BSM's PCCs

[PCC7407]

I've set up a new topic heading of BSM's PCCs. Since there are five of them I figured it would be easier to keep track of them together rather than separately.

The status of the five cars, as of August 27th, is as follows:

- 7407 has been repaired, does run, and is awaiting a final testing, hopefully to be done this Saturday morning (weather permitting) before re-entering revenue service. The repair work on this car was major and was carried out through the volunteer help of BSM's electricians and machine shop staff.

- 2168 has been repaired, does run, and is awaiting a final testing, hopefully to be done this Saturday morning (weather permitting) before entering revenue service on September 12th. The repair work on this car was also major and was mostly done over a two year period by two painters and metalworkers with financial assistance, equalling 2/3 the costs, provided by The Friends of Philadelphia Trolleys group. Members of BSM and FPT, the BSM electricians and machine shop staff, along with help from both RTY members and SEPTA employees, all of whom volunteered, also contributed significantly in this four year long project. Still to be done is the regauging of the track brakes, and until this work is accomplished, 2168 not be a regular runner. Enough operators also need to be qualified to run it regularly.

- 2187 has made a couple trips over the pit and needs a very through cleaning and inspection. The car does operate (but not well) and is receiving a cosmetic paint job. The track brakes on this car also still need to be regauged. This car will never be in revenue passenger service although it will run from time to time when not engaged in oevrhead line duties, and on special ocassions. The same operators qualified on 2168 will also be used for 2187.

- 7303 has had its' original wooden roof removed as well as its' Cloudcroft roof. New ice-cube tray lights and window bars have been made, and are awaiting installation. The next step for this car is the installation of the new lighting, followed by a re-wiring, and a new wooden roof. At this point, nothing else is planned as this work alone will probably take a year. The car is not operational at this time.

-2799 still reposes at the rear of the cabarn and has had no work done to it since its' arrival in Baltimore. There has been an expression of interest in acquiring the car by two other groups, both of which would like to run it in transit service. No work is planned for this car at this time. It is currently unoperational.

- 2647 (although not owned by BSM, it is stored there) has been moved to behind the shop building for further evaluation by its' owner. BSM has no plans for this car.

[PCC7407]

Both 7407 and 2168 passed their sequence, running, and braking tests today. Both cars were operated by both a shopman and a couple operators to get a full "feel" for anything that might be wrong, then put back on the pit and re-checked. Nothing exept for 7407's back-up controller not picking up every point surfaced. That was quickly corrected.
Both cars will now receive a through exterior washing and waxing and interior scrubbing prior to entering service on Members' Day.

2187 has had its' preliminary sanding completed and the new paint scheme will begin to be applied tomorrow, still with completion hoped for by Members' Day.

[70sbsmmbr]

This is good news....I hope to be back up there then. Will be good to see 7407
running again. John...I thought 2799 was one of the cars that were gonna go to
Lancaster. Have plans changed for them? I'll probably talk more when I come up, but are there any plans to add a back up controller to 7303 like the Baltimore cars had?

[Dan Lawrence]

7303 will probably get a proper backup controller when the car's interior gets properly set up as a Baltimore car.

When El Paso got the cars, they had San Diego to install a backup controller and properly wire it up. San Diego apparently did want to rebuild the rear end seating for a backup controller so they mounted it above the rear seats, out in the open.

As to 2799, apparently the Lancaster group has fallen apart as BSM never got the parts that the Lancaster group was supposed to return to us.

[PCC7407]

2168 was finished today in all respects except the track brakes. It is ready for Members' Day.

The Lancaster group, nor BSM's deal with them, has not fallen apart and they are still interested in 2799, and they have been in recent contact with BSM regarding that car. The original agreement with them was that they get 2160 and 2728, and then return all the underbody electrical equipment (as they are planning on AC propulsion equipment). 2799 was never expected to leave BSM until the other two cars' equipment started returning. That is still the plan as BSM wants the GE equipment for spare parts and replacements. The return of this equipment obviously cannot happen until those two cars have work started on them, and that isn't going to happen until the project gets the green light.

Since NIMBYism runs rampant and sometimes amok in most comservative circles, the Lancaster group is having to prove that the whole idea is good for Lancaster and the people of Lancaster. It's basically just like the proposed Chales Street line here. Everybody knows it is a good idea, but way too many people think it is going to negatively affect them, and of course it isn't, but once they've moved onto the block and changed it to suit themselves, no one else better try to change it further. Hence, the Not In My Back Yard, you don't attitude.
At the present time a "study" is going on in Lancaster to see if a line like the one proposed would be feasible and beneficial. If it is found to be (and there is no valid reason to believe that it shouldn't be), the City of Lancaster will fund the first steps. If it isn't, then we'll just have to wait and see what the next step is.

BSM has another tentative offer for 2799, but will not entertain it while the Lancaster group is still working on their project. And at last resort, BSM also has a plan for 2799 should it stay in Baltimore.

[PCC7407]

The Streetcar Museum fielded an all time record of nine operating cars today, September 6th. On Members' Day, this number should be ten.

Line Car PCC 2187 is nearing completion of its' transformation and should be essentially complete sometime this week. It was among the operating cars today. The others were 264, 554, 1164, 2168, 4533, 6119, 7407, and C-145.

If you want to ride on or photograph single truck open car 554, next week may be your last chance to do so for quite some time. Plans are being formulated to remove this car from service to begin a long overhaul in which the end result will be a straightened body and frame with much new wood.
While the body and frame of 554 is blocked up and straightening, and after they finish 417, the wood shop crew will begin the repairs to accident damaged 1050. This will also be a major project and will consist of a full restoration of the car. No estimate of the time frame is possible, but five years would not be unreasinable.

The next steel car to begin an earnest restoration will be 7303, with the project expected to begin shortly, and picking up speed as car 417 is returned to service next summer. The rehabilitation of 7303 had started this past summer but was put on hold for a while to get 2168 and 2187 completed. With these two cars basicaly finished work can resume on 7303. The first priority will be to remove the banding on the roof that hold the canvas in place. The roof is already off, so once the banding is taken safely off for storage work can begin on the installation of the "ice-cube trays". Once they are in, the wiring in the upper half of the car will be inspected and replaced where necessary. When the wiring is completed the wooden roof will be re-installed and re-canvassed. The next step will be the car's ceiling, after which work can proceed downward. This is as far as plans go right now, and major decisions will have to be made as to how to proceed after this point.

[70sbsmmbr]

John...

Are there any controls and associated parts under 7303? I'm guessing there still
is, but are dirty or corroded and in need repairs. Buster and I had some discussions about 554. It was My understanding that the supports from the truck to the car body have worked their way thru the side side frame over the years
partly causing the hump back appearance of the car. At the same time the center
of the car tends to raise off the truck...causing more hump backing of the body.

3828...if it were pushed....could be back in service in two years. (or less) I need to finish My work on the body, It needs the knees on one end repaired (not replaced like Obink says although one needs more work than the other) It needs some painting done and the motor put back together and the truck put back under the car.

Dave Wilson explained to Me whats going on with 1050.
Someday I'll get back to working on 5885....It seems I never do.

[Dan Lawrence]

I'm surprised that John Engleman didn't post it, but Sunday 7407 went OOS GAIN, this time for a problem in the battery charging system. When the batteries went dead (or too low) the MG set shut down and could not be restarted. The car was pushed in and put on the pit.

[PCC7407]

Nothing really to post yet as the problem has not been diagnosed. It is thought to be simply that the voltage regulator finally quit. It has been planned to replace this unit for a number of years but while the old one was still functioning there was no need to take it out. PCC voltage regulators are not an item you can simply go out and buy at an auto parts store.
If there is a major problem, it will be posted.

[Dan Lawrence]

Good news on 7407.

John La Costa was down today and recalibrated the Voltage Regulater and the car was tested and operated properly.

[PCC7407]

While the PCC line car, 2187, has had a bit of use by both the overhead and track crews, the mystery of its' dynamic braking issues are still unknown. With all four motors cut in the car accelerates perfectly normal and smoothly. But as soon as the operator removes his foot from the power pedal the dynamic brakes grab as hard as they can, resulting in numbers 1, 2, and 3 axles locking up and sliding the wheels. Number 4 axle tries to rotate backwards, but never makes a full rotation. The cause of this problem has not been located. A 600volt cable was found to be hanging across one of the drive shafts and this was thought to possibly be the problem, but after it was corrected the problem was still there. The problem has the electrical brains stumped.

So the car remains operable, when needed, but with the utmost of caution and at very slow speeds, using one set of motors only. Using this method, braking is only available thru the shaft brakes, which activate at 3 mph or less. When time is available, a full inspection of all mechanical and electrical systems will be performed along with a full lubrication job. The lube job should also correct the sticking pedal issue. Hopefully the full inspection will allow the braking problem to be found. Until that time the car will be run very sparingly, and only by a select few.

JVE

[Phillyfan]

I remember seeing PCC's running in Philly with wheels spinning backwards when brakes were applied. I don't know if this is a problem resulting from thr re-wiring job when they were GOH'd. Interesting and frustrating issue, to say the least. Keep us posted when the mystery is solved.

[Ben1963]

With me being new to this forum I hope that this question is not a dumb thing on my part. What does PCC mean?

[Carl_Merson]

Hi Ben and welcome.

PCC stands for Presidents Conference Committee, thus PCC Car. In 1929 a group of Electric Railway Presidents from all over the Country, gathered to Design a new type of Streetcar, from the rail up. The Transit Companies at that time were losing paying Passengers to the Automobile, and this was their way of hoping to get them back. Baltimore's first PCC's were built by The St. Louis Car Company, and first ran in 1936. Later orders were built by Pullman Standard, and by the last order in 1944, Baltimore Transit had 275 PCC's. The last Day of Streetcars in Baltimore was November 3, 1963.Of those 275, only one survives Today, 7407, (Pullman Standard, 1944), at The Baltimore Streetcar Museum. Most of the Baltimore PCC's went to scrap, but a few lived on to become, "Summer Houses', or Locker Rooms at Construction sights, the latter eventually going to scrapyards too. BSM's Philadelphia Cars 2168 & 2187, were built by St Louis Car Company, in 1948. The last PCC Cars were built in 1952. San Fransisco, Kenosa Wisconsin,Boston and Toronto are places where the PCC Car still operates Today. Philadelphia had a few rebuilt and "modernized", and call them The PCC2, and operate them on the 15 , Girard Ave. Line.
Myself being a big PCC Car Fan, they were the best and most beautiful, Transit Vehicles ever built.

[brilliner]

PCC patents were licensed to a number of foregin car builders. PCC cars operated in a number of European countries. Brussels, Antwerp, and the Hague used them. Many Eastern European countries are still using them.