps in stock) and replacement (definitely in stock) or major
repair of one traction motor, along with less invasive work on the other
three.  It would be nice to have 4145 running by its 100th birthday, but
there are no guarantees, since the costs are yet undetermined and staff time
is limited.  Adequate funding means that much of the work can be outsourced.
Stay tuned.
 
The move was covered in Wednesday's Tribune-Review, yesterday's and today's
Post-Gazette, and today's Observer-Reporter, if anyone would like to view
the articles and photos.
 
Ed