Third Avenue Railway System 678
Facts and Figures
| Current Number | 678 |
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| Railway Represented | Third Avenue Railway System |
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| Builder | Third Avenue Railway System |
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| Built In | 1939 |
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| Builder's order id | |
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| Currently in (State) | Maryland |
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| --(Locality) | Wheaton |
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| Totally out of svc date | 1971 |
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| (Initial retirement date) | |
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| Car Type | streetcar |
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| -subtype | lightweight car |
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| -designation | |
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| Status | operated occasionally |
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| More info | http://dctrolley.org/TARS678.htm |
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| Gauge | 4'8.5" |
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| Construction | steel |
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| Roof type | AR |
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| Ended | DE |
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| Length | 42'7" |
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| Width | 8'4" |
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| Height | 11'4" |
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| Weight | 37540 |
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| #Seats | 46 |
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| #Wheels/Conf. | 8 |
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| Total HP | 140 |
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| Trucks | Brill 77E |
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| Brakes | GE (VB3) |
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| Compressor | |
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| Control | K-35 |
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| Motors | GE 265 (4) |
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| Voltage (if not 600DC) | |
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| Notes | Sold to Austria in 1948 |
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Car History by Wesley Paulson
Third Avenue Railway System 678
The Third Avenue Railway Company of New York City embarked on a car building program to fulfill its service requirements rather than purchase the PCC street cars as the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Company was doing in the 1930s. Built in the Company's 65th Street shops, TARS 678 is a collection of recycled parts and newfangled gadgets. Old eight-point K-35 controllers and newly-designed, brake pedals govern its speed. Rattan, walk-over seats contrast with aluminum window sash and a thrashing air compressor more than compensates for quiet herringbone gears. Intended for service in the Bronx, TARS equipped TARS 678 with trolley poles and without a conduit plow.
Following abandonment of trolley lines in the Bronx in 1948, forty cars of this class provided service for another twenty years in Vienna, Austria as Marshall Plan dollars replaced trams damaged during World War II. Wiener Stadtwerke replaced the trolley poles with a pantograph, warned passengers that the doors are pneumatically operated, installed a wood-slat floor, added turn signals, and covered the rattan seats with vinyl. NCTM is restoring TARS 678 to its New York City appearance.
NCTM purchased TARS 678 and shipped it to the site from Vienna, Austria during the Summer of 1971.
Ownership History
Additional Media
