See Also:
As we said in this article, the Presidents’ Conference Committee was designed to be modern de-facto standard of public transit companies hoping to beat back competition from the private automobile. While it failed to ultimately pull passengers out of their car, it did become almost standard equipment in dozens of cities around the world. Literally thousands of PCC cars were built, with many different variations, and dozens of different colour schemes. We’ve gathered a small gallery covering a fraction of that variety, here:
PCCs Worldwide Image Archive
|
|
ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY, USA Brill was one of the only major streetcar manufacturers which opted out of the PCC project and built its own design from scratch. The Brilliner, seen here in Atlantic City, shows interesting parallels. Joseph Testagrose took the photo. |
|
|
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTES, USA A venerable PCC operating on Boston's Mattapan Line. Rob Hutch took this photograph in 1998. |
|
|
PCC 3029 in the classic paint scheme sits in Arborway Yard in the late 1960s. Joseph Testagrose took this photo. |
|
|
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, USA One hundred PCCs operated in Brooklyn for the Brooklyn and Queens Transit Company, including this unique car, #1000. This PCC prototype was built in 1936 by Clark Equipment -- the only one the company would build. This model looks very like a transition between the chunkier old-style streetcars and the graceful streamlined curves of PCCs to come. Here we see PCC #1000 operating northbound on Coney Island Avenue, approaching Prospect Park, circa 1955. Photo courtesy Richard Glaze. See Also: PCC Streetcars in Brooklyn |
|
|
CAIRO, EGYPT A PCC trundles near the Al Ahram Building on Sharia El-Galaa in 1976 Cairo. Gordon Smith took this photo. |
|
|
Here's a detail shot of the Cairo PCC. |
|
|
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, USA Although operated as a subway car, Chicago Transit Authority #48 is still a PCC. Some of its cousins even used trolley poles to acquire power on some sections of the subway lines. Steve Booth took this photograph. Click here for web site. |
|
|
The CTA's predecessor, the Chicago Surface Lines, operated a large fleet of PCCs. Chicago style PCCs were larger and had three sets of doors. Joseph Testagrose caught this PCC at the Illinois Railway Museum in 1975. |
|
|
Here's a CSL PCC in operation on the Broadway Devon route. Joseph Testagrose took the photo. |
|
|
DETROIT, MICHIGAN, USA Detroit PCC 181 enters Grosse Point. Joseph Testagrose took this photo. |
|
|
EL PASO, TEXAS, USA El Paso PCC 1512. Photo by Joseph Testagrose. Click here for web site. |
|
|
The PCCs that operated in El Paso, Texas had the distinction of being among the few that routinely crossed international boundaries. Inconceivable in today's security-conscious environment, El Paso PCC 1516 rolls up to US Customs after visiting Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on the night of June 6, 1969. This image is from the Howard J. Wayt collection. |
|
|
El Paso PCC 1509 heads down the bridge over the Rio Grande into Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on June 7, 1969. This photograph is from the Howard Wayt collection. |
|
|
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, USA The Leonard's Department Store had a parking lot so big, they needed a 'subway' to service it. So, a short line was built using rebuilt PCCs to take patrons from their cars directly inside the store. The system continued even after Leonard's was bought out by Radio Shack and became known as the Tandy Subway. However, Radio Shack since moved their headquarters out of the commercial complex and subway service declined, despite proposals to extend the line. On August 30, 2002, the last trains came to a stop, ending a unique small operation in North America. |
|
|
One of the modified PCCs drops off passengers at one of the parking stations in May 1971. A full history with more photographs is available at this web site. |
|
|
JOHNSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, USA Johnstown PCC 414 crosses a bridge out of downtown Johnstown in this 1950s shot. Johnstown was the smallest city to own PCCs and the first in North America to receive the All-electric model. Photo donated from the Curt Frey collection. |
|
|
Photographer C.G. Parsons captured this image of Johnstown TC PCC #408 (built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1947) in front of Moxham Carbarn on July 27, 1957. Image courtesy the John Knight collection. |
|
|
Johnstown PCC #401, painted for civil defence, prepares to turn left from Walnut Street to Main Street in ROXBURY service. This photo was taken by Richard Glaze on September 5, 1954. |
|
|
Johnstown PCC #409 heads along Main Street, passing Central Park in ROXBURY service. This photo was taken September 4, 1954 by Richard Glaze. |
|
|
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, USA Kansas City had a large fleet of streetcars which it abandoned in the 1950s. The TTC benefitted from a number of used models from this city. The paint scheme lives on today in San Francisco on the Market Street line. Jim Holland took this photo. |
|
|
Kansas City streetcar #780 operates on Main Street, approaching Kansas City's Union Station on June 22, 1957, the last day of streetcar operations in the city. Less than a year later, this car would be operating on the Toronto Transit Commission. The photographer is unknown and the image is courtesy the John Knight collection. |
|
|
Kansas City Public Service PCCs #760 and 785 pass each other on the COUNTRY CLUB route on one of the last days of service, in April 1958. The photographer is unknown and the image is courtesy the John Knight collection. |
|
|
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA (PACIFIC ELECTRIC) Pacific Electric PCCs 5010 and 5013 run as a train on Glendale Avenue. Photo by Joseph Testagrose. |
|
|
Pacific Electric PCC 5000 (not in the traditional red livery) leads another PCC to the Temple and Glendale intersection on route 46. Date unknown. Photo from the collection of Joseph Testagrose. |
|
|
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO Mexico City ran a number of PCCs through their extensive network, well into the 1970s, using new and used PCCs from other North American cities, but the network was gradually abandoned until 1985 when just one line remained. That line was converted to LRT operation in 1986. This shot (photographer unknown) shows Mexico City STE PCC #2238 operating on Coyoacan at San Lorenzo on May 28, 1973. The image is courtesy the John Knight Collection. |
|
|
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, USA (Old Paint Scheme) Ex-Minneapolis Newark PCC #9. Photo by Jerry Appleman. Click here for full history. |
|
|
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, USA (SEPTA) SEPTA PCC 2073 runs past a SEPTA bus on 40th at Fairmount on March 15, 1970. Note that the bus is sitting on abandoned streetcar trackage. Joseph Testagrose took this photo. Click here for a history. |
|
|
St. Louis Car-built SEPTA all-electric PCC #2534 operates on the 11 WOODLAND route on 40th Street and Woodland Avenue, just outside of the surface subway, in Philadelphia at 9:26 a.m. on August 20, 1976. The photographer is unknown. |
|
|
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, USA Streetcars on Pittsburgh's Fineview Route faced some of the toughest terrain ever, and this photograph of PCC 1609 is but one example. This picture was donated from the Curt Frey collection. |
|
|
Another shot of a Pittsburgh streetcar showing off the tough terrain of the Fineview route. This picture was donated from the Curt Frey collection. |
|
|
During a period in the 1970s, Pittsburgh made some wild experiments with colour schemes in order to attract riders. Most failed. But it made for a colourful time. This picture was donated from the Curt Frey collection. |
|
|
In downtown Pittsburgh, a PCC in the old colour scheme passes a PCC in the newer green colour scheme. The second scheme would become standard, but would eventually be replaced. This picture was donated from the Curt Frey collection. |
|
|
On September 4, 1980, PAT number 1756 is found on route 42-38 at Fort Pitt and Smithfield. Photo from the Joseph Testagrose collection. |
|
|
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, USA San Diego Electric Railway PCC 507 runs on route 7 towards Union Depot in this 1947 shot. Photo by Joseph Testagrose. |
|
|
SHAKER HEIGHTS (Cleveland), OHIO, USA A three car PCC train runs on the Shaker Heights express on September 18, 1969. Photo by Joseph Testagrose. |
|
|
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, USA St. Clouis PCC 1659 on Hodiamont on July 8, 1961. Photo by Joseph Testagrose. |
|
|
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA Joseph Testagrose caught this picture of Washington DC PCC operating in the Bureau of Engraving tunnel. |
|
|
Washington PCC 1488 on October 15, 1959, at Wisconsin and Western. Copyright John F. Bromley courtesy M.D. McCarter collection. |
|
|
Washington abandoned its streetcar network in the early 1960s, and many of its PCCs were sold for scrap. Others were sent to Ft. Worth TX to be used as subway cars at Leonard's Department Store after being rebuilt as seen above. Many others were sent overseas to Sarajevo, Yugoslavia and Barcelona, Spain and others were donated to museums such as the National Capital Trolley Museum in Wheaton, MD. Here is one sitting abandoned in Erie, PA, in the winter of 1972. Joseph Testagrose took this photo. Thanks to Michael Reedy for his corrections to the Washington information. |
