Rockhill Trolley Museum Archives | Page 2 of 3 | Friends of Philadelphia Trolleys

Fares, please! A new (old) addition for 2743

Posted onJuly 25, 2017January 23, 2019AuthorRoger DuPuis II

A vintage farebox has been installed inside Philadelphia Transportation Co. 2743. (Mike Lawson photo.)

A trolley wouldn’t be a trolley without somewhere to stash passengers’ tokens and cash.

Fareboxes of one kind or another have been an integral part of public transit since its earliest, horse-drawn days. And now, Philadelphia Transportation Co. PCC car 2743 once again has a vintage version planted next to the operator’s seat.

Volunteer Mike Lawson recently completed installation of the contraption on 2743’s front platform.

“There were lots of holes drilled in the floor for the various fareboxes that were used over the years but I found the right set and now the farebox is exactly where it was originally,” Mike said.

For more on recent restoration work, click here.

2743 returns to service at Rockhill

Posted onJune 19, 2017January 23, 2019AuthorRoger DuPuis II

Car 2743 returned to service at the Rockhill Trolley Museum on June 17, 2017. (Courtesy Harry Donahue.)

After more than a year of painting, seat re-installation and other interior detail work by FPT volunteers, Philadelphia Transportation Co. PCC car 2743 returned to formal passenger service at the Rockhill Trolley Museum on Saturday, June 17, 2017.

The 1947 streamliner’s inside has been restored to 1960s appearance to complement its exterior, which was repainted in PTC’s green and cream colors in 2015. The interior had remained in SEPTA’s 1980s GOH scheme until last year, when FPT began sending seats out to be reupholstered in PTC-era brown while repainting of the walls, ceilings and seat frames was underway.

FPT is grateful to all of the donors who helped make this project a reality through their generosity — especially through our donate a seat program — and to all of the volunteers who spent many long hours inside the car transforming its appearance. We are looking at ways of recognizing all of you for your efforts. Watch this space for more details in the near future.

In the meanwhile, we hope you will take the opportunity to visit Rockhill in the near future and see the restored car for yourselves.

From left, George Rich, Mike Lawson and Harry Donahue enjoy a laugh as 2743 was being made ready to re-enter museum service. (Bill Monaghan photo.)

Alex Campbell helps out with some last-minute details before 2743 returned to service. (Bill Monaghan photo.)

Mike Lawson was a virtual one-man band when the time came to install the final seats inside 2743. (Harry Donahue photo.)

PTC car 2743 has just arrived at Blacklog Narrows following an outbound trip on June 17, 2017. (Bill Monaghan photo.)