This silent footage was shot by electric railway fan Dave Williams probably from the mid-1950s until about 1963. Footage is primarily of PCC trolleys (or President’s Conference Car) operating in several different cities. Some of the footage was shot during fan trips; at 3:19 footage shot in Pittsburgh, railfans with cameras can be seen watching the approach of chartered car #1708.
From 0:00 to about 5:52, the Pittsburgh Railways are shown. This was a predecessor of Pittsburgh Regional Transit. It had 666 PCC cars, the third largest fleet in North America. It had 68 streetcar routes. The portion at 2:39 may be the Fineview Route on the north side of Pittsburgh. Also visible in scenes are the Smithfield Street bridge, trolley passes P&LE station, then passes through the Mount Washington Tunnel at 3:05. The car at 5:43 is marked with a destination sign for Kennywood, a local amusement park.
Starting at 5:53, shots of the Boston Transit Co. operations, including “Picture-Window” PCCs delivered in 1951. These are shown operating in two car trains and in the subway. The famous “Cities Service” sign at Kenmore Square is visible at 7:50.
At 14:25, famed D.C. Transit Car 303 (now preserved in the Smithsonian) is shown being operated as a charter for railfans. This was an American Car Company of St. Louis, Missouri trolley originally built for Capital Traction Company of Washington, D.C. The car was assigned to the 7th Street line, which ran from the Wharves to Boundary (now Florida Avenue). This car was used as a motor car and regularly pulled a light trailer car until its retirement from regular service in 1913.
At 15:00, Baltimore Transit PCC #7047 is seen operating on the street. This appears to be one of the cars that lacked a left-hand door (and as a result rarely ran in the Subway and only saw service on surface street-running lines without center platforms of configurations that would require a left-hand door). At 15:47, the Sparrows Point Trestle. (Sparrows Point was once a location to a thriving Bethlehem Steel Works, now the home to warehouses.) Car #7068 is seen at 16:31 and car #7066 at 17:17.
At 18:32, Baltimore Transit PCC Car #7004 is seen. Baltimore City Hall is seen at 20:37. At 21:22, Engine House No. 6, a Baltimore landmark, is shown.
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