Johnstown Traction 357




Facts and Figures


Current Number357
Railway RepresentedJohnstown Traction
BuilderSt. Louis Car Company
Built In1925
Builder's order id1380
Currently in (State)Connecticut
--(Locality)East Haven
Totally out of svc date1959
(Initial retirement date)
Car Typestreetcar
-subtypesafety car
-designation
Statusoperated often
More infohttp://www.bera.org/cgi-bin/viewcar.pl?car=357
Gauge4'8.5"
Constructionsteel
Roof typeAR
EndedDE
Length41'0"
Width8'2"
Height11'4"
Weight38000
#Seats44
#Wheels/Conf.8
Total HP140
TrucksSt Louis EDJ64
BrakesSME (M28)
CompressorWABCO DH16
ControlK-35KK
MotorsWH 510A2 (4)
Voltage (if not 600DC)

Car 357 in operation at Branford in 2019
Flickr
photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/33786891@N02/48002045852/

Car 357 in operation at Branford in 2018
Flickr
photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/miniworlds/50036323982/

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


OwnerCar NumFromToPreservation?Loan?
Johnstown Traction (Pennsylvania, Johnstown)3571925 1959 NO NO
Branford Electric Railway Association (Connecticut, East Haven)3571959 present YES NO


Additional Media

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Car 357 in operation at Branford in 2011
YouTube
video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hBjj-acuJ4