December 2015

The History of San Diego’s Horse Cars

By William Niedrich Part Two

The shed made from the former St Louis horse car was dismantled about the mid 1960’s and the parts were stored in Mr. Gerdes garage where Charlie started making his sketches and drawings. In 1987 Mrs. Gerdes donated the horse car parts, along with some other items, to SDERA. Charlie passed away in July 1989. Later, in 1991, Mrs. Gerdes donated his notes, sketches and brown paper drawings to the Association. At that time, she permitted copies to be made of her husband’s photo of the shed (Photo on page 5). The vellum drawings were not included. Mrs. Gerdes remembers seeing them when her husband was alive, however, she has never been able to locate them. Continued on page 4 Page 2 SDERA Trolley Lines

Ex SAN DIEGO PCC CARS TO GET A NEW LEASE ON LIFE IN EL PASO

San Diego Electric Railway Association DBA San Diego Electric Railway Co. Inc 922 West 23rd Street National City, CA 91950 (619) 474-4400

In the December 2015 issue: Ex San Diego PCC’s page 2 Horse cars page 4 Happenings At the Depot page 6 2016 Calender preview page 10 Letters to the Editor page 11 Upcoming Events Back Page

SDERA operates the historic National City Depot museum Written by Carolina Worrell, which is located at Managing Editor, RailWay Age 922 West 23rd Street, National City, http://www.railwayage.com CA 91950 and is open Saturday and Sunday The Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority (CRRMA), from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. working with the City of El Paso, Tex., has agreed to terms with Or visit us on the web at: Brookville Equipment Corp. for the complete overhaul, www.sdera.org restoration, and modernization of six Presidents’ Conference San Diego Electric Railway Committee (PCC) streetcars originally manufactured in 1937. Association, Inc This agreement is for the forthcoming 4.8-mile El Paso Streetcar Project, which will return the City of El Paso’s PCC vehicles to v Mike Reading - President service for the first time since 1974. v Tom Carnes - Vice President v The contract, valued at $18.8 million, includes completely Jody Surowiec - Secretary v Jeff Trimble - Treasurer stripping down the vehicle frames, repairing and replacing structural v Jim Anderson - Director car-body components, a complete rewiring, truck re-manufactures, v Mitch Beauchamp - Director door upgrades, and integration of modern technologies to “pro- v Richard Finch - Director v vide a modern transit solution wrapped in a nostalgic, historical Mike Reneau - Director v Jason Ballard - Director package,” Brookville said. Key modern amenities will include the v Chris Higgins - Web Master integration of HVAC units, a wheelchair lift system to ensure ADA v Sam Judd - Legal Counsel accessibility, WiFi hotspot access, bike racks, and fareboxes. v Richard Finch - Editor v The PCC restorations will begin in November 2015 at Dave Slater - Editorial staff v Jody Surowiec - Editorial Staff Brookville’s manufacturing facility in Brookville, Pa. As currently v Tom Sapien - Librarian envisioned, the six streetcars will be refinished in El Paso’s original v Jim Anderson - Curator of Special paint schemes from the 1950s (green, orange and white), 1960s Collections Gift Shop Manager/ (blue and white), and late 1960s and early 1970s (light blue, red Facilities Director v John De Lalla - Special Events/ and white), with two of each scheme included in the order. Docent Coordinator Continued on page 9 v Bill Steinmetz-Groundskeeper December 2015 Page 3

A Salute To Our URGENT REQUEST Volunteers! FOR VOLUNTEER DOCENTS AND They are as follows: CASHIERS Dave Slater Please consider sharing your Tom Carnes interest in railroads and Chris Higgins Jim Anderson San Diego’s historic streetcars Jim Price with our visitors. Chuck Bencik Our dedicated group of Randy Butler docents needs your help to Robert Butler ensure that the Depot is Mitch Beauchamp properly staffed. Jeff Trimble Docents guide our visitors Mike Reneau through the depot and the Richard Finch grounds. George Geyer Training and support are Dan Kelly Gary Johnson provided by our docent Sergio Lopez coordinator and other Mike Reading experienced docents. Reference Eddie McCann material is on hand, including Jody Surowiec talking points for the tour, and John DeLalla general procedures for operating Robert Baxter the depot. Shifts are for 3 hours: Missy Cheeseman 10 AM to 1:00 PM, and Anthony Carideo 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Sean McColgan Please contact John DeLalla Patrick McColgan at: [email protected] Scotty Lewis Tim Lewis or 858-847-3138 for additional information and to Attention Members: Please look carefully Tom Sapien at the mailing label. If your membership “Pete” Pearson join our group of docents. has expired, or will Mike Quigg expire soon, and you wish to renew your membership, or become a new Matt Zacharzuk member, we offer the following levels: Life,(for a single member) $400; Family, Bill Steinmetz $35(please include names); Regular(or Conrad Gomez Individual) $25; Senior age 60 and up, $15; Junior for ages 17 and below, $15. Hubert Jansen Checks can be made out to, SDERA Steve Mitton and mailed to SDERA, 922 West 23rd Street, Jason Ballard National City, CA 91950 WE COULDN’T OPERATE WITHOUT Come visit, YOU! and enjoy all the improvements Thanks! in your Museum! Page 4 SDERA Trolley Lines

Horse Cars from page 1

ABOUT THE FIR STREET PHOTOGRAPH

About The Fir Street Photograph (Photo right) shown in this article on Fir Street, is enlarged from a portion of a panoramic photo taken by a professional photographer. The scene was shot from the front of the block-long Florence Hotel, in Florence Heights, with the horse car in the foreground and a portion of downtown and San Diego Bay in the background. The purpose of the picture San Diego Street Car Company’s horse on Fir Street, was to promote the new street between Third and Fourth streets near the Florence Hotel about 1888-1889 car service to the hotel. The stylish lady is looking On the roof, at each end, are The photograph is one of several directly at the camera. lamp vents. Inside the cabin, to appear in a brochure Both passengers are seated in below the vent and mounted to advertising the merits of the the best rows for riding on a establishment, i.e., “Largest and the end wall, is the lamp case horse car. The other rows have which holds the oil lamp. best furnished rooms of any wheel boxes or covers protruding At night, the lamps provide hotel in Southern California.” above the floor. To obtain a low light for the passengers. and “Rates $2.50 to $3.00 per day.” center of gravity and to allow Knowing this much about the a low step on and off the car Also in back of the lamp is a photo, we can assure the brand for the passengers, the top of hole through the case and wall new car was brought up “Out the wheels are above the floor which allows the light beam of Service” from one of the car level. The wheel box covers the to pass through a bullseye lens barn/horse stables downtown. wheel to protect the passengers, mounted on the outside just Service did not start on the line, much the same as on a motor below the platform’s hood. identified on the car’s side, until bus today. The seats are of the Different lines using the same July 7, 1888. The car arrived a rocker back (swing over) type. tracks had different colored lens. few weeks before from The only other person in the A waiting customer at night St. Louis, Missouri. So the photo picture is the driver who is could tell if the car was coming was taken on a sunny afternoon patiently waiting while the or going and what line it was on. during that short period. photograph is being taken. The two passengers are posing. He is not wearing the prescribed When a passenger wanted to The young girl, seated up front, company gray uniform and cap stop the car in order to get off, is no doubt a hotel employee as so he is probably one of the a bell strap or cord was pulled. she is wearing a servant’s type employees who normally works This rang a bell attached to each uniform. at the barn and stables. platform’s hood. December 2015 Page 5

THE FIFTH STREET & UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS LINE During the mid-1880’s, San Diego was experiencing boom times. Local transportation was expanding and needed more equipment. In 1887, the street car company placed several orders for horse cars. The last order was to the St. Louis Car Company for 12 cars. Most of the cars, as mentioned earlier, were of the closed type with no frills. However, several of the cars were to be of the more

Shed made from a former St. Louis horse car from the San Diego Street Car expensive convertible design. Company prior to being dismantled about the mid 1960’s. Continued to Charles Gerdes photo Horse Cars The driver then reined in on page 8 the team and set the brakes by turning the brake crank on the dash in front of him. The horses carried bells, too. They were fastened on each side of the horse collar. The tinkle of these bells sounded different from sleigh bells, however they served the same purpose as a warning of their presence. Protection from the sun or inclement weather on open cars was provided by light canvas curtains. On the St. Louis convertible car, the passenger could adjust the retractable curtain by releasing a spring-loaded clip located in the rod on the bottom edge of the blind. 1959-60 Railway Historical Society of San Diego members prepare to remove the old San Diego Horse Railway car body from a back yard on the north side of “K” street around 33rd street. Dick Pennick photo Night at the movies

Page 6 SDERA Trolley Lines

A night at the movies at The Depot

Car # 539 takes center stage as the cast and crew AFocus Films shoot an interview

On the evening of Oct. 22nd. we had a small film A big thank you goes out to Mitch Beauchamp and shoot at the depot, The “AFocus film group” is working Richard Finch for volunteering their time to open up on a 6 part series for KPBS. the Depot and assisting the group. Mitch called me the The segment done at the depot was an interview next morning with an update. They were to be there with the cast and crew of the short film “A Good Ol’ from 6pm to 10pm, but went until 12:30am! Chap” writen and directed by Ryan Casselman, staring Yvette Angulo and Mike Brayden as Chap [editors note: he does a very good portrayal of the “little Tramp”]. The film won the best film award at this years 48 hour film festival. [ https://vimeo.com/116137369 ] For those who have not heard of the 48 Hour Film Project, it is a wild and sleepless weekend in which competing teams have a blast making a movie. Teams are assigned a character, a prop, a line of dialogue and a genre, that must be included in their short (4-7 minutes) film. Then all writing, shooting, editing and scoring must be completed in just 48 hours. To learn more about the 48 hour project, you can go to : http://www.48hourfilm.com/en/about/history.php. After the interview, the actors donned their makeup and used car #539 as the backdrop for filming some new scenes for the sequel of “A Good Ol Chap”. December 2015 Page 7

New Display coming to the Depot

I picked up the front of Car 422 from the SD Trolley yard this morning, and successfully unloaded it at the depot! Thanks to Mike Reneau for his help unloading this new acquisition! This is a new exhibit at National City Depot, Slid right out of the trailer onto blocks. and arrived at the depot October 25, 2015. It was I purchased a tarp and some rope to cover it. build by American Car Company in 1923 for San I learned today that if Sal ?, never got his last Diego as 422. It was a double truck, closed steel car. name, had not asked for it when it was removed When this was retired in 1949, at the end of from the Mills Building, this artifact would have trolley service in San Diego, it was sold to a been trashed and lost forever! Thanks Sal! private party. In poor shape, the end was sawed He also mentioned that he will contact the off, and after restoration, was placed on the wall person he gave the headlight and other of the a restaurant at 12th and Imperial in San Di- components to, a collector, if he might be willing ego. The restaurant closed in early 2015, and the to donate any of these components to us! piece became surplus. Lets hope, but I’m not holding my breath! The people who were responsible for moving We now need a plan on getting it into the freight this display from downtown San Diego to the room and modify it for use as a photo booth and depot, and tarping it were Mike Reading, Mike working display! Reneau, Mike Quigg, and Jody Surowiec. Jeff Trimble was the photographer. Mike Reading Jeff Trimble Page 8 SDERA Trolley Lines

Horse Cars from page 5 When asked why, they said they The train then traveled across a had decided to take the day off, corner of City Park (Balboa Park) These latter cars were for a new And they did. in a general northeast direction to venture. The street car company’s Meanwhile, the San Diego Street what is University Avenue today. principal owners were Elisha S. Car Company constructed Then west eventually to Essex and Babcock, Jr. and Hampton L. Story. extensions on the north end of Fifth Fifth, south on Fifth to Fir where Both men were involved in a number St. and the east end of the D Street the car was removed and the horses of other area enterprises at the time. horse car lines. Since the street car were hitched back on for another The Hotel Del Coronado; The San and motor road companies were trip to the terminal. Some cars went Diego, Coronado Ferry Company; both Story and Babcock enterprises, around the loop in the opposite and The Coronado Beach Railroad. it is difficult to pinpoint where either direction. In addition, they were engaged in company’s tracks started and ended It is believed the steam road had a deal with a group of land as they both were built at the same some passenger cars of its own. developers to provide a railroad time to a connection at what today The length of the entire line was line to the northeast of over 10 miles. downtown San Diego. Soon after the line The purpose of the started operation, the line was to provide boom in San Diego transportation to went bust. (Sounds several real estate familiar, doesn’t it?) tracts where lots By October 1889, were being offered service on the Park to the public. The Belt Line had quietly railroad had several folded. Little effort names, being referred was made to restart to as the City and the steam road and University Heights eventually the train Railroad, Univer- track was removed. sity Heights Motor Both Fifth and D Road and the Park (Broadway) lines Belt Line. Four steam took over the “Fifth dummies were or- Electric trolley in front of the Florence Hotel around 1888 St. & University dered from the Baldwin Lo- Heights” horse car service. comotive Works for motor So what happened to the power. would be at 18th street and “A”. [ Editors Note: For more It is known that on July 7, 1888 convertibles? They may have stayed information on the Park Belt Line, service started. A new convertible on the Fifth Street line. At least one see the June 2015 issue of the horse car, with “Fifth Street & has been identified in an old photo “Trolley Lines” at, University Heights” lettered in gold taken on Fifth below D Street. http://www.sdera.org/newsletters/ on its maroon fenders, left Fir St. The convertibles no doubt SDERAJun15.pdf ] and went south on Fifth to D Street continued in service as horse cars Surveyors were in the field by (Broadway). There it switched and later as electric car trailers to September 1887. Soon thereafter onto the D Street line going east to the end of their usefulness. construction was underway by 16th St. At 16th Street, it turned north At least one ended up as a shed several crews grading and laying on new track and zigzagged over to in San Diego (Photo Pg. 5) track at different locations. the terminal of the motor road at 18th This ends Mr Niedrich’s history of One large gang was Chinese. and A Streets. the horse cars in San Diego According to the San Diego Union At the terminal, the team of newspaper, the entire crew stopped horses was removed and the car was work one day. coupled to the steam dummy. December 2015 Page 9

EX-SD PPC’s From page 2 Later, the cars serviced El Paso Currently, Brookville is working and crossed into Ciudad Juárez, through a PCC streetcar “We are eager to partner with the Mexico, before being removed end-of-life rebuild project for the CRRMA to return these streetcars from service in 1974. San Francisco Municipal to service for the City of El Paso Since that time, the streetcars Transportation Authority (SFMTA), have been in outdoor storage, and its citizens,” said Brookville after having completed 16 original but now will be transported to VP of Business Development rebuilds from 2004 through 2011. Brookville for a complete Joel McNeil. re-manufacture at the industry’s In the early 2000s, the company “By retaining the charms of leading PCC streetcar re-builder, also modernized and rebuilt 18 yesteryear, while also integrating with over 30 PCC streetcars in PCC streetcars for the Southeastern the latest technologies for passenger service in the United States and Pennsylvania Transportation accessibility and convenience, we over 70 rebuilt or originally Authority (SEPTA). are hopeful these restored streetcars manufactured streetcars operating At the completion of these and all will serve as a reminder of on American streets. current El Paso’s unique projects, history and become Brookville iconic symbols of will have its future.” made contri- El Paso’s fleet butions to of PCC streetcars 56 PCC was originally streetcars, manufactured in and 88 total 1937 by the heritage St. Louis Car Co. streetcars in for the City of the United San Diego. States.

San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) PCC streetcars undergoing restoration at Brookville Equipment Corporation ABOUT BROOKVILLE EQUIPMENT CORPORATION – STREETCAR DIVISION Headquartered in Brookville, streetcars since the 1950s in 2001 Building upon the company’s Pa., in the scenic foothills of the and has modernized, 95 years of rail-mounted vehicle Allegheny forests, Brookville manufactured and remanufactured manufacturing experience and over Equipment Corporation is a world PCC and heritage streetcars and a decade of streetcar manufacturing, class American manufacturer of trolleys for the New Orleans BROOKVILLE introduced the innovative powered transportation Regional Transit Authority innovative Liberty Modern Street- solutions for the mining/tunneling, (NORTA), the San Francisco car design in 2012, with the pilot rail freight and passenger Municipal Transportation Authority order delivered to Dallas, Texas in transportation industries. (SFMTA) and the Southeastern 2015 and a second order currently BROOKVILLE contributed to Pennsylvania Transportation underway for Detroit’s M-1 RAIL the first American manufactured Authority (SEPTA). streetcar line. Page 10 SDERA Trolley Lines

2016

Here is a sneak preview of some of the photos that will be featured in the new SDERA calender for 2016 By popular demand the 2016 Calender is now Available for those who are looking to fill those Christmas stockings early. Go to SDERA.org for more information. Contains photographs printed on 11 by 8 1/2 inch heavy weight paper stock suitable for framing. December 2015 Page 11 Letters to the Editor Richard,

Thanks for the copy of Bill’s history. I had never seen that before. The b & w photo of the horse car body, as it looked after we removed it from the back yard of a Chollas Valley home, was credited to me but was not my photo. I did take a couple of shots of it when we were loading it onto a tilt-bed auto trailer, and I will get you copies when I have time. Some of the RHS members who helped with the loading were: Terrence “Terry” Durkin, Al Diamond, Walt Hayward, Walter “Wally” Barber, Jr. (provided the truck and trailer), Charles “Chuck” Gerdes and me. Durkin, Gerdes and Hayward are deceased, and I think Diamond is also. The body was in poor shape but was moved to Gerdes’ property in Spring Valley, near Avocado Blvd. and Campo Rd. for evaluation. During the time it was in Gerdes’ possession, Chuck carefully dismantled the car, made measurements and drawings of the parts, and stored the parts in the attic of his woodshop. Chuck was also the fellow who did the initial restoration/stabilization of the body of SDERy. streetcar # 54 when it was initially stored at the Bullfrog Farm near the SD & AE’s 47th St. trestle. Later, when the City of San Diego allowed RHS to store/display the body at the Whaley House in Old Town, the beautiful old rolling door at the motorman’s end of the car was stolen. I had taken one of the original etched-glass clerestory win- dows home to restore it, and it was promptly laid aside and forgotten for years until I again recovered it recently. It is in surprisingly good shape considering its age, and in much better shape than the clerestory windows of my 1887 NC & O Ry. excursion car, which is only a couple years older. The Car 54 window is an original from the cable car configuration.

You are welcome to use my letter in your newsletter. I have the date we pulled the horse car body out of Chollas, but I will have to find it. It was about 1960 or ‘61, as I recall. Dick Pennick, Media Coordinator Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association, Inc.

Order Form for the 2016 photo calender Enter your name and shipping address below.

NAME: ______STREET ADDRESS: ______CITY: ______STATE: ______ZIP: ______PHONE or EMAIL: ______

ITEM QUANTITY PRICE TOTAL SDERY Calender for 2016

$9.95 + $5.00 for shipping and handling ------(CA residents add .90 for sales tax) Mail this form and your check payable to San Diego Electric Railway Association in a stamped envelope to: San Diego Electric Railway Association 922 WEST 23RD STREET, NATIONAL CITY, CA 91950 ------Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Chula Vista, Ca Permit No. 1800 San Diego Electric Railway Association d.b.a. San Diego Electric Railway PLEASE ADDRESS ALL WRITTEN CORRESPONDENCE TO 922 WEST 23RD STREET, NATIONAL CITY, CA 91950 SDERA is at the historic National City Depot, off I-5 at Mile of Cars Way - take Bay Marina Dr. west, right on Cleveland, go one block and left on W. 23rd St and straight into the Depot Open Saturday and Sunday, 10AM — 4 PM. Depot phone: call (619) 474-4400 To submit items to the Newsletter, contact : Richard Finch via e-mail ([email protected]) Items need to be submitted by the 10th of the month prior to publication. -- Next issue in February Please send all photos in the largest size as possible. 2 or 3 meg file ( about 1000 pixels on the longest side) also include the names from left to right of people in the photos. Attention Members: Please look carefully at the mailing label. If your membership has expired, or will expire soon, and you wish to renew your membership, or become a new member, we offer the following levels: Life,(for a single member) $400; Family, $35(please include names); Regular(or Individual) $25; Senior age 60 and up, $15; Junior for ages 17 and below, $15. Checks can be made out to, SDERA and mailed to SDERA, 922 West 23rd Street, National City, CA 91950 Upcoming Events Monthly meetings are normally held at 7:30 You can Now find us on: PM on the 2nd Saturday at the National City Depot. Optional no host dinner at The Barbecue Pit Restaurant - 920 E. Plaza Blvd, National City https://www.facebook.com/pages/ at 5:30PM about 1 block east of Highland Ave. San-Diego-Electric-Railway-Association/ and Plaza Blvd. 241154262614173 San Diego Electric Railway Association Chula Vista Live Steamers There will be no general membership meeting Upcoming Public Run Days: for December. Have a good holiday season Saturday, Sunday, December 12,13, 12pm-2:30pm SWEETWATER & ROHR PARK RAILROAD The Pacific Southwest Railway Museum We are a group of ordinary people interested North Pole Limited Ticket Update in building, operating and maintaining trains. But Posted on November 9, 2015 “Live Steam” is more than just trains. “Live Steam” First Class tickets for this year’s North Pole also includes steam powered tractors; stationary Limited are now sold out. Coach tickets are still available for all Friday and Saturday night mill engines; steam driven pumps, hammers, excursions between Thanksgiving and Christmas. calliopes, cranes, boats, cars and whatever the For more information, please make sure to visit imagination can invent. Presently, the largest psrm.org/npl to get all of the details and purchase interest of CVLS live steam activity is heavily your tickets today! Our first North Pole Limited oriented toward trains. train departs in just three weeks. http://www.chulavistalivesteamers.org/