Seashore Trolley Museum Discussion

Go and find out.

I just found out that SEPTA PCC 2709 is back on the rails!

2709 was finished this week. The shop had to replace significant portions of the roof due to years of water damage. The car was successfully "water tested" thanks to our lovely rainy weather of late. While operational and fit to carry passengers, the car does need considerable work to be a true showpiece. Due to all of the bodywork the car has had, it's in need of a repainting, and eventually the SEPTA era "school bus" windows will have to be replaced with proper PCC windows, among other things. But she ran well on Friday.

Conn. Co. 303 was also serviced for the year and put back on the road, and did carry a few passengers. Unfortunately, the fickle weather this weekend is responding accordingly, and she'll likely spend much of it under a roof.

And the folks spearheading the Boston Day efforts are still hard at work on several pieces of the collection for that event.

octr202 wrote:2709 was finished this week...and eventually the SEPTA era "school bus" windows will have to be replaced with proper PCC windows...

Seashore has the correct windows stored on property, and one window was done a while ago which can serve as kind of a template. Anyone who is interested in doing such work should get in touch with someone at the shop to coordinate such an effort. For anyone interested in getting started in shop activity up here, this is an excellent entry level project! The key thing though is coordinating with experienced staff to make sure the work is done properly.

Those windows are also extremely hard to look out of too, finally they are getting replaced!

No, Chris, they aren't. The supplies are available and have been but this does not imply action is being taken, which is why I'm advertising the project for interested potential volunteers. Be careful of making such statements as rumors get started that way.

It should be known that taking on such a project is no small task. This is why I express the importance of working with experienced members and/or shop staff. We can't have all of the windows put out only for someone to get bored and not complete the job. I mean not to discourage anyone, it is a very worthy and would be a very rewarding project, but I guess my point is only serious applicants need apply, so to speak.

I would also extend that if someone were to take on such a project, I would gladly assist and would help one coordinate with others to set up a project plan to help see it to completion. My main intent is to spark volunteer interest and offer help to further improve such a key piece of our collection and operating fleet.

As always, I invite anyone to contact me or another Seashore member with interest in regards to this or any other project. I know other members who have posted here would be equally as welcoming to such contact. Don't be shy!

2709 is a fun car to work on. I spent a summer with Fred painting the roof and doing spot painting on the sides, also I have spent many hours washing the interior.

There is a easy project for new volunteers also... I spent 2 hours on sat May 29 wiping down the exterior of AVR 70, Boston 396. Every year we need to wipe down the display cars in South Boston, Highwood and Riverside. Its easy and it makes you feel like your helping to preserve the collection.

Anyone know what happened to MBTA Dallas PCC work cars 3327 and 3343? A few people I know have been asking me about this.

I have been visiting Seashore off and on for 50 years and am very impressed by the pictures recently posted taken last Saturday. The track and wire look really great, better than I remember, and the property looks very good also. I have one question, purely for information purposes only. Is their an external reason (building code, zoning, environmental issue, etc) that Seashore has not built any additional storage barns in 30 years, or just a matter of money and priorities?

Thanks

This is probably one of those unsolved phenomenons which will never have a solid answer. The simplest and most educated guess I can make is that no one has taken the initiative to tackle such a daunting task because I think there is a general fear that such an undertaking would be biting of more than one can chew. There is a lot of banter about the Museum's current and former leaders not being responsible in taking proper care of the collection, I can tell you first hand that this is most certainly not the case. We have and have had countless key members whose selfless efforts serve the best interest of the Museum and its collection.

There are currently numerous plans to correct this problem. A new yard is currently being constructed which will have a barn erected over it once it is completed, and there are plans in the works for a new "Education Center" which could hold up to about 25 streetcars and buses, as well as facilitate educational and other community programs and functions which will benefit us in numerous ways. Good things are happening in this area, although the physical evidence may not be so obvious yet.

After Fairview went up in 1975, the museum put its resources towards the Visitor Center (1979), after that the museum should have gone back to planning and raising funds and grants for another barn, one like PA Trolley Museum has or similar to the Parts Warehouse. I wont donate to a building like we have now, I will donate towards a building that will save our collection.

The trolley parade went VERY well today. It had alot of cars that are not normally out and a few cars that are not yet in public service such as the 5821 and 1160.

The parade was fun but I wish 434 and 1030 had made it out. Good to see the mother of all streetcars # 31.

I will bee going up to the museum on Aug. 14 to clean out the MBTA RTS buses and help Tom out with whatever else needs to be done.

Figured I'd offer an update on the happenings at Seashore. Aline1969 and I have been pretty active in different areas of the place throughout the past couple weeks, and a lot of good things have been going on.


Bennet Street Work Continues

One of our old heavy hitters in track construction has come up for the week to help with the construction of the Bennet St. yard (a new yard which will eventually be housed by a barn. The yard site is located between Fairview Barn and the main line). All of the special work was completed back in 06/07, and the first stage of the first two tracks (which will be doubled in length in a second phase) was completed in 2007. The need to ballast the tracks before continuing put the project on pause until we had the resources to complete that step. In the meantime, a surveyor pointed out to us that the tracks were not built parallel to the main line as thought, and to optimize the use of the land, the tracks should be realigned. This was thought to be a major problem, however when work began to realign the tracks, the first track was moved over relatively easily. As of this past Sunday, track 1 was being ballasted and final alignments were adjusted. The hope is that by the end of the week, both tracks 1 and 2 will be realigned and ballasted, and construction can begin on track 3. The original plan was for this to be a 4 track yard, but with the new alignment, and other considerations, those running the project have expressed the intentions of adding a fifth, and the possibility of even a sixth. With tracks 1 and 2 completed and ready for use, they will consume 6 cars right off the bat relieving congestion in other yards. The eventual goal is to completely clean out the yard areas so they can be used as shifting space, and in the long term to house the entire collection so that none of the rail-borne collection is stored outside. When all four tracks are completed, the yard capacity will be about 14 or 15 cars. All tracks are slated to about double in length before barn construction, making the yard capacity about 30-32 cars (this is not counting the possible additional tracks). Most of this yard is expected to be covered by the Bennet St. car barn, of which the plans are well underway.


ConnCo 838 Returns to Service

After being removed from service for a couple years due to a motor failure, Connecticut Company open car #838 has had its bad motor replaced. The new motor was installed last week and the car has made successful inspection trips since the installation. Once the car receives the proper annual maintenance and inspection, it should once again be released into the operating fleet. This is great news since the "breezers" are a classic summertime favorite. Sister car #303 has been showing signs of need and may now receive the proper attention to continue being the incredible asset to our fleet that it truly is. While out of service, 838 received a much needed paint job. From roof to trucks the car was painted in excellent detail (and entirely by hand too!). It has become one of the most attractive cars in the fleet, and shall continue to be of the most reliable cars in Seashore's collection and operating fleet.


Boston Type 5 #5821 Prepared for Duty

Since her debut for Boston day and after receiving a new motor, Boston Type 5 #5821 has been in the shop getting the final touches of TLC before being released into the operating fleet. The car has been touched up in a couple of different places, a few broken parts have been replaced or fixed, and the car has been slightly modified (completely reversibly for curatorial purposes) to allow wheelchair access. Other maintenance including routine service and inspection have been completed as well. This car served as one of the crown jewels of the fleet in the past and is expected to continue on that trend as favorite among Boston fans. Once the final touches are completed and put in place the car is expected to return to service prior to the end of this operating season.


Riverside Carbarn and Yard Slated for Repair in Hopes of Reviving Ghost Trolley Event

During the discussion of bringing back the popular Ghost Trolley event, it was emphasized by a few members that despite current track conditions in the Riverside yard and car barn, it was essential to continue operating the event as it had in past running through the Riverside barn allowing for a double track operation. This was determined to be necessary for crowd capacity as well as effect since the event's success simply could not be duplicated otherwise. After discussions back and forth regarding the site's condition and restrictions, it was decided to do a little on site investigation. As it turns out, there are a couple of issues regarding neighboring overhead lines which were found to be harming the building. Work has already begun to correct this problem and new poles should be set in the next couple of weeks. Uneven track inside the barn which has settled into the ground over time also raised some clearance concerns, track leveling to fix this problem is expected to be fairly minor and certainly possible by the deadline. The final concerns expressed during the meeting included a failed culvert underneath the yard which we found to be a non-issue since a new culvert had replaced it probably before the barn had been erected (over 40 years ago), and the old culvert had been filled in (our drainage specialist has always been pretty well on the ball). Track conditions north of the barn were also discussed, and were found to be much better than expected. The only issue in that area is that, like before, the track is not properly level. Work to correct this is in the plans and is not expected to be major. Fingers crossed, we hope to get this well underway as soon as possible so our new/old event may be revived without a hitch. With safety being a major priority of ours (as it is in any railroad, for profit or not), these infrastructure improvements will benefit the Museum overall, as well as allow for one of the most exciting events that we put on.


For questions, comments, concerns, interests, etc., please post them! You may also contact me or any other Seashore member on this site. If you're interested in helping out with any of these projects, I'd (we'd) be happy to set you in the right direction so that you can be a part of the action.