PST/P&WCT/Red Arrow Center Door Style Marker Lights

[Trails to Rails]

I recently came across a pair of red/white/blue marker lights advertised as from a trolley, possibly from a Red Arrow Center Door car. I have looked at as many pictures as I can find of the cars but I still don't know for sure if this is where they are from.

I will probably take a run to Scranton this weekend to look at the Center Door cars they have there but I was wondering; which other trolley companies or cars may have used similar marker lights?

I am talking about the traffic signal type with a red, white, and in my case, a blue glass lens. They were manufactured by Electric Service Supplies of Philadelphia. I have two of these light boxes that have three lights each so IF they were from a Center Door Car they would have been mounted in ONE marker light housing.

Any help will be appreciated. I'll try and post some pictures later.

[Leo Sullivan]

I did find several pictures of the cars with that type of light mounted at each corner. they seem to have been on all of them before 1940 and then disappeared by 1945. If you e-mail me I'll send you a couple.

[RDG484]

Red-rear end
White-extra section (rarely used)
Blue-front end

The first order of Center-door cars (Nos. 45-54) only had dual-lens markers instead of 3-lens. One of those cars was renumbered 55 and is shown on the cover of the newer version of the Red Arrow book. The dual lens markers are clearly illustrated.

[Trails to Rails]

Red-rear end
White-extra section (rarely used)
Blue-front end

Hmmm, it's looking better & better for me that they ARE from a Center Door Car.

Thanks for the info! The investigation continues...

[JimBoylan]

3 color Red Arrow center door car markers had 6 lenses (each 3 were 90 degrees apart) and 2 lugs to go into the marker light bracket, so they could go on the left or right side of the car and shine forward and to the outside. There was a 4th smaller bulb for the red lenses that worked off the emergency battery. While the marker could be removed from the bracket, all the cars I've seen had the wires screwed inside the housing, no quick disconnect provision.

[Trails to Rails]

Jim:

The lights I have are two separate boxes of three lights each. Each box is approximately 12.5" X 6" X 3.6". The entire front of each box opens on a hinge, like a door with the three lenses attached. When the door is opened it exposes the three separate sectioned off bulbs for each lens. There is also a screw down knob to keep the door secure.

I would assume IF these are from a Center Door Car; the two separate boxes would fit into the housing on the front and rear of the car at 90 degrees of each other. Unfortunately most of the pictures I have examined appear to show some type of lens that may individually swing open to facilitate replacing bulbs as opposed to the entire front of the box swinging open. In addition, I can't tell from the pictures IF the markers on the cars had the hinged door or the knob to secure it.

It remains a mystery...

[JimBoylan]

Yoy may have the markers from a Frankford Elevated car. A few of these lasted many years past 1961 in work service.

[Trails to Rails]

You may have the markers from a Frankford Elevated car. A few of these lasted many years past 1961 in work service.

Are there any preserved specimens anywhere or a source of good photographs? I looked at one photo and could see the markers but not very well.