Mid-Atlantic Chapter Meet, October 30, 2010

[Steve Lichtman]

(Sorry this is late, folks, I thought I’d posted this information earlier.)

Clang, Clang, Clang went the trolley, and so will MAC!

Before the Metro, Washington, DC was long known for its unique electric trolley system that transported many DC residents to work or leisure destinations, and transported many tourists around town as well. The trolleys are gone now from the streets of Washington, but some live on. Join the PCS Mid-Atlantic Chapter as we take our first-ever visit to the National Capitol Trolley Museum in Silver Spring (Colesville), MD. Bring your professional car – it’s the day before Halloween!

PCS Mid-Atlantic Chapter will be visiting the museum on Saturday, October
30th, 2010. The museum opens at noon, so we’ll meet then. We can ride the trolleys on their newly built loop of track for a while, and perhaps examine their restoration shop.

When we’re done, we can go to Seibel’s Restaurant in Burtonsville for dinner. They have great food, but are known for their desserts! Please remember to eat your dinner before your dessert, though you’ll be tempted.

Locations:
National Capitol Trolley Museum
1313 Bonifant Rd.
Colesville, MD 20905
www.dctrolley.org

Seibel’s Restaurant
15540 Old Columbia Pike Burtonsville, MD 20866
www.seibelsrestaurant.com

Both are accessible off Rt. 198 from
US 29 or I-95, between the Baltimore
& DC Beltways, or from Georgia Ave.
(MD Rt. 97) north of Wheaton.

For more information, contact MAC VP Steve Lichtman, stevel200@att.net.

 

[Steve Lichtman]

And by the way, I'll buy a dessert for the first person who can tell me what was so unique about Washington's trolley system, and can answer before we arrive at the trolley museum and they tell everyone.

Hint: it's shocking!

 

[Paul Steinberg]

It runs on Direct Current....

 

[Steve Lichtman]

For those that don't get the MAC "On-Call", here's some pictures of our recent visit to the Trolley Museum. It was a very nice, clear, cool day. We got to ride the 4602, a 1950's "PCC" trolley originally from Toronto. We also were able to tour the storage barn, and view the restoration barn. We had a great visit. We even went to a very nice lunch at a nearby restaurant.

The three PCS cars in attendance were George Hamlin's '36 Henney Packard hearse, Bee Hamlin's '54 Derham Packard limousine, and the Lichtman's '60 Flxible Buick ambulance. Besides George & Bee, and Steve & Gene Lichtman, MAC member Jeff Kirchner was also there in a regular car.

The answer to the question about what was unique about DC's trolley system is this. In outlying areas, the cars ran off an overhead trolley wire, to provide electric power, like most trolleys. But in the downtown area, around the Federal buildings and the National Mall, and in Georgetown, all overhead power lines are prohibited. So the trolleys got power from an underground power conduit, with a "plow" that ran through a slot in the street and contacted the power rail under the street. At the transition points, a man worked in a pit under the street to connect or disconnect the power "plow" from the trolley cars as needed, while another worked above ground to raise or lower the trolley pole. (New York used a similar conduit on some trolley lines, but did not have to make the transition from under to over.) Interesting. Though I'd hate to be the guy working all day in a hole under the street, unplugging and plugging the 600 volt power plows, even in the rain, snow, or heat.

George Hamlin got the answer right, and I was going to buy him dessert, but Bee had a coupon that entitled everyone to free dessert, so.... I'll buy him a COKE later!