The 125th anniversary car is seen inside Callowhill Depot. For information on how to attend our upcoming Father’s Day charter using this car, see the story below.
PHILADELPHIA — Fans of urban transit history can photograph a unique tribute to the city’s rich trolley heritage and support efforts to preserve relics of that heritage on a special charter trip next month.
Friends of Philadelphia Trolleys (FPT) is sponsoring a Father’s Day Charter over parts of SEPTA’s trolley system on Sunday, June 17 using Kawasaki-built trolley #9043, which is wearing a special decal to commemorate 125 years of electric trolley operation in the City of Philadelphia.
The first electric trolleys in Philadelphia ran on the Catharine-Bainbridge Line beginning Dec. 15, 1892.
FPT’s charter trip will depart from SEPTA’s Elmwood Depot, 7311 Elmwood Ave., Philadelphia at 11 a.m. and continue until 3 p.m. It will cover SEPTA’s entire route 15 trolley line, as well as some of the system’s subway-surface lines in West Philadelphia. Snacks and drinks will be available for purchase on the car.
All proceeds from this year’s Father’s Day charter, one of several annual events hosted by nonprofit FPT, will benefit the restoration of former Philadelphia Transportation Company car #8042, a 1923 streetcar built by the J.G. Brill Company of Philadelphia, then the world’s largest manufacturer of trolleys and electric railway equipment. Car 8042 ran in the city until 1957. It now resides at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Washington County, Pa., where the car is undergoing restoration.
Tickets for the charter will be $45 per seat. To reserve a seat, mail a check or money order, payable to “FPT, Inc.”, to Harry Donahue, 103 Mulberry Court, Morgantown, PA 19543. For a flyer or more information, e-mail Bill Monaghan at FPT2799@Comcast.Net or download a flyer below.
Founded by a group of Philadelphia-area preservationists, historians and transit professionals, FPT is a non-profit organization which raises money to support the restoration and upkeep of Philadelphia-area trolley cars preserved in operating condition at museums around the country, including facilities in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Connecticut.
Its members, many of whom have lengthy experience in the transit industry, offer not just funding but technical advice to museums, and frequently travel around the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast to participate in restoration work.
WHAT: Friends of Philadelphia Trolleys Father’s Day Charter using 125th anniversary commemorative car
WHEN: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday, June 17, 2018
WHERE: Trip starts from SEPTA’s Elmwood Depot, 7311 Elmwood Ave., Philadelphia
COST: $45 per person; mail a check or money order, payable to “FPT, Inc.”, to Harry Donahue, 103 Mulberry Court, Morgantown, PA 19543.
CONTACT: Bill Monaghan at FPT2799@Comcast.Net
DOWNLOAD THE FATHER’S DAY FLYER BY CLICKING THIS PHOTO:
Philadelphia PCC 2168 has become one of the most popular cars at the Baltimore Streetcar Museum since it went into public service there in 2009. However, the effects of more than 50 winters in the snow and salt of Philly’s winters are beginning to show on the 70 year old trolley.
FPT Director Harry Donahue, at right, recently presented a check for $5,000 to Pennsylvania Trolley Museum Executive Director Scott Becker for the restoration of Philadelphia Transportation Co. 8042.
PTM volunteers also have rebuilt 8042′ s controller as part of the work, as seen here.
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Friends, we have great news — sort of: Our April 28 charter in Scranton is sold out.
The Winter 2018 issue of The Streamliner has arrived! Features include: