I see the PA Trolley Museum has received a new open bench car from Florida. Is this the car that was in storage, but previously displayed in a model train museum near Sarasota?

Is this car of Rio heritage?

Also, I assume the car was still standard gauge, so what will be involved in making it able to run on the broad track at the musum.

What a neat car!

You are correct, the car is the Rio car formerly at the toy train museum in Sarasota. A good current picture of the car, sitting on broad gauge shop trucks, is on the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum web site.

Planning for conversion to broad gauge is under way and several alternatives are being considered. Can't say more at this time.

The car looks beautiful, save for sitting a bit high on the shop trucks.

I notice the car has a different dash configuration than the other Rio cars in the U.S.

I know PTM has another Rio car in the collection, any plans for that car?

Car 1758 is a fully-restored double-truck open car that was originally purchased and restored by the Magee Transportation Museum in Bloomsburg, PA. During the restoration process, they removed the windows on the front and rear platforms and turned it into an open platform car. It operated there as Magee Museum #3, until that museum's untimely closure as a result of extensive damage from Hurricane Agnes in 1972. The car was purchased in 1973 by the Lionel Train and Seashell Museum in Sarasota, Florida, where it was used indoors as a display and as a seating area to watch videos. In 1990, the car was purchased by the City of Orlando, Florida. It was to be used as the first streetcar (and as a device to generate public interest and Federal funding) for a proposed Heritage Streetcar line in Orlando. The car was completely refurbished (body and running gear), re-numbered 1 and given the nickname of "Oscar" (for Orlando Streetcar). Unfortunately, Orlando never created the proposed Heritage Streetcar line, and the streetcar sat unused in indoor storage for many years until being sold at auction.

The people at Magee decided to remove the fronts of the car and re-create an open platform car. They used parts from Connecticut Company open cars as patterns for new dashes, hardware, etc. which were all fabricated specifically for the car.

Look for a new roster page on 1758 to go up on the web in the next week or two, which will feature photos and some additional information about the car.

The collections committee has not announced any decisions on #1774, which is the unrestored Rio car currently stored indoors in the Trolley Display building, and it is doubtful that they will anytime soon. Their first task is to make decisions reguarding the re-gauging and work required to get 1758 operable at the museum. While it is in very good condition, it will require some work beyond re-gauging to become an operable car on the line.

Tim