Railway Preservation News :: View topic - Photo ID Please

Photo is extremely clear. It's not difficult to make out "New Garden & Water St" on the top front marquee. There is also a painted sign on the lower front that says "DOC" (District of Columbia) and some info about Assembly, Rooms, etc. There are also two black gentleman standing at right--perhaps employees at the yard/depot?

I'll make an "educated" guess that the photo is of an ex-Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company 8-bench Brill open car owned by the Marshall Traction Company of Marshall, TX.
- Matt Nawn

Good work everyone. I didn't think identifying this car would be a breazer.

Author:	wesp [ Mon Mar 29, 2021 9:24 pm ]
Post subject:	Photo ID Please - Single Truck Open Car #3
The photo in this link is misidentified as Washington, DC where there never was a New Garden Street, or electric letters on the dash. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Washington-DC-Trolley-Train-Tram-Vtg-ORIGINAL-PHOTO-B-W-Water-Street-OLD/303864384621?hash=item46bfba8c6d:g:uD4AAOSwwXZgE1m- Seller says: Quote: Photo is extremely clear. It's not difficult to make out "New Garden & Water St" on the top front marquee. There is also a painted sign on the lower front that says "DOC" (District of Columbia) and some info about Assembly, Rooms, etc. There are also two black gentleman standing at right--perhaps employees at the yard/depot? Thanks for the ID. Wesley

Author:	Dennis Storzek [ Mon Mar 29, 2021 10:06 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Photo ID Please - Single Truck Open Car #3
Can't say where it is, but will note that the "electric letters" on the dash look temporary, as likely are the line of light bulbs around the perimeter of the deck. I'd say the car is decorated for a parade.

Author:	Dennis Storzek [ Mon Mar 29, 2021 10:13 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Photo ID Please - Single Truck Open Car #3
I wonder if the DOC on the sign stands for Daughters of the Confederacy, founded in 1894, before they adopted the name United Daughters of the Confederacy, UDC. The car is certainly old enough.

Author:	jrevans [ Mon Mar 29, 2021 10:39 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Photo ID Please - Single Truck Open Car #3
My internet sleuthing says maybe Salem, Ohio? They have a New Garden Ave and a Water Street (but they two don't seem to meet now). https://goo.gl/maps/cpW3i6hhxDVbAesW8 Historical pictures seem to show a trolley system with similar cars: https://www.hippostcard.com/listing/sal ... y/16300653 https://www.pinterest.com/pin/239957486372044577/

Author:	mwntrolley [ Tue Mar 30, 2021 7:05 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Photo ID Please - Single Truck Open Car #3
I'll make an "educated" guess that the photo is of an ex-Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company 8-bench Brill open car owned by the Marshall Traction Company of Marshall, TX. PRT was by no means the only operator of 8-bench Brill open cars, but the photo looked very similar to cars operated by PRT, and PRT did resell a number of its earliest cars to other properties, so I started with this assumption and compared the car to other photos of PRT Brill 8-bench open cars and it looks identical. Thanks to the detailed list of dispositions provided in Harold Cox's "Early Electric Cars of Philadelphia" book, I was able to find systems that purchased second hand examples of these cars. Based on the comments that the "D.O.C." could mean the Daughters of the Confederacy, I limited the search to systems which purchased these cars that would have fallen within the former Confederacy. Marshall, Texas was the only place that fit this criteria with a Water Street downtown. Furthermore, from a quick search on Marshall, TX, I found the city was important, politically, to the Civil War, and has a long standing "Wonderland of Lights" celebration, which would explain why the car is decorated with what appear to be temporary exterior lighting. Finally, on another internet search I was able to find a somewhat muddy B&W photo of streetcars in Marshall, TX, with open cars painted in a similar configuration to the one in the photo. So, my best guess is that the car in the photo is Marshall Traction Company #3, former PRT #519, originally built by Brill in 1894 for the Philadelphia Traction Company and sold by successor PRT on April 19, 1912. - Matt Nawn

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Author:	jrevans [ Tue Mar 30, 2021 9:17 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Photo ID Please - Single Truck Open Car #3
mwntrolley wrote: I'll make an "educated" guess that the photo is of an ex-Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company 8-bench Brill open car owned by the Marshall Traction Company of Marshall, TX. - Matt Nawn I like Matt's educated guess. Here's about the only photo that I could find of their trolleys: https://edtexweblog.com/a-streetcar-named/

Author:	wilkinsd [ Tue Mar 30, 2021 6:10 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Photo ID Please - Single Truck Open Car #3
Good work everyone. I didn't think identifying this car would be a breazer.

Author:	JeffH [ Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:52 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Photo ID Please - Single Truck Open Car #3
wilkinsd wrote: Good work everyone. I didn't think identifying this car would be a breazer. <groan>

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