Some more trolleys....C&G, CG&W, H&F, and others....

[Tony-h]

I suspect the trolley car was delivered by the RR on a flat car and unloaded onto the rails in the yard. The rails are definitely not freshly laid and there are no overhead trolley lines, so the tracks the car is sitting on are not the trolley line.

Tony

[Rufus T. Firefly]

I suspect the trolley car was delivered by the RR on a flat car and unloaded onto the rails in the yard. The rails are definitely not freshly laid and there are no overhead trolley lines, so the tracks the car is sitting on are not the trolley line.

Tony

That both answers and asks more questions - in PA trolleys generally ran on a wider gauge track that steam....

[Tony-h]

Pittsburgh Railways, West Penn and possibly SEPTA used the 5' 2 1/2" gauge track.

The Lewisburg to Mifflinburg trolleys used battery power over that line upon cessation of passenger service by the RR. So the car in the picture would not have had the trolley pole on its roof. I believe most other trolley lines used standard gauge. Possibly that might explain the interest shown by two bystanders on the undercarriage of the car.

I didn't know the cars were battery powered until I looked it up!

Tony

[rogruth]

The caption on the photo says first trolley, a little confusing.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Pittsburgh Railways, West Penn and possibly SEPTA used the 5' 2 1/2" gauge track.

The Chambersburg, Greencastle and Waynesboro was broad gauge as well as many other small lines in PA.

Septa trolley lines still do and New Orleans does as well.

[Tony-h]

Roger, according to my info the trolley company made an agreement with the steam RR to use its trackage for the trolley service after the RR stopped passenger service. So the car in the photo was arriving on the RR tracks at the RR station on its first trip into town?

I wonder what the range of the trolley was before it needed recharging? Round trip or one way?

Tony

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Roger, according to my info the trolley company made an agreement with the steam RR to use its trackage for the trolley service after the RR stopped passenger service. So the car in the photo was arriving on the RR tracks at the RR station on its first trip into town?

I wonder what the range of the trolley was before it needed recharging? Round trip or one way?

Tony

Hi Tony. I would wonder that, too, since I am not aware batteries were that long-lived back then.
Murph
P.S. How's your beautiful dog?

[rogruth]

Tony,

Not really questioning you but the info with the photo.
I wondered about battery life also.
Any possibility it could have an engine of some sort that
might recharge batteries?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Roger, according to my info the trolley company made an agreement with the steam RR to use its trackage for the trolley service after the RR stopped passenger service. So the car in the photo was arriving on the RR tracks at the RR station on its first trip into town?

I wonder what the range of the trolley was before it needed recharging? Round trip or one way?

Tony

Well, I've learned more from this photo that I ever expected!

I wonder if it did some form of re-charging in route, but then the how and where at the end of the line it was re-charged is yet another unanswered question...........so this one was then gauged to use the regular steam track.

[J. S. Bach]

1st trolley in Mifflinburg...........

A close look at the front truck does not seem to show the bulk of a traction motor hanging there. And note the enormous (for a trolley) air horn. Also, the car seems to sit a bit high. I wonder if it is on some kind of "shop/delivery" trucks and is being delivered. Yes, I know that trolleys were usually delivered on flatcars.

[Tony-h]

Rufus, the distance covered was just a little over 9 miles straight line following Rt. 45 over level farm land. The track was last the Union County Industrial RR, now a bike trail. The absence of grades and less than 10 miles per trip seems fairly benign. But, back in those days the battery technology was not the greatest so I would not be surprised if a top off charge was given during a layover.

Now, another thought....The standard trolley line voltage was 600 vdc. If this car ran on 600 volts then 300 2 volt cells would be required! Quite a load! Considering the level terrain possibly the car would run OK on 300? This aspect needs looking into further when time allows.

OK! Time was taken! How does 200 nickel-iron cells feeding 4 two hundred volt traction motors 75 amps each grab you? La Jolla CA cars used this system. Separate cells were used for lighting purposes. The cars ran 5? round trips per day scheduled between PRR freights by the PRR dispatcher.

Tony

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Rufus, the distance covered was just a little over 9 miles straight line following Rt. 45 over level farm land. The track was last the Union County Industrial RR, now a bike trail. The absence of grades and less than 10 miles per trip seems fairly benign. But, back in those days the battery technology was not the greatest so I would not be surprised if a top off charge was given during a layover.

Seems a plausible trip.....

Now, another thought....The standard trolley line voltage was 600 vdc. If this car ran on 600 volts then 300 2 volt cells would be required! Quite a load! Considering the level terrain possibly the car would run OK on 300? This aspect needs looking into further when time allows.

You've just asked my next question - batteries, weight, and where were they located........

[MurphOnMillerAve]

And the weight of the passengers should be factored in as well, right?

[rogruth]

I'll ask again, any possibility of an engine of some sort in this car?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

I'll ask again, any possibility of an engine of some sort in this car?

I was thinking about that as well early on due to what seems to me a rather oversize vent / exhaust that looks too large for a toilet space on a trolley......

Interesting what comes about from an old RPPC,