Yesterday was a big step forward for the #505 group. After much planning, the car body was moved from Scranton to the Stourbridge Railroad shops in nearby Honesdale, PA. Stourbridge is skilled in heavyweight passenger car repair and is able to offer many services that we need (including woodworking and hot riveting) to get #505 back in shape.

Northeast Pennsylvania was blessed with above average temperatures last week so we took advantage of the good weather and made arrangements to have the car moved. Road Scholar Transport of Dunmore, PA arrived at the Trolley Works at PNC Field with a drop deck trailer and the ECTM shop crew got to work.



Strapped down and ready to go, Car #505 passes Car #324, the only other known Scranton passenger car still in existence. Car #324 has been under restoration for several years and is nearing completion.



After arriving at the Stourbridge facility in Honesdale, slings were secured to the bolsters and the car body was carefully lifted off of the drop deck trailer.





With the trailer out of the way, one end of the body is lowered onto a bogey cart. The lift is repositioned and car #505 is carefully guided into the shop.





And there you have it, a smooth and successful move thanks to Road Scholar Transport and the crews at ECTM and Stourbridge. We will be posting updates as work progresses so stay tuned. As always, donations are greatly appreciated - the Electric City Trolley Museum Association is a 501 (c)(3) educational non-profit and our Paypal handle is Trolley505@yahoo.com

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=HR ... ocale.x=US




For video please see: https://wnep.com/2019/02/09/trolley-res ... ing-moves/

UPDATE: It has taken nearly a year but we are (finally!) ready to move past the steel replacement phase of the project. Stourbridge has done a phenomenal job of replicating and installing the new side sheets. This was accomplished in the same manner as the car was built; full sheets hot riveted at the factory seams - no patchwork.

During this process, we came across some old accident damage from when the car was still in service. Fortunately we had a full section of bulkhead from Queensboro car 601 to replace the damaged piece. Otherwise the work was straight forward and went smoothly. The result is truly amazing.

We are currently quoting for the car's woodwork and hope to move onto the next phase of restoration soon. With any luck, she'll be looking a lot more like a trolley in the near future. If you haven't supported us before, please consider doing so. Donations may be sent to ECTMA-Project 505, PO Box 20019, Scranton, PA 18502.

Thanks and stay tuned,
The Project 505 Committee

https://wnep.com/2020/01/29/work-continuing-on-project-505-trolley-restoration/

Sorry it's been so long since we've posted an update, I think we all know the past couple years have been difficult. We've got some big things on the horizon for 2023. Stay tuned.

Video link - - - - > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zggCoKo9-84

Excellent video.

Worth watching. There is a copy of this video on the ectma.org site in the Project 505 link.

Phil Mulligan

The discussion of 505's history in the video omits the entire chapter of its time at the Magee Transportation Museum in Bloomsburg, PA. Industrialist Harry L. Magee is the one responsible for rescuing the car in the first place in 1964, and 505 was there until 1973. Had it not been for the Agnes flood in June 1972, 505 might well have been restored and operational in Bloomsburg.

Wayne, that’s my fault. I knew immediately after that I had skipped over Magee, but at that point the conversation had moved on. The interview was filmed exactly as you see it - no script, no edits. I will point out that Magee is credited in both the description for the video and on our main page at http://www.ectma.org/505.html

Thanks, Phil. I should mention that the gofundme campaign shown on screen during the video is no longer active, and the best way to donate is through the mailing address at the end. We did not produce the video, but are certainly grateful for the exposure.

Great to see this project continuing to move forward. It will definitely be one the most extensive streetcar restorations ever attempted when completed. My compliments to all involved.

Best wishes,
Matt Nawn

Thanks, Matt - we still have a long way to go, but I think we're going to scratch a lot more off the list in the next 12-24 months. Below is a photo of the offset wheels that we received from McKees Rocks at the end of the summer. Hopefully, our first pair of motors aren't far behind. Association members will tackle truck assembly as the carbody comes together.