Built in:1948 by St. Louis Car Company (ord#1666)
Out-of-service/Retired:2005 (1992)
Type of car:streetcar (PCC, postwar) (Class A-46)
Current Owner:Baltimore Streetcar Museum(Baltimore, Maryland)
Car History by Frank Hicks
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority 2168
One of a handful of Philadelphia PCC cars preserved with authentic historical restoration in mind is car 2168. The acronym PCC refers to the Electric Railway Presidents Conference Committee, a group of street railway company representatives that in the early 1930's developed a design for a modern, standardized streetcar. The resulting PCC car was extremely successful and several thousand PCC's were built by two companies between 1936 and 1952. Philadelphia, the city in which 2168 ran its entire service life, was one of the larger operators of PCC's and owned 570 at one time or another. This car was part of an order of 110 cars numbered 2091-2200 which made up Philadelphia's second and largest order for postwar PCC's. These cars were built as one-man cars and during their service lives saw service all over the steadily shrinking Philadelphia city system. Car 2168 was completely rebuilt by SEPTA in early 1973 and it emerged in a unique yellow-and-white livery which earned it the nickname "the banana car." This livery was not deemed a success and the car was later repainted in the more common "Gulf Oil" orange blue and white livery. Later yet, in 1986, it went through the SEPTA General Overhaul (GOH) program and was again rebuilt and modernized. In 1992 car 2168 was taken out of regular service and painted in 1960's-era PTC green, and used on fan trips during the 1990's. In 2005 the car was put up for sale and purchased by the Friends of Philadelphia Trolleys organization, which transferred it to BSM and began restoration work on the car to return it to its condition in the 1980's.
Ownership History:Philadelphia Transportation Company #2168 1948-1968 / Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority #2168 1968-2005 / Baltimore Streetcar Museum(Baltimore, Maryland) 2005-present
Facts and Figures
| Status:operated often | Gauge:5'4.5" |
| Construction:steel | Roof type:AR | Ended:SE |
| Length:46'5" | Width:8'5" | Weight:37990# |
| #Seats:51 | #Wheels/Conf.:8 (B-B) | Total HP:220 |
| Trucks:Clark B2 | Brakes:Electric | Compressor:n/a |
| Motors:GE 1220A1 (4) | Voltage (if not 600DC): |
Notes
Originally 5'2.5" gauge
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