In the late 60's I remember about a dozen or so open trolleys were brought to the US from Rio.
One is at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum w/o trucks, another is at the Rockhill Trolley Museum and operates. Where are the others and what kind of trucks and motors do they have?

dcbockus@columbus.rr.com

I believe they were 12 in all.

Connecticut Trolley museum has #1887, listed as "awaiting restoration." Electric City in Scanton has #604, also listed as awaiting restoration. #1718 and #1779 are at the Midwest Electric Rly., Old Threshers Reunion, Mt Pleasant IA. So that's four more accounted for. 'Fraid I couldn't tell you anything about the trucks and motors for any of them.

On a side note, my understanding is that the consortium which brought these cars to the US became the seed from which ARM grew. True?


eledbetter@rypn.org

> In the late 60's I remember about a dozen or
> so open trolleys were brought to the US from
> Rio.
> One is at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum
> w/o trucks, another is at the Rockhill
> Trolley Museum and operates. Where are the
> others and what kind of trucks and motors do
> they have?

I think (and I KNOW I will be corrected by others here if I'm wrong) that at least one or two ended up at the Magee Transportation near Bloomsburg, Pa., which exactly 30 years ago was in the process of being washed out. Did that/those cars end up in Scranton or Rockhill? Or scrap?


lner4472@bcpl.net

> I think (and I KNOW I will be corrected by
> others here if I'm wrong) that at least one
> or two ended up at the Magee Transportation
> near Bloomsburg, Pa., which exactly 30 years
> ago was in the process of being washed out.
> Did that/those cars end up in Scranton or
> Rockhill? Or scrap?

Four cars came to the Magee Transportation Museum in Bloomsburg, PA, which, as Sandy noted, was in the process of being washed away this very night 30 years ago. Two of the cars wound up at Midwest Settlers, one is the 604 mentioned as in Scranton, and the fourth is, I believe, somewhere in Florida.

The cars had Westinghouse 306CV4 traction motors mounted on homemade roller bearing trucks. The big motors were because they sometimes pulled trailers and needed the power to handle the steep grades in Rio.

Another car is at Rockhill in service, and a single-truck version owned by them was destroyed in an arson fire in Allentown some years back.

There was another single truck car as well, but the years have dimmed my recall of where the rest of them ended up.

K4s1361@hotmail.com

The open car that was in Florida was formerly Magee # 3. Originally # 1758 from Brazil I believe. It had been in the Lionel train museum in Sarasota and later at the Grand Gypress Trolley line in Orlando. I have heard it is now operating at Memphis converted to a closed car. can anyone confirm this fact with a photograph?

Two cars are in Middletown PA at the Midletown and Hummelstown RR. They were formerly at the Fox River Trolley Museum. One double truck car and single truck car 441. Neither are presently in operation although the single truck was in operation in Illinois at Fox River. Both cars have been in Middletown since 1984 I believe.

The Rockhill Trolley Museum has double truck car 1875 in operation. Single truck car 322 was being restored off the museum property until the building it was stored in burned in 1988. The remaining parts (truck frame, seat castings, associated metal parts) are in storage.



http://www.rockhilltrolley.org
jdstrolley@enter.net

I believe that there were 12 cars originally. Four were acquired by Magee and were dispersed as Wayne and Joel have indicated. The car in Florida is still there as far as I know. Rockhill accounted for three more cars, one of which was sold to Pennsylvania Trolley Museum (formerly Arden) in 1983. Middletown accounts for two more as Joel cited and as far as I know the remaining 3 went to Warehouse Point (Connecticut Trolley Museum) Of the ones at Connecticut, one was sold to New Orleans which in turn sold it to Memphis where it is reported to have been heavily modified to please lawyers:-}.

Trucks look like St Louis #47a or McGuire Cummings 39A (see Charleton book). See Wayne's response to filled in the rest. Arden didn't get trucks, they remained in Rockhill.

CuZinBruce
> The open car that was in Florida was
> formerly Magee # 3. Originally # 1758 from
> Brazil I believe. It had been in the Lionel
> train museum in Sarasota and later at the
> Grand Gypress Trolley line in Orlando. I
> have heard it is now operating at Memphis
> converted to a closed car. can anyone
> confirm this fact with a photograph?

> Two cars are in Middletown PA at the
> Midletown and Hummelstown RR. They were
> formerly at the Fox River Trolley Museum.
> One double truck car and single truck car
> 441. Neither are presently in operation
> although the single truck was in operation
> in Illinois at Fox River. Both cars have
> been in Middletown since 1984 I believe.

> The Rockhill Trolley Museum has double truck
> car 1875 in operation. Single truck car 322
> was being restored off the museum property
> until the building it was stored in burned
> in 1988. The remaining parts (truck frame,
> seat castings, associated metal parts) are
> in storage.


cuzinbruce99@yahoo.com