Philadelphia & West Chester 62




Facts and Figures


Current Number62
Railway RepresentedPhiladelphia & West Chester
BuilderJ.G. Brill Company
Built In1925
Builder's order id22045
Currently in (State)Maine
--(Locality)Kennebunkport
Totally out of svc date1971
(Initial retirement date)
Car Typeinterurban
-subtypecenter entrance
-designation
Statusdisplayed inoperable
More infohttp://www.trolleymuseum.org/collection/vehicle/00062SPA.php
Gauge4'8.5"
Constructionsteel
Roof typeAR
EndedDE
Length47'10"
Width8'7"
Height12'5"
Weight59280
#Seats62
#Wheels/Conf.8
Total HP140
TrucksBrill 27MCB2X
BrakesSME (S-E6)
CompressorGE CP28
ControlGE M (C97A)
MotorsGE 203L (4)
Voltage (if not 600DC)
NotesOriginally 5'2.5" gauge

Car 62 in operation at Seashore in 1999
Flickr
photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/52457887@N02/9950255946/

Car 62 in operation at Seashore in 2002
Seashore Trolley Museum
photo: https://collections.trolleymuseum.org/items/130

Car History by Frank Hicks


Philadelphia Suburban Transportation 62
This center-door suburban interurban car exemplifies the operations of the PST ("Red Arrow") broad-gauge division from the 1920's to the 1940's. The Philadelphia & West Chester bought 32 similar center-door cars between 1919 and 1926, with car 62 being part of the second of three series of cars. They were built for multiple-unit interurban service but geared for lower speeds befitting the suburban nature of the P&WC line. Though center-door cars provided the bulk of the service on the system for the twenty years after they were built, by the 1940's there were 34 lightweight cars of newer design on the property. With the abandonment of the West Chester branch in 1958 and the Ardmore line in 1966, the center-door cars were either scrapped or - like car 62 - relegated to reserve and charter duties. Car 62 was selected in 1970 for a special honor: Merritt Taylor, the president of Red Arrow, had the car completely restored in the Red Arrow shops to its as-built condition. It was then operated over the Red Arrow system, which was about to become part of SEPTA, briefly before it was regauged and donated to the Seashore Trolley Museum in Maine. There it has been maintained in operational condition.


Ownership History


OwnerCar NumFromToPreservation?Loan?
Philadelphia & West Chester (Pennsylvania, Philadelphia)621925 1936 NO NO
Philadelphia Suburban Transportation (Pennsylvania, Philadelphia)621936 1971 NO NO
Seashore Trolley Museum (Maine, Kennebunkport)621971 present YES NO