Seashore Trolley Museum Boston Day June 19, 2010 (Saturday)

I am sorry about my vposting lately. I did not actually promise any of the listed equipment will operate or be on display. It is a small possibility but absolutely no guarentees. Sorry.

ck4049 wrote:I talk to Tom S about this kind of stuff. The information posted is what he told me. Im sorry if im not being coorperative.

No schedule or info on equipment availability has been officially announced or publicized by the museum or the appropriate departments (Bus/Trackless Trolley & Rapid Transit) So IF anything is being arranged its in the "planning" stages.

All I see here is basic info: http://www.trolleymuseum.org/events.html

Seashore Trolley Museum wrote: Boston Day
Saturday, June 19
Celebrate local transit history with the bringing out of pieces of our Boston collection.

Seashore Trolley Museum wrote: Boston Day
Saturday, June 19
Celebrate local transit history with the bringing out of pieces of our Boston collection.

Saturday as always wtf?

Saturday is the day almost all events are held because it is the busiest day of the week even for regular operations, and we'd do far poorer if we held it on Sunday. During events such as Pumpkin Patch and Christmas Prelude which run on both Saturday and Sunday, Saturday is always the busier day, often even if Sunday has better weather.

Sorry if this is an inconvenience to you, but it's a lot more convenient for hundreds of others.

At least this time it's not the Saturday after the second Friday of the month, which is when the Boston Chapter of the NRHS meets.

CRail wrote:Saturday is the day almost all events are held because it is the busiest day of the week even for regular operations, and we'd do far poorer if we held it on Sunday. During events such as Pumpkin Patch and Christmas Prelude which run on both Saturday and Sunday, Saturday is always the busier day, often even if Sunday has better weather.

Sorry if this is an inconvenience to you, but it's a lot more convenient for hundreds of others.

If Saturday is a busy day anyways wouldn't it then make more sense to have special events on a Sunday that way you're attracting more people to the museum on a day they might not have gone otherwise. Or at the very least you might convince some of the Saturday visitors to hold off and go on Sunday instead thereby more evenly spreading the crowds between the two days. It's similar to how I hate when MLB schedules the Red Sox to play the Yankees on a weekend or on opening day. Weekend games get high tv ratings easily and Yankee games get high tv ratings easily, regardless of the day of the week. By having them coincide you're shortchanging yourself a game that attracts high tv ratings.

danib62 wrote:

CRail wrote:Saturday is the day almost all events are held because it is the busiest day of the week even for regular operations, and we'd do far poorer if we held it on Sunday. During events such as Pumpkin Patch and Christmas Prelude which run on both Saturday and Sunday, Saturday is always the busier day, often even if Sunday has better weather.

Sorry if this is an inconvenience to you, but it's a lot more convenient for hundreds of others.

If Saturday is a busy day anyways wouldn't it then make more sense to have special events on a Sunday that way you're attracting more people to the museum on a day they might not have gone otherwise. Or at the very least you might convince some of the Saturday visitors to hold off and go on Sunday instead thereby more evenly spreading the crowds between the two days. It's similar to how I hate when MLB schedules the Red Sox to play the Yankees on a weekend or on opening day. Weekend games get high tv ratings easily and Yankee games get high tv ratings easily, regardless of the day of the week. By having them coincide you're shortchanging yourself a game that attracts high tv ratings.

One of the problems is the sunday after Boston Day is Fathers Day. It will be a busy event for most families and not railfans.

RailBus63 wrote:

MBTA3247 wrote:Here's a list of the Boston cars that I know the conditions of:

PCCs: none are operable, but one or two look presentable enough to be pulled out for display.

That's a shame - I'm really surprised that at least one PCC isn't fully operational as the representative of a major era in Boston transit.

There could be some paintwork done as there is plenty of time to do it. We should at least try to get at least one running.

ck4049 wrote:There could be some paintwork done as there is plenty of time to do it. We should at least try to get at least one running.

Not as much as you think. It'll be another month or two before the weather warms up enough to do any painting. Actually restoring one of the Boston PCCs to operation would take years and probably cost in the range of $500,000. It's not going to happen anytime soon.

3127, being the closest Boston PCC to operation, requires some metal work which would cost a couple grand to have a shop employee do. With volunteer labor the cost would be minor,

Our most premier restorations don't cost half of $500,000. With efforts in the right places, it would definitely be possible to get one back into service, although not likely.

Painting doesn't take much time if you have a good crew. If you're working by yourself it can take great lengths of time, it all depends on the car, the extent of the restoration, and the human resources available. (Money helps too )

It's true that it isn't likely for a PCC to run this year, but there certainly could be more than one for 2011 if there is enough interest in it.

I will look into repairing a PCC. I should be up in late April do do work.

I wonder what we plan on doing with MBTA All-Electric PCC No. 3221. It is in the Bennett St. Yard under a tarp along with No. 3037.

You have to get people behind it, you can't just go fix it yourself (as in it's far too involved, not that you wouldn't be allowed to try). Trust me! If you could 3274 would be up and running by now! Find the right people to talk to about 3127, I would certainly support that (meaning help you with it) project! There is a lot of knowledge out there in regards to the basic PCC and all electrics as well. The Picture Window cars have rapid transit controllers like the 01100 Orange Line cars and are far more complicated to work on. I'm going way off topic here, so I will digress.

ck4049, If you want to work on a PCC, I encourage it, I just don't want you starting off thinking you'll have it running in a month and then get discouraged and give up on it. Definitely use this Boston Day as a reason to tell people, "hey look! we need this thing to run!" and hopefully we will get the support from others needed to get the job done. I strongly feel that 3127 should be the target for this effort, as it is the best mechanically (or should be). I really feel we should have at least one of each type up and running. Maybe for Boston day 2015 we'll have 3019 (Tremont Car), 3127 (Wartime), 3221(All Electric), 3274 (Picture Window), and 3340 (Ex Dallas). Hey, I can dream!

As far as 3221's location I believe its in either the Fairview or Fairview-west yard (unless it's been moved, there's been A LOT of shifting in the past few months and a lot of stuff got scrambled, I'll bring myself up to speed in the spring). It could be the other tarped car in Bennet though, I might be mixing them up. The other 2 cars over there thought are 2026 (flatcar) and 3292 (Picture Window).

(Further discussion of specific cars and where they are should probably be diverted to a thread of its own over in the Museums forum.)

End point being that it is very unlikely (nearly certain) that a Boston PCC will not be in operation for Boston Day 2010, but if there is enough of a push behind it, it is certainly a possibility for 2011!

Please, lets stop talking like we know everything CRail.. It's getting old real quick! Instead of talking on mile long threads about cost and what it actually takes to do work.. why don't you guys organize a work party and actually do some of it! I have already taken 3127 and 3274 under my wing and they will both be having major work done to them in the next few weeks. Boston day will end up being a great event for Boston railfans, I will personally see to that.. as I was and still am the driving force behind this event. ANYBODY who would like to work on any Boston equipment to help better the "Boston Day"... should email me at [email protected] I will give you a list of cars currently being worked on and the work being done to them, along with my phone number and ways to get to the museum. There is alot of work that needs to be done to make this event a success and most of the labor falls on my crew, so I strongly encourage people to come up and support us Me and my guys will be pulling out quite a number of Boston area cars for the day, I am not announcing what is coming out. So for those of you who do not come up alot.. I suggest you bring you camera

CRail wrote:You have to get people behind it, you can't just go fix it yourself (as in it's far too involved, not that you wouldn't be allowed to try). Trust me! If you could 3274 would be up and running by now! Find the right people to talk to about 3127, I would certainly support that (meaning help you with it) project! There is a lot of knowledge out there in regards to the basic PCC and all electrics as well. The Picture Window cars have rapid transit controllers like the 01100 Orange Line cars and are far more complicated to work on. I'm going way off topic here, so I will digress.

ck4049, If you want to work on a PCC, I encourage it, I just don't want you starting off thinking you'll have it running in a month and then get discouraged and give up on it. Definitely use this Boston Day as a reason to tell people, "hey look! we need this thing to run!" and hopefully we will get the support from others needed to get the job done. I strongly feel that 3127 should be the target for this effort, as it is the best mechanically (or should be). I really feel we should have at least one of each type up and running. Maybe for Boston day 2015 we'll have 3019 (Tremont Car), 3127 (Wartime), 3221(All Electric), 3274 (Picture Window), and 3340 (Ex Dallas). Hey, I can dream!

As far as 3221's location I believe its in either the Fairview or Fairview-west yard (unless it's been moved, there's been A LOT of shifting in the past few months and a lot of stuff got scrambled, I'll bring myself up to speed in the spring). It could be the other tarped car in Bennet though, I might be mixing them up. The other 2 cars over there thought are 2026 (flatcar) and 3292 (Picture Window).

(Further discussion of specific cars and where they are should probably be diverted to a thread of its own over in the Museums forum.)

End point being that it is very unlikely (nearly certain) that a Boston PCC will not be in operation for Boston Day 2010, but if there is enough of a push behind it, it is certainly a possibility for 2011!

I was definitely going to talk to someone about it and see if anyone else has interest. I will not give up on it even if my life depended on it!