PCC in Ottawa KS Junkyard for sale

CSontag · **Joined:** Tue Feb 16, 2021 8:24 pm **Posts:** 9

Mark M posted "PCC in Ottawa Kansas for sale" in a facebook post.

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=101 ... 5437949980

Does anyone have any information about this junkyard find? A little bond-o, some paint, turtle wax, and elbow grease ...

Or maybe a whole lot more.

mwntrolley · **Posted:** Wed Feb 22, 2023 5:51 pm

Interesting find! Thanks for sharing it.

Appears to be an air-electric PCC car from Kansas City Public Service series 701-724 ordered in 1940. Cars from this series were sold to a scrap dealer and then leased back to KCPS for a period of time before retired in 1957. It would be a fascinating story of how this carbody escaped to a location 60 miles SW of Kansas City. Car looks very rough in the photo.

Best wishes,
Matt Nawn

JimBoylan · **Posted:** Wed Feb 22, 2023 7:39 pm

Why is it painted in South Eastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority Orange & Blue?

Overmod · **Joined:** Thu May 24, 2012 1:37 pm **Posts:** 2492

KCPS 551 is already in static preservation -- it was not restored to operability because it is single-ended and the current KC Streetcar operation has no turnaround facilities. This car would be no different.

Dave · **Posted:** Wed Feb 22, 2023 7:58 pm

I haven't messed around with PCCs too much, but what I have done has impressed me most with how little actual material mass goes into them. Maybe the dirt is holding this one together.......

EJ Berry · **Posted:** Wed Feb 22, 2023 9:48 pm

I AM curious why the car is in SEPTA orange ("Gulf Oil").

Could it be that someone in KC bought a SEPTA air car with the intention of using it to represent a KC air car.

Phil Mulligan

brian budeit · **Joined:** Thu Feb 12, 2015 5:00 pm **Posts:** 37

Septa wound up with some of the ex Kansas City cars. Spotting feature is lack of standee windows, making them resemble the older air electrics. Don't know this cars history, but is it possible it came from Philadelphia, returned to KC area for a restoration that never happened?

brian b

70000 · **Posted:** Thu Feb 23, 2023 2:15 am

Looking at that photo the "red" on the lower body panels looks more like an area of red primer or rust rather than any applied paint scheme.
The original KC black and cream colours can be seen from the black band under the windows up to roof level and at the rear end of the car........

EJ Berry · **Posted:** Thu Feb 23, 2023 11:12 pm

Philadelphia's ex-KC cars were postwar all-electric. While they had the high windows of an air car, the window and door spacing was that of a postwar car: window spacing equalled seat spacing and center doors were offset to the rear.

BTW Phila had both direct from KC cars and, after the Woodland Carbarn fire, ex Toronto, exx KC cars. The original PTC KC cars were railfan (and operator) favorites and saw more fantrips than other cars.

Phil Mulligan