Johnstown Traction 357
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Dave's Electric Railroads |
Built in:1925 by St. Louis Car Company (ord#1380)
Out-of-service/Retired:1959
Type of car:streetcar (safety car)
Current Owner:Branford Electric Railway Association(East Haven, Connecticut)
Car History by Ken Rucker
,Frank Hicks
Johnstown Traction Cars
Johnstown Traction (JTCo) ordered twenty cars from St. Louis in 1926. They were modern lightweights with arched roofs and doors at all four corners. The first cars delivered enabled the retirement of the last single-truck cars on the railway. The initial delivery of double-end JTCo 350 to JTCo 354, painted Omaha Orange and Panama Sand with gray roof, black undercarriage, and black striping, enabled the retirement of the last single-truck cars on the railway. The cars in the 1926 order served the citizens of an important steel-producing Pennsylvania city through World War II and into the prosperous 1950s. However, the combination of increasing automobile ownership and declining population in Johnstown doomed JTCo streetcar operation. In the early 1950s, JTCo converted the Horner Street line to trackless trolleys (electric buses). By 1959 conversions were well underway as trolley fans flocked to the city to charter special cars. All streetcar service ended on June 11, 1960.
Johstown Traction 357
This standard example of the Johnstown cars was acquired by BERA straight out of service. It has been completely restored and is one of the most heavily used cars at BERA.
Ownership History:Johnstown Traction #357 1925-1959 / Branford Electric Railway Association(East Haven, Connecticut) 1959-present
Facts and Figures
| Status:operated often | Gauge:4'8.5" |
| Construction:steel | Roof type:AR | Ended:DE |
| Length:41'0" | Width:8'2" | Weight:38000# |
| #Seats:44 | #Wheels/Conf.:8 (B-B) | Total HP:168 |
| Trucks:St Louis EDJ64 | Brakes:SME (M28) | Compressor:DH-16 |
| Motors:WH 510A2 (4) | Voltage (if not 600DC): |
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