More Chicago PCC Photos – Part Three

October 7, 2015August 11, 2023David Sadowski 6 Comments

Although signed for Clark-Wentworth, this shot of 4160 is actually on Madison in Garfield Park. (CSL Photo) George Trapp says he got this picture from the late Robert Gibson.

This is the third of four installments featuring Chicago PCC pictures from the collections of George Trapp. You can find Part One of the Chicago PCC series here, and Part Two here. We also posted some of Mr. Trapp’s photos of historic Chicago buses here.

Thanks to Mr. Trapp’s generosity, we now have at least another 150 additional images of Chicago PCC streetcars. Nearly all of these are previously unknown to me. Mr. Trapp has been collecting these type of pictures for nearly the last 50 years, and has let us borrow some of them so that we might feature them here and add them to our electronic book Chicago’s PCC Streetcars: The Rest of the Story, available through our Online Store.

The fourth and final batch of Mr. Trapp’s PCC pictures will feature both the prewar Chicago PCCs and the experimental cars that preceded them. We will have those posted in the next few days, so check this space.

We also wish to thank the great photographers who took these pictures originally. We have provided attribution for each photo where we have the information.

Of course, the deluxe hardcover book Chicago Streetcar Pictorial: The PCC Car Era 1936-1958, published in June by Central Electric Railfans’ Association, is the premier volume covering the rise and fall of the modern streetcar in the Windy City. That book contains hundreds of great color photos and is a must-have for anyone who is interested in the subject, or even anyone who is interested in knowing what Chicago’s disparate neighborhoods looked like in a bygone era. While I am proud to be a co-author of that work, B-146 is available directly from the publisher. I would be remiss if I did not mention that Trolley Dodger Press is not affiliated with CERA.

In my humble opinion, B-146 is a fantastic bargain and a great value for the money, and I urge you to get a copy if you have not already done so.

My more recent E-book, available on a data disc in PDF format, is intended as a very unofficial supplement and companion to that noble work. One advantage that an electronic book has over a printed one is that more information can be added to it as things become available. We have already added numerous photos, maps, etc. to it, and the material from the Trapp Collection is a tremendous addition, which we are very grateful to have.

On top of that, we are adding another section of photographs to the book covering Chicago’s rapid transit system as it appeared early in the CTA era. That will give the reader a very clear idea of how badly the system was in need of improvement and modernization, a factor in the process by which CTA ultimately decided to eliminate streetcars.

With the E-book, we are not attempting to duplicate anything covered in B-146, which mainly showcases color photography. But there are still lots of great black-and-white photos that deserve to be seen, and lots of other information which could not be included even in a 448-page book. Chicago once had the largest streetcar system in the world, and chances are it will be a long time, if ever, before anyone has the “last word” about it.

If you have already purchased our E-book, and wish to get an updated copy with the additional information, this can be done at little or no cost to you. We always intended that it would be improved over time and offer an upgrade service to our purchasers on an ongoing basis.

As always, clicking on each photo with your mouse should bring up a larger version of the picture in your browser. You may be able to magnify this if you then see a “+” on your screen.

Chicago’s postwar PCCs were built by Pullman-Standard (310 cars) and the St. Louis Car Company (290 cars). You can readily tell which ones are which, since the Pullmans are more squarish in appearance, especially the windows, and the St. Louies have more curved lines.

Finally, if you have any interesting tidbits of information to share about the photos you see here, don’t hesitate to let us know, either by making a comment on this post, or by dropping us a line to:

thetrolleydodger@gmail.com

Thanks.

-David Sadowski

Thanks to the generosity of George Trapp, all of the photos in today’s post are being added to our E-book Chicago’s PCC Streetcars: The Rest of the Story.

Car 7089 at South Shops.

PCC 7090 at 81st and Halsted.

St. Louis-built 7071 at 81st and Halsted. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

PCC 7096 at 81st and Halsted. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

PCC 7068 at 81st and Halsted on June 9, 1947. (James J. Buckley Photo, Krambles-Peterson Archive)

CSL 7068 on Western. A woman with a very striking 1940s outfit has just gotten off. (Ed Frank, Jr. Photo) Mike Franklin adds: “The photo of the young lady stepping from CSL 7068 is looking NE on Western Ave from Berteau Ave. Harms Park is the property for sale to the right and there is enough still remaining on Western Ave to the left to confirm this location.”

A close-up of the previous picture.

7062 as new at St. Louis Car Company.

A St. Louis Car Company photo of 7062’s interior.

Another St. Louis Car Company photo of a 7062’s interior.

Car 7052 heading north on Clark near Lincoln Park. (Edward Frank, Jr. Photo)

7047 at 81st and Halsted. (James J. Buckley Photo, Krambles-Peterson Archive)

7094 southbound on Wentworth at about 44th. That’s the old Stockyards “L” in the rear. (Edward Frank, Jr. Photo)

7047 at 81st and Halsted.

CSL 7047 at 77th and Vincennes. (Edward Frank, Jr. Photo)

CSL 7035 at South Shops in 1947. (CSL Photo, Krambles-Peterson Archive)

A St. Louis Car Company picture of 7035. With some retouching and airbrushing, it was used in the photo that follows.

The result.

4160 northbound at Clark and Illinois in 1948. (Edward Frank, Jr. Photo)

4158, a southbound Broadway-State car, at Clark and Armitage in 1949. (Edward Frank, Jr. Photo)

4158 entering the Clark-Howard loop on July 15, 1953. (Thomas H. Desnoyers Photo, Krambles-Peterson Archive)

I can’t make out the car number (41xx) but this is a Pullman heading southbound on route 36 on Broadway and Rosemont, with the old Granada Theatre in the background. The Granada, one of the great Chicago movie palaces, was built in 1926 and demolished around 1990. It was located at 6427 N. Sheridan Road and had 3,443 seats. To the right, just out of view, would have been a Chicago Motor Coach bus garage. This picture was taken in 1948. (Ed Frank, Jr. Photo)

4157 southbound on Clark at Lincoln Park. (Chicago Transit Authority Photo)

4157 and 4156 being delivered to South Shops. CSL records indicate the date is January 18, 1947. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

Another view of 4157 and 4156 being delivered to CSL on January 18, 1947. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

4151 northbound at Clark and Webster in 1947. Not sure what a French laundry does. (Edward Frank, Jr. Photo)

4109 southbound on Clark and Lincoln Park. (Edward Frank, Jr. Photo)

4122 northbound at Clark and Surf in 1947. (Edward Frank, Jr. Photo)

4144 southbound on Clark near Irving Park. (Edward Frank, Jr. Photo)

4137 is southbound on Clark near 16th, going under the St. Charles Air Line. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

4162 heads south on the Wabash bridge over the Chicago River, most likely in 1948. A new bridge on State Street opened in 1949.

4112 at the Madison-Austin loop in 1948. (Krambles-Peterson Archive)

4132, newly repainted in Everglade Green and Cream, leaves the Madison-Austin loop on June 17, 1951. Note the difference in the roof treatment between this and some other cars in this paint scheme. (Krambles-Peterson Archive)

4112 southbound at Clark and LaSalle in early 1947. (Edward Frank, Jr. Photo)

4112 going through track work northbound at Clark and Victoria, most likely in the summer of 1947. (Edward Frank, Jr. Photo)

4097 southbound at Clark and North Avenues in the spring of 1947. The building at rear is the Chicago Historical Society, now the Chicago History Museum. (Edward Frank, Jr. Photo)

4089 at the Madison-Austin loop on November 17, 1951. Note the unusual off-center placement of the car number. George Trapp says these are the same sort of “fuzzy” numbers that were applied to buses as well. (Thomas H. Desnoyers Photo, Krambles-Peterson Archive)

George Trapp thinks this photo of 4076 is either on Vincennes or the wide part of Clark. (Edward Frank, Jr. Photo)

CSL 4076 at 81st and Halsted in October 1946. (William A. Raia Collection)

CSL 4075 at Clark and Granville in late 1946. George Trapp notes, “(This) car has (the) cream standee window band, all cars delivered like this (were) repainted in early 1947 to match later deliveries.” (Edward Frank, Jr. Photo)

4079 westbound on Madison at either Sangamon or Morgan. (Edward Frank, Jr. Photo)

4067 on October 8, 1946 at the Pullman plant. It was delivered to CSL on the 24th.

CSL 4067 southbound on route 22. (Edward Frank, Jr. Photo)

CSL 4065 southbound at Clark and Pratt. The car at right is a body style known as a “fastback.” (Edward Frank, Jr. Photo)

4066 crosses the old Milwaukee Road freight tracks near Wrigley Field. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

CSL 4062, the first postwar PCC delivered, as new at 77th and Vincennes, most likely in September 1946. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

4065 being delivered at South Shops. The date would be October 19, 1946 according to CSL records. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

A CSL photo of brand new 4062. It was put into “preview” service in the Loop for a few days in September 1946 to introduce the postwar PCCs to Surface Lines riders.

4062 at the Pullman plant on September 3, 1946, just prior to being shipped to Chicago. It arrived there on the 9th.

A CSL photo showing the interior of 4062 as new.

A Surface Lines photo showing a side view of 4062, built by Pullman.

More Chicago PCC Photos – Part Two

October 1, 2015October 20, 2015David Sadowski 10 Comments

CTA 7100, as repainted. George Trapp notes, 7100 “may be (the) first painted in the ugly Everglade Green and Cream.” If so, this picture was probably taken in 1951. CTA chose a darker color green for repainting, since they were having difficulty matching the lighter Mercury Green paint, which had a tendency to fade over time. There were some variations in the roof treatment on some cars, and you can see examples of that in CERA Bulletin 146. (Krambles-Peterson Archive)

Today we offer a third installment of pictures from the collections of George Trapp. You can find Part One of the Chicago PCC series here, and we also posted many photos of historic Chicago buses here.

Thanks to Mr. Trapp’s generosity, we now have close to another 150 additional images of Chicago PCC streetcars. Nearly all of these are previously unknown to me. Mr. Trapp has been collecting these type of pictures for nearly the last 50 years, and has let us borrow some of them so that we might feature them here and add them to our electronic book Chicago’s PCC Streetcars: The Rest of the Story, available through our Online Store.

Mr. Trapps’ photos are an embarrassment of riches. Since there are too many to post all at once, check this space in coming days from further installments in this series.

This time out, a few of the pictures are in color, and we have done some restoration work on them. When older color prints have faded or have developed a color cast, sometimes we can correct for this using today’s computer technology.

In my humble opinion, B-146 is a fantastic bargain and a great value for the money, and I urge you to get a copy if you have not already done so.

As always, clicking on each photo with your mouse should bring up a larger version of the picture in your browser. You may be able to magnify this if you then see a “+” on your screen.

thetrolleydodger@gmail.com

Thanks.

-David Sadowski

Thanks to the generosity of George Trapp, all of the photos in today’s post are being added to our E-book Chicago’s PCC Streetcars: The Rest of the Story.

CSL 7100 when newly delivered. (Ed Frank, Jr. Photo)

CSL 7108, southbound on route 22. (Ed Frank, Jr. Photo)

CSL 7108 at 81st and Halsted on August 15, 1947. (James J. Buckley Photo, Krambles-Peterson Archive)

Glare on the front of the car makes the number more difficult to see, but it’s 4054 at 81st and Halsted. Since the cars are all signed for CSL, this photo probably dates to 1947.

CTA 4052 southbound on Western just north of North Avenue (see the 1607 address at right), making that the old Humboldt Park “L” at the rear. (Ed Frank, Jr. Photo)

CSL 4060, probably in 1947. (Ed Frank, Jr. Photo)

PCC 4061, a St. Louis product, southbound on Halsted. (Ed Frank, Jr. Photo)

CSL 4061 southbound on route 22, probably in 1947. (Ed Frank, Jr. Photo)

A builder’s photo of Pullman PCC 4172’s interior.

A builder’s photo of Pullman PCC 4172 as new.

Another builder’s photo of Pullman PCC 4172’s interior.

A builder’s photo of Pullman PCC 4172 as new.

An early color photo of CSL 4179.

The boxiness of the Pullmans, compared to the St. Louis version, is clearly evident in this side view of CSL 4179.

4306 up in the air at the Pullman plant.

4346 is southbound on Clark at Lunt in this 1948 view. A banner on the front of the car heralds “Another New CTA Streetcar.” This one was delivered on December 29, 1947. (Ed Frank, Jr. Photo)

This Pullman PCC is northbound on route 36 Broadway-State. Andre Kristopans adds, “on State, between Pershing and 40th. The building is the old cable powerhouse and carbarn. Note in background the two-level bridge. Bottom is CR&I from the IC to Stock Yards, top is the Stock Yards L.” (Ed Frank, Jr. Photo)

State between Pershing and 40th as it appears today. The building at left is the Dawson Technical Institute, part of the City Colleges of Chicago. It was established in 1968.

Remnants of the the two-level bridge Andre refers to. The lower level took the Chicago & Rock Island from the Illinois Central to the Stock Yards, on top was the old Stock Yards “L”, which closed in 1957.

Is 4233 coming or going? I guess a case could be made either way. The car doesn’t seem to have any dents, and there isn’t a logo. Yet it’s not shiny, either, although that could simply be due to the weather. That decides it- this car was scrapped on 8/20/53 and delivered on 3/6/48, so this must be its arrival. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

Pullman PCC 4259 is turning from diversion trackage on Chicago Avenue onto southbound Halsted on July 30, 1952. This would be due to the bridge carrying Halsted over the Chicago River being out of service. The landmark Montgomery Wards complex is at rear. (Thomas H. Desnoyers Photo, Krambles-Peterson Archive)

PCC 4232 is northbound on Clark at Armitage (on route 22) in this June 1948 view. Note the lack of either a CSL or CTA logo on the side of this car. (Krambles-Peterson Archive)

It’s May 1951, and CTA 4248, newly repainted in Everglade Green and Cream, is at 119th and Morgan on the south end of route 36 – Broadway-State. There is an ad for Gibson refrigerators on the side of the car– not the same company that makes guitars. (Krambles-Peterson Archive)

The interior of a PCC on the St. Louis Car Company assembly line. Car 7227 is ahead, which means this is probably either 7226 or 7228. All were delivered to CTA on March 29, 1948.

This picture of CTA 7129 has the appearance of a posed shot. The woman at right is apparently a “Bobby Soxer.” According to the wikipedia, “A bobby sock is a type of sock that was especially fashionable in the 1940s and 1950s. Bobby socks had thick uppers that were turned down to form a thick cuff at ankle height. They were sometimes worn by girls as part of a school uniform. They were popular to wear with saddle shoes, loafers, or Oxfords.” My mother was a Bobby Soxer. 7129, delivered on January 20, 1948, is labelled as “Another New CTA Streetcar.” (Krambles-Peterson Archive)

St. Louis-built 7155 is on Ravenswood Avenue with the Chicago & North Western embankment in the background. The side sign advertises AM radio station WGN, which still offers news and sports, but very little music nowadays. (CTA Photo)

CTA 7142, “Another New CTA streetcar,” is southbound at Wentworth and 24th. (Ed Frank, Jr. Photo)

7178 and 7199 at Devon Station (car barn) circa 1954. George Trapp says you can tell this is Devon since they had wooden beams near the front, not steel. (Charlie Preston Photo)

PCC 7179 in front of red car 5096. From the destination sign you would think we are southbound on Western Avenue. Not sure what route the older car is on. Don’s Rail Photos says, “5001 thru 5200 were built by Brill in 1905, #14318, for the Chicago City Ry. where they carried the same numbers. They were rebuilt in 1908 to bring them up to the standard of the later cars.” George Trapp adds, “car 5096 could be on way from Archer car barn to 77th shops for scrapping as these cars were taken out of service in 1948 after Archer was converted to bus. Car 7179 may be in service on Western before official date of PCC service on Western as photo looks to be in Summer of 1948, 7179 has no logo.” Andre Kristopans writes, “I would bet at Western and 71st SB. The 5000 would have been on 67th-69th going to 71st & California. It looks like they are changing crews as the conductor is walking towards the car.” On the other hand, George Trapp says, ” Andris Kristopans mentions that he thinks it was taken near 71st St. because 5096 was on the 67th-69th-71st Route. I don’t believe this to be the case as that route used one man MU cars. Also, if you enlarge the photo, car 5096 is missing its side route sign box, there’s no glass in the upper sash window opening, the front destination sign seems to be missing as well. Perhaps the conductor of car 7179 just finished throwing the switch so it could go into the 79th loop and had to wait for it to pass so he could throw it back to the straight route for 5096 to continue south to 79th Street to go East. Car 7179 looks very pristine and is missing a CTA logo so this has to be right around the Aug. 1st official debut of PCC’s on Western or possibly earlier. The run number indicates a car from Devon Depot.” (Ed Frank, Jr. Photo)

This photo of PCC 7195 was probably taken by the CTA and the car is heading south on Clark Street opposite Lincoln Park. The ad is for TV station WBKB, which was originally called W9XBK and was Chicago’s first television station starting in 1940. The B and K in WBKB stood for the owners, the Balaban and Katz chain of movie palaces. It was eventually a CBS affiliate on channel 4 and became WBBM-TV channel 2 when the FCC reassigned frequencies. There was a second WBKB then on channel 7, now WLS-TV, and there is yet a third WBKB nowadays in Alpena, Michigan, a CBS affiliate that airs on channel 11.

I believe this iconic picture of CTA 7213, leaving Clark and Kinzie on the last Chicago streetcar run in the early morning hours of June 21, 1958, is a CTA photo.

CTA 7218 is heading north on shoofly trackage at Hasted and Congress circa 1952, while the bridge that would take Halsted over the Congress (later Eisenhower) expressway was being built. There was a photo taken near this location, facing west, in our first post of PCC photos from the Trapp Collection. (Originally from the collections of Joe L. Diaz)

CTA 7254, southbound on Clark and Wacker on April 6, 1950, having just crossed over the Chicago River. (Traction Chicago Photo)

George Trapp writes, “7244 is westbound on Devon at Ravenswood, (the) car is getting ready to turn north on Ravenswood , then will turn East on Schreiber and lay over just west of Clark before making it’s run to 119th-Morgan.” Jeff Wien adds, “Car 7244 is a Broadway-State car on Devon at Ravenswood heading west. The conductor was throwing the switch so that the car would head north on Ravenswood to Schreiber. With the 36 119-Morgan destination sign, I would gather that the car was going to make a run to the south end of the line.” (Ed Frank, Jr. Photo)

PCC 4390, “Another New CTA Streetcar,” is heading eastbound on Roosevelt between Paulina and Ashland in 1948. Route 9 – Ashland cars ran on Paulina between Lake and Roosevelt, since streetcars were not allowed on boulevards, but Ashland never had PCCs and this car is not in service. In the background at left we see the marquee of the Broadway Strand Theatre. According to http://www.cinematreasures.org, “The Broadway Strand Theatre opened on November 10, 1917 on Roosevelt Road (then still called 12th Street) at Ashland Avenue on the Near West Side (close to what is today the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center). In its prime, this theatre had a 2/8 Kimball theater organ.
The Broadway Strand Theatre was demolished in 1998 after a long period of disuse.” A Chicago Motor Coach bus is at right, and a route 12 – Roosevelt Road red car behind the PCC. (Ed Frank, Jr. Photo)

PCC 7267, “Another New CTA Streetcar,” stopped at a safety island southbound on route 49 – Western. (Ed Frank, Jr. Photo)

CTA 4402 at the Western and 79th terminal, ready to head back north. (Traction Chicago Photo)

The curved lines of St. Louis-built PCC 4404 are evident in this view. The car is signed for Western and Devon on route 49, meaning we are heading northbound. Likely, this picture was taken prior to the opening of the CTA loop at Western and Berwyn on August 1, 1948. George Trapp adds that this photo was probably taken “between Aug. 10th, 1948 when the car was delivered and Dec. 12th, 1948 when Berwyn became the official North terminal. Before Dec. 12th, 1948 the Schreiber Loop at the Devon Depot was the North terminal when PCC’s were put on Western and the route was cut back from Howard on the North and 111th on the South.” (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

It would appear that CTA L-201 is taking PCC 7142 off to be scrapped in this scene from 77th and Vincennes. The scrap date for 7142 was May 23, 1958, which is probably about when this picture was taken. (J. Schmidt Photo)

CTA 4384 is apparently southbound on Western in the mid-1950s. and signed to go only as far as 69th, making this a pull-in.

A PCC passes the historic Pui Tak Center Building in Chinatown while heading south on route 22. The building is at 2216 South Wentworth Avenue, just south of Cermak Road. The car at left is a 1957 Buick.
There is a similar (better, actually) picture taken at this location by Charles L. Tauscher on page 211 of CERA Bulletin 146.

An undated view of PCC 4391 at the Illinois Railway Museum, probably in the 1980s.

CTA 4248 is heading north on Halsted at Root on the south side in this July 21, 1952 view. The occasion was the Democratic Convention, held at the nearby International Amphitheatre, which took place from July 21 to the 26th. The Republican Convention was held there as well between July 7th and the 11th. The Dems nominated Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson for president, and the GOP General Dwight D. Eisenhower. (Thomas H. Desnoyers Photo, Krambles-Peterson Archive)

Chicago’s Pre-PCCs

May 5, 2015February 24, 2026David Sadowski 9 Comments

CSL 7001 at Clark and Ridge in 1938. (M. D. McCarter Collection)

The PCC (short for Presidents’ Conference Committee) streetcar has been in continuous use since 1936, a remarkable 79 years. It literally saved the North American streetcar from extinction, but its development took several years and it did not appear in a vacuum. The presidents of several transit companies banded together in 1929 to develop a new, modern streetcar that could compete with buses and automobiles. The first production PCCs were made in 1936, the last in 1952.

The Chicago Surface Lines played an important part in the PCC’s development. Chicago ultimately had 683 PCCs, the largest fleet purchased new by any city, but in actuality CSL had 785 modern cars in all. There were 100 Peter Witt streetcars built in 1929 by a combination of CSL, Brill, and Cummings Car Co., and two experimental pre-PCCs, 4001 (built by Pullman-Standard) and 7001 (Brill), which dated to 1934.

The Peter Witt car was developed by its namesake in Cleveland around 1914 and set the standard for streetcars for the next 20 years. (Chicago’s batch were also referred to as “sedans.”) During the late 1920s and early 1930s, there was a similar type of car known as the “Master Unit*” made by Brill (Pullman-owned Osgood-Bradley made a similar model called the “Electromobile.”)

In conjunction with the 1933-34 Chicago World’s Fair, also known as A Century of Progress, CSL commissioned two experimental streetcars, the 4001 and 7001, with advanced features. (You can read an excellent and very comprehensive history of those cars on the Hicks Car Works blog.)

Of the two cars, the 4001 was more radical in both design and construction, with a streamlined all-aluminum body, but probably the less successful of the two. Both were taken out of service in 1944. The 4001 is the only pre-PCC car to survive, and is now preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum. The 7001 was scrapped by CTA in 1959.

Ironically, the 7001, made by J. G. Brill, was closer to the eventual design of the PCC car, although ultimately Brill did not build any true PCCs. The company had a policy not to pay patent royalties to other companies, and refused to do so with PCC technology owned by the Transit Research Corp. (TRC).

In 1935, Capital Transit ordered 20 pre-PCC cars for Washington D. C. based on the design of car 7001, but shorter. The order was split between Brill and St. Louis Car Company. This was an important step, since these were more than simply experimental units. Car 1053 managed to survive the end of streetcar service in Washington DC in 1962, until September 28, 2003 when it was destroyed in a fire at the National Capital Trolley Museum in Maryland.

There were also two additional 1934 experimental cars, the PCC Model A and B, which were used for field testing. The Model A was built in 1929 by Twin Coach and purchased second-hand to test new components. It was tested in Brooklyn circa 1934-35 and was scrapped in 1939.

The streamlined Model B incorporated all the latest PCC developments and was tested in Chicago, arguably the first PCC car operated here. While in use in Brooklyn, the PCC Model B dewired and was involved in an accident with a truck after its brakes failed. This led to the brake systems being redesigned for the first PCCs. The Model B was kept in storage for some time, and although the front end was repaired, it was never again used in service and was scrapped in the early 1950s.

By 1936, the first production PCCs were ready to go and the first one was delivered to Brooklyn and Queens Transit on May 28, 1936. However, Pittsburgh Railways put the first PCC into scheduled public service in August.

Brill’s decision not to build true PCCs ultimately proved fatal. Their 1938-41 “Brilliner” was considered somewhat inferior to the PCC car and few were built. 30 single-ended cars went to Atlantic City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Cincinnati, while 10 double-ended cars were built for Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Co., where they continued in service into the early 1980s.

These were the last streetcars made by Brill, who had once dominated the industry. Most PCCs were built by the St. Louis Car Company, with a smaller share from Pullman-Standard.

We hope that you will enjoy these pictures of these pre-PCC cars, the ones that laid the groundwork for the “car that fought back,” which continues to serve faithfully and well in a number of North American cities, and hopefully will continue to do so for a long time to come.

-David Sadowski

*According to History of the J. G. Brill Company by Debra Brill, page 173, the Master Unit model was officially introduced in January 1929:

“The idea was to produce standardized cars. Both ends of the car were to be identical in construction. Height and width of the car, size and number of windows, seat width and therefore aisle width were to be the same for every unit of a specific type. The cars were offered in single-or double-truck, and single-or double-end style, with doors located at the ends or with a combination end door and center door. Master Units could be constructed with steel or aluminum, the difference in weight being about 5,000 pounds. Interestingly, the cars had curved lower sides very much like the curve used on the lower panels of the Kuhlman and Brill-built cars of a few years previously. There was nothing patentable about the Master Unit: it was merely a standardized design.

To Brill’s disappointment, buyers did not appear in large numbers. Only seventy-eight Master Units were built in all, with just two constructed exactly to Brill’s specifications.”

Here is an article about Scranton car 505, one of the last surviving Osgood-Bradley Safety Cars, also known as “Electromobiles,” now in the process of being restored at the Electric City Trolley Museum. An Electromobile was also the last trolley to run in New York City.

Here is an interesting blog post about the effort to restore the 505.

Here is a video discussing the effort to restore Scranton Electromobile #505:

As an added bonus, as streetcars prepare to return to service in Washington D. C., here are some vintage films showing a variety of streetcars in action, including both PCCs, the 1935 pre-PCCs, and even some older types:

Frank Hicks, of the excellent Hicks Car Works blog, writes:

Very nice job on the Pre-PCC post on your blog! It’s a great post with some outstanding photos, and of course I appreciate the “plug” as well.

Several of the photos you posted I had never seen before. The photo of the 4001 in service is really nice; shots of the car in regular use are really pretty rare. It was quite the “hangar queen” when it was on the CSL. And the Model B interior shot is fascinating! I think I saw that rear-end shot somewhere once but I don’t know that I’d ever seen a photo of the car’s interior. What I found most fascinating is that it appears the car was designed to have left-hand doors fitted in the middle, Boston style (and likely so that it could be used or tested out in Boston, as I think Boston is the only city that had PCCs with this feature). Close examination of the interior shot shows an inset panel across from the center doors and I bet it was designed for doors to be put there if desired. It would be interesting to know more about the Model B. I’m not even sure whether it was set up for one-man or two-man service; the photo makes it clear that there was no conductor’s station forward of the center doors, like the CSL cars had, but it’s possible there was a conductor behind the motorman (I think this was how Brooklyn set up its PCC cars). Or it could have just been a one-man car.

Anyway, thank you for posting these photos and for posting such large scans of them – fascinating stuff!

CTA Peter Witt 3330 on route 4. These cars were shifted to Cottage Grove from Clark-Wentworth in 1947 after postwar PCCs took over that line.

CTA 6282 unloads passengers in the early 1950s. Note the postwar Pullman PCC at rear.

CSL 6300 on route 4 – Cottage Grove in the early CTA era.

CSL “Sedan” 6299 on route 4 – Cottage Grove.

A unique lineup at the 1934 American Transit Association convention in Cleveland. From left, we have the PCC Model A; CSL 4001; CSL 7001, and the PCC Model B. (Krambles-Peterson Archive)

The PCC Model B at Navy Pier. (Chicago Architectural Photographing Co.)

The PCC Model B being demonstrated at Navy Pier. (CSL Photo)

The PCC Model B interior. (Chicago Architectural Photographing Co.)

CSL 7001 under construction at the Brill plant in 1934.

CSL 7001 on route 36 Broadway-State in 1934.

CSL 7001 at State and Van Buren in 1934.

CSL 7001 at State and Chicago, in World’s Fair service, at 9 am on August 29, 1934. (George Krambles Photo)

CSL 4001 at South Shops on October 23, 1938. (George Krambles Photo)

CSL 4001, signed for route 4 Cottage Grove, at South Shops on October 23, 1938. (M. D. McCarter Collection)

CSL 4001 in service, probably around 1934.

CSL 4001 on route 22, Clark-Wentworth, probably in the late 1930s.

CSL 4001, sporting a good sized dent, at South Shops. (CSL Photo)

CSL 4001 at Kedzie and Van Buren on May 13, 1946. By this time, the car had been out of service for two years. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

Capital Transit 1056, a product of the St. Louis Car Co., as it looked in 1935 when new.

Car 7501, the only Baltimore “Brilliner,” in August 1941. Note the so-called “tavern” doors. This car was a sample in anticipation of a larger order that never came. It ran in service from 1939 to 1956. (Jeffrey Winslow Photo)

A modern Baltimore “Peter Witt” streetcar, built by Brill in 1930, alongside a PCC, made in 1936 by St. Louis Car Company.

DC Transit pre-PCC streamlined streetcar at the National Capital Trolley Museum in 1993. Part of a 20-car order in 1935, split between Brill and St Louis Car Company. This is a St. Louis Car Company product. Sadly this car was lost to a carbarn fire at the museum in 2003. (John Smatlak Photo)

1053 interior. (John Smatlak Photo)

Scranton Transit 508, an “Electromobile,” was built by Osgood-Bradley Co in 1929. It was another attempt at a modern standardized streetcar in the pre-PCC era.

Baltimore Peter Witt 6146. Don’s Rail Photos says it was “built by Brill in 1930 and retired in 1955.” Sister car 6119 is at the Baltimore Streetcar Museum, while 6144 is at Seashore. These were some of the most modern cars around, prior to the PCCs.

Baltimore Transit Company car 6105, shown here on route 15 – Ostend St., is one of the last modern streetcars built before PCCs took over the market. The sign on front says that September 7 will be the last day for 6 hour local rides. Perhaps that can help date the picture.

Indianapolis Railways 146, shown here on a special run in 1949, was a Brill “Master Unit” but appears very similar to the Baltimore Peter Witts. This car was built in 1933, one of the last streetcars built before the PCC era. Brill tried to sell street railways on standardized cars (hence the name “Master Units”) but as you might expect, no two orders were identical.

The Trolley Dodger

Musings on transit, past, present, and future

Pullman-Standard

More Chicago PCC Photos – Part Three

More Chicago PCC Photos – Part Two

Chicago’s Pre-PCCs