No. 1071 being tested in March. Jeremy Whiteman Photo
First Rewired PCC Starts Carrying Passengers
Fleet Updates
Testing. Testing.
Two very different renovated streetcars were out for test drives on The Embarcadero today.1912 Muni Car No. 1 (yes, its very first streetcar) made its first test run outside the car barn, from 25th and Illinois up the T and F lines to Fisherman’s Wharf and back. It has been completely rebuilt by Brookville Equipment Company of Pennsylvania, whose engineers were on board, checking out some tweaks made on the car after it was delivered. It’s still some months from service.On this rainy day, somber gray “battleship” No. 1 met up at the Ferry Building with eye-popping yellow PCC No. 1071, the pilot car of a group of 11 ex-Newark New Jersey streetcars that is being completely rewired and given new propulsion components, again at Brookville. No. 1071 is also being tested before going into service. There are interesting stories with these cars, which we’ll share with our members in the next issue of our newsletter, Inside Track, which goes to press soon.
Happy 98th Birthday, Muni! And for your present…
On December 28, 1912, Mayor James Rolph, Junior stepped onto a streetcar platform at Geary and Kearny Streets. He deposited one of the first 40 nickels to be minted in San Francisco into the farebox and took the controls, piloting the streetcar westward out Geary to Tenth Avenue, to open America’s first publicly owned big city transit system. Here’s a picture of that first run, with the Mayor highballing across Jones Street. And as a 98th birthday present, Muni welcomes back that very streetcar, No. 1, from a total rebuilding at Brookville Equipment Company in Pennsylvania. The work took longer than expected — the contract called for delivery in May, but the contractor took great pains to preserve the historic fabric of the streetcar. From initial observation, they did a fabulous job on the appearance of the streetcar. Of greatest importance, of course, is how it runs.One day short of its 98th birthday, it took its first tests after delivery in the Metro East yard, just running back and forth on a track inside the yard. It will not operate on its birthday proper — hey, you should get that day off! — but there is still talk of a ceremony later this week. We will let you know as soon as we hear anything.Market Street Railway is working with Muni on its 2012 centennial, where No. 1 will play a central role. Those wishing to volunteer to pitch in on events for the centennial should send us an email here.
Do Not Open Until (Just After) Christmas!
Muni (and Market Street Railway) got the Christmas present of a lifetime delivered today. At 7:30 this morning, SIlk Road Trucking rolled up to the Metro East light rail facility at Cesar Chavez and Illinois Streets and unloaded a special gift, shrink-wrapped in white, just in time for the holidays. Naturally, like little kids, the temptation was too great to resist, so a little corner of the package was torn open to see what’s inside…and oh, my!!!!But we can’t spoil the surprise. For now, let it be said that this one may be unwrapped for the public as soon as next week in a special ceremony. Check back here for details.
First Run of 1071
Another step forward for Muni’s program to get its 11 PCCs from the 1070 class into permanent, reliable service. Streamliner No. 1071, painted to honor its original (1947) owner, Twin City Rapid Transit of Minneapolis-St. Paul, operated under its own power from Muni Metro East, on the T-line at Cesar Chavez Street near Third Street, across town to Geneva Division some seven miles away. It’s believed to be the first time this streetcar, acquired by Muni six years ago, has operated a substantial distance under its own power.Pictured above on The Embarcadero connector track near Howard Street during its move on December 16, this streetcar is the first of its class to be returned to San Francisco following complete rewiring and installation of updated (but still traditional) propulsion components by Brookville Equipment in Pennsylvania. It is part of an $18 million contract that also includes the complete remanufacture of five additional PCCs.No. 1071 was delivered to Metro East on November 20, but some of the new components were out of adjustment and the streetcar would not operate. Muni towed it over to Geneva Division for a ceremony in conjunction with the dedication of the new covered storage facility for historic streetcars, then towed it back, where this week representatives from Brookville and its subcontractors have been making the adjustments. They will incorporate the lessons learned from the renovation of this “pilot car” into the work being done on other streetcars in this group. This streetcar will soon enter acceptance testing by Muni. Look for it on the N-Judah line as well as the F-line and J-line. After acceptance, it will start carrying passengers for the first time since Muni acquired it, as soon as a month from now. (Of the 11 PCCs in this class, acquired third-hand from Newark, New Jersey, only 5 have carried passengers so far in San Francisco.)
Chicago’s “Green Hornet” Livery Coming to the F-line
When Muni created its F-line PCC streetcar fleet in the early 1990s, they decided to paint the streamliner streetcars in the liveries (paint schemes) of some of the 30 North American cities that once operated this great streetcar design. Storage limitations at the time restricted the “palette” of colors they could use to eight. That meant choices had to be made. Everyone wanted a streetcar to pay homage to Chicago, because the Windy City had one of the largest PCC fleets ever. But the best-remembered paint scheme used by the Chicago Transit Authority, nicknamed the “Green Hornet” livery, required an unusual shade called Mercury Green. So it was decided to use the later darker green scheme, which was pretty close to Muni’s old livery and was not distinctive.But five years ago, No. 1058 went out of service after a bad accident, when a trolley bus swerved directly in front of it. With short-staffed maintenance crews, it has taken a long time to get the extensive body repairs done. Since it needed an entire new paint job anyway, the paint shop, led by Carole Gilbert, agreed to add the Mercury Green color to their palette (which has expanded significantly). The exact shade was determined through a check with the Illinois Railway Museum, which has an original Chicago PCC in that livery. The trim colors, which come from Muni’s existing palette, are very close matches to the original Chicago colors of “Croydon Cream” and “Swamp Holly Orange.” The Muni painters who did this great job are Willie Alexander, Leon Bernal, Arthur Leary, and Carlos Montes. Thanks to all of them!No. 1058 is still a few months from returning to the streets, with electrical work still to be repaired in the operator’s cab, but we got a sneak peak recently during our streetcar decorating party at the Geneva Yard and share it here. (The car number, which will be in the original Chicago Railroad Roman font, and the orange CTA logo, are on hand and will be applied when No. 1058 is ready to return to service.)
First Rewired PCC Back Home; Another Leaves
Muni had PCCs coming and going today at Metro East. Muni crews unloaded the first of 11 vintage streamliners from Muni’s 1070 class following its complete rewiring at Brookville Equipment Company in Pennsylvania.The rain led them to welcome the streetcar back home inside the spacious light rail facility at Cesar Chavez and Illinois Streets, just off the T-line. The 1070 class streetcars originally ran in Minneapolis-St. Paul when new in the late 1940s, and this one, No. 1071, is painted in the bright yellow and dark green of its original owner, Twin City Rapid Transit. (This group of cars was sold to Newark, New Jersey in the early 1950s, and purchased by Muni from New Jersey Transit in 2004.) The 1070-class streetcars were given a cosmetic restoration by Muni, but this did not include the wiring, which was original and caused major reliability problems, such that only five of the 11 streetcars have actually carried passengers on the F-line (Nos. 1075, 1076, and 1077, which are currently operational, and 1078 and 1079, which are sidelined with significant problems). No. 1078 is already at Brookville, and No. 1079, honoring Detroit Street Railways and pictured at right, was loaded on the same trailer that delivered No. 1071 and sent back to Brookville today. No. 1071, the prototype for the rewired 1070-class, It features an entirely new accelerator assembly under the floor, designed in the Czech Republic as an updated version of the reliable Westinghouse type propulsion components used on many of the 5,000 PCCs that once ran in North America. This new accelerator has been tested for the past nine months in PCC No. 1055, and has provided very reliable service. The 1070 class of PCC streetcars had General Electric components until the renovation, but Muni is gradually standardizing on a single type of PCC propulsion system, to reduce maintenance training and parts requirements.No. 1071 will be tested by Muni maintenance staff for up to 30 days to ensure it meets all specifications and will then be put into service. This will come none too soon, because the shops are struggling on a daily basis to meet the demand for service on the F-line. Having 11 reliable 1070-class streetcars available will make a big difference, but it may take another year before all of these are complete.
Another Milan “Mellow Yellow” on the Street
Following a two-year absence to repair accident damage, Milan tram No. 1807 is back on the F-line today, resplendent in its fresh paint scheme. It is the second of Muni’s ten vintage 1928 Milan trams to be repainted in the yellow and white livery the original trams of this class wore in that Italian city. (No. 1811 was the first, several years ago)The yellow and white livery lasted only a few years in Milan, replaced by a two tone green modeled on Muni’s No. 1818 (recently applied to No. 1888 as well, also under repair). The remaining six F-line Milan trams wear an all-over orange introduced in their home city in the 1970s and still used there. Over an extended period, the plan is to balance out Muni’s Milan fleet among the three liveries, as the trams come up for complete repainting.
Back to Milan’s Past for the Future
When the first “Peter Witt” designed trams appeared in Milan, Italy, in 1928, they were painted a most attractive golden yellow with black and white trim. Within a couple of years, they were all repainted two-tone green and stayed that way until the 1970s, when the “Ventottos” (“28’s,” for the year they first appeared) became solid orange. All ten of the trams Muni bought from Milan arrived in solid orange in the late 1990s (as did No. 1834, which came for the Trolley Festivals in the 1980s).
More PCC Streetcars Leave for Restoration
Streetcar no. 1006 being readied to travel cross-country. Charles Darke photo.
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