FPT to host PCC-II charter in conjunction with East Penn meet

(Bill Monaghan photo)

PHILADELPHIA — Friends of Philadelphia Trolleys (FPT) will be sponsoring a PCC-II charter in conjunction with the East Penn Traction Meet on Sunday, May 19, 2019.

The E.P.T.M. will take place on Friday & Saturday May 17th & 18th, come out to the show and check out our table.

The charter will depart SEPTA Elmwood Depot at 11:00AM and will return around 3PM the fare for the trip is $45. To reserve a seat, please send a check for $45.00 made out to FPT, Inc., and mail to: FPT c/o Harry Donahue, 103 Mulberry Court, Morgantown, PA 19543. All proceeds will go to PTC Peter Witt 8042 at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum. Need more info? Contact: Bill Monaghan FPT2799@comcast.net

WWII event at Rockhill Trolley Museum

(Courtesy Rockhill Trolley Museum.)

Philadelphia Transportation Co. PCC 2743, one of FPT’s recent restoration projects, is expected to take part in a living history event this weekend at the Rockhill Trolley Museum in Central Pennsylvania.

On Sept. 9, the museum will host a new World War II living history event to put trolley passengers in the middle of the sights, sounds, and tension of homefront America in 1944. Enjoy the sounds and get up and dance to great 1940s swing music played live by The Big Band Sound, Inc. Experience exciting moments Pennsylvania trolley history, such as when trolleys served the war effort, when women first ran the trolleys, and even when fully armed soldiers guarded city transit vehicles.

The first trolley departs at 11:15 a.m., and the band will play from noon to 3 p.m. The last trolley rides will be at 4:15 p.m.

Admission to event is $8 per adult, $5 for children 12 or under, and infants are free. Admission includes live swing dance music performance, trolley rides, a chance to interact with history re-enactors, and more.

In addition to regular trolley rides, there will be limited seating on three special trolley rides throughout the day, at 11:15 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. These rides will have combat-equipped Allied soldiers guarding the cars, so passengers should be advised that they may hear gunfire nearby on these special trips. Not recommended for young children, and some walking over gravel and stepping on and off of trolleys is required. Keep an eye out for enemy activity as you ride, and meet the trolley museum’s collection of military veteran rail equipment.

You can reserve a seat for the special ride on the museum’s website, www.rockhilltrolley.org. Note that there is a fee for online reservations.

PCC 2168 returns to service at BSM

Mike Barron, left, and Mike Lawson pose with SEPTA 2168 after completing repairs on the car at the Baltimore Streetcar Museum. (Matt Nawn photo.)

After being sidelined for several weeks due to concerns with the performance of the braking system, SEPTA 2168 — the car that “started it all” for FPT — has been repaired and returned to operating condition at its home at the Baltimore Streetcar Museum.

After several tedious work days, Mike Lawson, Mike Barron, and Matt Nawn spent Sept. 3 cleaning and adjusting the shaft brake mechanisms to ensure proper operation. The hard work paid off as the car successfully passed its braking tests late in the day, enabling the car to return to active status; including for operation during BSM’s Members Day on Sept. 16.

An interesting fact: Mike, Mike, and Matt are all mechanical engineers who also enjoy working on vintage trolley cars.