This week, they publicly unveiled San Diego’s new PCC streetcar. Here’s a video clip.
On August 27, the streetcar will start weekend service on a clockwise loop called the Silver Line around downtown, using the San Diego Trolley (light rail) tracks (that’s why it has to have that pantograph). The streetcar itself, No. 529, is an ex-Muni car, bought secondhand from St. Louis Public Service in 1957 and retired in 1982. (And yes, you sharp-eared ones, the TV reporter did make a mistake: confusing the year PCCs last ran in San Diego, 1949, with the year No. 529 was built, 1946.
Here’s an online story about the streetcar’s roll out in San Diego.
Congratulations to Harry Mathis, the driving force behind this initiative, project manager Dave Slater, and the whole team at San Diego Vintage Trolley for turning their dream into reality.
By the way, they’ve got five more PCCs awaiting restoration and hope to grow the service as resources allow, perhaps fulfilling Harry Mathis’ dream of restoring PCC service to Balboa Park, the most famous San Diego PCC destination.
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Hope to come to san diego and ride them.Are they capable of going all the way to the mexican border?Id like to go on a rare milage trip and tranfer to the san deiga and arizona eatern train for a trip to tecate ,mexico:-D:);):O:P
You’d have to ask the San Diego Trolley folks that question. As far as we know, there’s no place to turn single-end streetcars around south of the car barn, though. And we’re sure they don’t offer service on the PCCs to the border.