A 68-year-old trolley car similar to the kind used in San Diego in the 1930s and 1940s was delivered today to the Metropolitan Transit System.
The President’s Conference Committee car will be refurbished and placed into service on the MTS’ Silver Line, which is a downtown loop. The line opened in December 2011 with another old, rebuilt trolley car.
“The addition of another PCC car to our vintage trolley fleet means that MTS can offer more reliable service to passengers who want to experience a piece of San Diego’s transportation history first-hand,” said Harry Mathis, chairman of the MTS board of directors.
“This PCC car is similar to the ones that provided service in San Diego from 1936 until the last car was retired in 1949,” he said. “Riding one is like stepping back in time.”
The new trolley car was acquired in a trade with United Transportation Corp./Rail Air Sources, which makes parts for railroad and light rail systems. The company is getting two decommissioned San Diego trolley cars that will be displayed in museums in Suisun City and Rockhill Furnace, Pa.
The red San Diego trolley cars that have been in service for many years are being retired and replaced by the sleeker low-floor vehicles.
MTS employees will perform the mostly cosmetic work needed on the newly acquired car, like body repair and painting. It will be similar in appearance to the current vintage car.
The renovation is being funded by a $50,000 grant from San Diego Gas & Electric. When complete near the end of this year, the interior will display SDG&E photos showing the history of electricity-powered transportation in the city.
–City News Service.
