Thursday, August 17, 2017

New car added to list - ex-Windsor ON, ex-Staten Island NY

It's not every day that I add a new car to the PNAERC roster, particularly these days, and this one is fairly interesting in that it's old and historically significant. The new addition is Sandwich Windsor & Amherstberg 351 - thanks to Sloan Auchinloss, who sent me this newspaper article about the car's preservation and plans for its possible cosmetic restoration and display in Windsor, Ontario.

Car 351 was built in 1919 by Cincinnati Car Company for the Richmond Light & Railroad Company. You can be excused for thinking that RL&R was in Virginia - I know I hadn't heard of it - but the line was actually on Staten Island in New York City. This makes car 351 (originally RL&R 332) one of only two streetcars from Staten Island still in existence and, arguably, the more complete of the two. Car 332/351 was part of a series of 20 double-truck cars whose design appears to have mimicked pretty closely the standard Public Service of New Jersey car design, right down to the high curve-topped side windows and unusual low deck roof. Around 1927 all 20 cars were sold to the SW&A where they ran until the end of streetcar service around 1939. Car 351 was sold for use as a house but was acquired a couple of years ago by a private owner and moved to the old streetcar barn on University Avenue, which he owns and where the car sits now. The city is trying to come up with a plan to work with the owner on getting the car cosmetically restored and put on display so hopefully those plans come to fruition.

So here's a question: does anyone have any mechanical information on this series of car? Trucks, motors, control, etc?

EDIT: Jeff Hakner has provided some additional information on the history of these cars. According to notes from the Branford files, the 20 cars in this series were built by Cincinnati in 1918 for the Emergency Fleet Corporation, which was organized by the government to assist with war efforts. Supposedly the cars were assembled at the Plank Road Shops of Public Service of New Jersey, which may explain their very PSNJ-esque appearance. The cars were leased to RL&R from 1918 to 1920 at which time they were sold to the RL&R. Pretty interesting stuff!

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