Chicago Surface Lines Car 4051 the Laboratory PCC Car and Its Predecessors by George E
Chicago Surface Lines Car 4051 The Laboratory PCC Car and Its Predecessors By George E. Kanary ost students of electric street rail - pete with the motor bus and the automo - “Laboratory PCC car 4051” leaves the loop way transportation are familiar bile, both of which had taken ridership at Milwaukee Avenue and Imlay Street, the city Mwith the story of the PCC car. A from the street railways. By the advent of limits with Niles, on August 6, 1940. This was genuine American design success story, it the 1930s streetcars were increasingly the only PCC car to operate on Milwaukee revolutionized urban surface rail transit thought of as being old and outmoded. Avenue. —Edward Frank, Jr. photo, Shore Line not only in the United States and Canada, Leading the design team were Dr. Collection but overseas in Europe as well. In a short Thomas Conway, Jr., Chairman, and began in 1932, was by payment of an time the truck design and method of con - Clarence F. Hirshfeld, Chief Engineer. Dr. assessment determined by the size of the trol and propulsion was adapted to rapid Conway, formerly a professor at the city concerned and Chicago Surface Lines transit cars also. University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton was levied the largest fee, $46,000 over Because of their glamorous appearance School of Finance, was already well known three years. The Chicago Rapid Transit and visibility on the streets of North in Chicago for his reorganization and over - Co. fee was the same, but because of the American cities, PCC cars not only influ - haul of the failing Aurora Elgin & Chicago desperate financial condition of the com - enced increased ridership but also estab - RR in the 1920s.
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