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Sloan

http://www.biscaynetimes.com/index.php? ... 6:features

I have a vague memory that "Miami 231" is in actual fact a Reading, Pa. 500-series Birney car.

That might make sense, as I believe the late Ed Blossom from Pennsylvania did the restoration work.

Dave

I didn't get to Miami until 1959, but during all the years I lived there - 1959 through 1975 - never got the slightest inkling an original Miami car was left anywhere in the area. Bodes well for another heritage and a fine quality replication.

dave

Dave C. --

Thanks for confirming my often-vague memory. I worked for Ed at Bloomsburg, Dushore and Topton, and we had a couple of Birneys that passed through over the years. I just couldn't recall which one went where.

Cheers -- Wayne

Interesting discussion; it seems like it would make sense for the car to come from Pennsylvania. The photo of the car in the museum in Miami makes it look like it has wider four-leaf doors, identical to what a Miami car would have had (Reading cars had narrower doors I believe), but it's difficult to tell. The single marker light doesn't seem to match in-service photos of Miami cars, though.

I telephoned the museum this afternoon and spoke to "Robert" who is on staff there. Here's what he told me:

The car is a Miami streetcar. It has wheels but no motors. Interior restoration made possible by parts acquired from Mexico. Exterior is original. Museum handled all restoration.

The museum acquired-or rescued-231 in 1984 when it was a paint shed.

Sloan

Sloan is correct. The car is an actual Miami car that was found and shipped to Topton Where Ed Blossom was working. I have a slide of the car when it first arrived in August 1981 and it was in very poor condition. Ed did quite a bit of work on the car to make it presentable before it left Topton. Ed told me the seats and truck frame did come from a Mexico car they had found. Ed took many trips to Miami to complete the interior after the car was placed in the building there. I recall there was a signal mast of some type and gasoline engine that came north with the car to be restored as well, but am unsure what happened to those items. I think the car left Topton sometime after January 1983 as that is the last slide I have of the car at Topton. It was painted at that point with the new floor installed, windows installed and the J.G. Brill lettered on the bulkhead.

During the time the Miami Birney car was at Topton, SEPTA D-39 was also at Topton being restored to a tower car for SEPTA. Of course LVT 801 was on the one track inside the building as well.

There was a Reading Birney car at Bloomsburg which I believe was numbered 510. It was cosmetically painted to RSR by Rod LaWall and others as I recall. However before leaving Bloomsburg it was painted all yellow and numbered #124. I had heard that the car went to Detroit for a museum there after Magee closed. Does anyone know where the car is at today? That's one of the cars that I really do not know where it has been since all the years since Magee had closed in 1972. The Birney that is currently in Scranton is a different Birney car that had been privately owned for years.

It would also be interesting to know where the other exhibits, (antique cars, electric truck, fire truck) at Magee ended up. Wayne, do you have any idea?


Joel Salomon