Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority D39




Facts and Figures


Current NumberD39
Railway RepresentedSoutheastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
BuilderPhiladelphia Rapid Transit
Built In1908
Builder's order id
Currently in (State)Pennsylvania
--(Locality)Rockhill Furnace
Totally out of svc date2003
(Initial retirement date)
Car Typeline car
-subtyperebuilt box motor
-designation
Statusstored inoperable
More infohttp://rockhilltrolley.org/roster/D-39
Gauge5'2.5"
Constructionwood
Roof typeAR
EndedDE
Length
Width
Height
Weight
#Seatsn/a
#Wheels/Conf.8
Total HP
TrucksCurtis C-1112
Brakes
Compressor
Control
Motors
Voltage (if not 600DC)
NotesFormer PRT ash car (1908-1916), box motor (1916-1922), work motor (1922-1950), rubbish car (1950-1955), wrecker (1955-1984)

Car D39 in storage at RTM in 2021
Facebook
photo: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10157810136946644&set=pcb.10157810137156644

Car D39 in storage at RTM in 2023
Flickr
photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/146757535@N05/53275132841/

Car History by Frank Hicks


Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority D39
This car has a longer and more eventful history than just about any other preserved work car. It was originally built as an ash car at PRT's Kensington Shops in April 1908, built to haul ash for the city of Philadelphia. Only eight years later, it was heavily rebuilt with a new body for carrying package freight. This new role in turn only lasted six years; in 1922 the car was removed from freight service and put into use as a utility work car. In 1950, it was regauged to 4'8.5" gauge and transferred to the Broad Street Subway for use as a garbage car; after only a few years of this it was again re-adapted for use as the BSS wrecker (tool car) and based out of Fern Rock Shop. When line car D38 was destroyed by the Woodland carbarn fire on October 23, 1975, car D39 - at the time numbered T17 - was sent out to be regauged and rebuilt by Ed Blossom for use as a replacement line car. This took quite some time, and it was not until 1984 that D39 - now with its final number - was back in service maintaining the overhead wire on the Philadelphia subway/surface system. It only lasted in this role for four years, until a pair of PCC's took over subway/surface route line car duties; in 1988 D39 was transferred to the old Red Arrow Media and Sharon Hill lines to supplement aging line car 07. Finally, in 2003, a new diesel-powered line car was bought to replace D39 and it was sold to RTM.


Ownership History


OwnerCar NumFromToPreservation?Loan?
Philadelphia Rapid Transit (Pennsylvania, Philadelphia)26211908 1912 NO NO
Philadelphia Rapid Transit (Pennsylvania, Philadelphia)P121912 1916 NO NO
Philadelphia Rapid Transit (Pennsylvania, Philadelphia)F251916 1940 NO NO
Philadelphia Transportation Company (Pennsylvania, Philadelphia)F251940 1950 NO NO
Philadelphia Transportation Company (Pennsylvania, Philadelphia)T171950 1968 NO NO
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (Pennsylvania, Philadelphia)T171968 1984 NO NO
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (Pennsylvania, Philadelphia)D391984 2003 NO NO
Rockhill Trolley Museum (Pennsylvania, Rockhill Furnace)D392003 present YES NO