I got a call from someone last night who was driving through Nebraska (on I-80 I'm sure) and saw a Birney or other short streetcar on a flatbed truck headed westbound about 50 miles west of North Platte. The car was described as orange and white with the "wheels" sitting behind it on the trailer. Does anyone have any ideas what this car is? I checked the Gomaco website and they did just ship two small open cars to Glendale, CA within the last two weeks but they don't look like how this car was described.

Is the Birney from Union College on the move? I've seen some pictures of the car and the description matches.

Wesley

It could be; that's as good a guess as I can come up with. The Union College car was used recently in some filming work out in California, where it was made up to resemble a Pacific Electric Birney (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUdNpH3qNJ4 - the Union College car was one of two Birneys used during filming, so I'm not positive it's the car in the footage). I'm not sure why it would be headed west, though.

Tractioneers:

Obviously we won't know what this car is until someone in the know reads this or is told of this topic and hopefully fills us in.

Having said all that, I wonder if this is Fort Collins Muni Rwy No. 25 headed from Charlotte to Fort Collins. This is a more northerly route than I would have guessed but who knows? The Fort Collins group now own the car and are in a fundraising drive to bring the car home. Considering the weight of a Birney car this should not be a very difficult undertaking--Silk Road not needed here I wouldn't think.

Ft. Collins Muni No. 25 has been masquerading for a number of years as Broad River Power No. 407. The car was restored to the Columbia, SC livery of orange below the belt rail and white above several years ago for some sort of shindig celebrating the anniversary of the founding of South Carolina Electric & Gas, now called SCANA. SCE&G predecessors Broad River Power Co and Columbia Rwy, Gas & Elec Co., ran the streetcars in Columbia until abandonment in 1936.

The Ft. Collins Muni website has some good info on No. 25 including a photo of No. 407 sitting inside the Charlotte trolley carbarn. http://www.fortnet.org/trolley/car25/sep07pr.php

I believe that brother Dave Lathrop was intimately involved with the restoration of No. 407/25 and when he reads this, and feels so inclined, perhaps he can fill us in on the history of this Birney car. Unless of course this particular apparition is not No. 25, in which case--never mind!

Thanks!

Frank,

The Fort collins Muni railway Society bought a Fort Collins Birney out of Charlottle, North Carolina ??

but I do not think it would be that far north as is going to colorado. Vie I-70 at a guess.

Ted Miles

Frank wrote, "... but I do not think it would be that far north as is going to Colorado, via I-70 I'd guess."



Howdy,

Via I-80 would do just fine going to Fort Collins.

Roger

I believe you're right - a post on another forum stated that this was indeed Fort Collins 25, masquerading as South Carolina Public Service 407 as it has been for the last 15 years or so. Thanks!

Thanks Brother Jim, but my reputation again exceeds me in this case. I did Charlotte car 85, and had nothing to do with this one. I was in Colorado at the time it went to SC, and was very recently back in Charlotte when they bought this car (against my advice, which was to acquire two Melbourne W5 kits instead). They got the nice shiny Birney, and I got one W5 for Savannah, so things worked out well in the end, I suppose......but I am very happy to see that Birney go home where it will have a future.

dave

From the FCMRS: "Fort Collins Car 25 (previously Richmond, VA #1520 and now painted as Charleston #407) arrived last night. We
unloaded and moved it into the old carbarn, 330 N. Howes St.,
this morning. It's now back where it spent nights from 1946 thru
1953." Al J.

It also kept it out of the bad weather along I-70. It is now safely in the barn at Cherry and Howes in Fort Collins.