Multi-Museum Cooperation Makes A Difference

Since 2008, Johnstown Traction Company Car #311 has been resting upon the trucks formerly used under Scranton Transit Company #505.  This was done to facilitate removal of the Brill 77E trucks from under JTC #311 for a complete overhaul and yet still enable the car to be towed around the property if required.  Fast forward to the fall of this current year, and there are dual needs to get #311 resting upon jackstands to facilitate underbody repairs and prepare the carbody of Scranton #505 (and its trucks) for shipment to Scranton. 

Realizing the amount of effort involved to perform this work in one day, Rockhill Trolley Museum invited friends and volunteers from the Electric City Trolley Museum Association and Baltimore Streetcar Museum to assist with this project on Saturday, October 20.  The volunteers from each group were as follows:

Rockhill Trolley Museum: Rick Hoffmeister, Budd Blair, Nicholas Brightbill, Joel Salomon, Courtney Brown, Nevin Byers, Matt Nawn.  (Matty, Andrew, and Megan Nawn took photos, some of which are used in this report).

Baltimore Streetcar Museum: Ed Amrhein, Justin Thillman

Electric City Trolley Museum Association: Mike Trosino, David Noyes, Phil Mulligan

The photos provided below show the events of the day in chronological order:

Could somebody give me a hand here, my arms are getting tired!  (No, really, we used the air jacks)

 

The car is on the jack stands and the trucks are out

 

Before the jacks were removed, two lengths of rail were cut to run under the jackstands for extra support.  Here Justin does the torch work on the first rail section.

 

 

First truck is out.  Soon the second truck will be chained up and off to return these to #505

 

By late in the day, what was left of #505 was reunited with its trucks

 

The structural condition of #505 made for some delicate work, but the job got done safely

 

There was even time to get pumpkins, even if this was the only group that got them with the work car

 

Rockhill Trolley Museum thanks the efforts of every person who made this possible, including our friends from ECTMA and BSM.  We hope to be able to return the favor in the future.