Woo-hoo... TWO new websites!!!

[jmlaboda]

Well, I'm two days late but NOT a dollar short...

As most of you know I am the owner and maintainer of the well-known website, the Passenger Car Photo Index.  I am pleased to announce two new websites that are companions to the Index that I hope modelers of a certain kind will find of value...

Interurban Passenger Car Photo Index

Presidents' Conference Car Photo Index

Like the Index you will find a wide collection of photographic links that highlight what is some of the best photos of these types of these cars with the advantage of all of these links being in one place.  I hope that if you are interested in either type of car that you will not only come to use these two sites but that you will also pass this news on to the folks you know so that they might enjoy it as well.  Like the Index there are many, many hours that have been invested in these two sites and, as it is possible to do, I hope to be able to update them from time to time as even more photos are found.  Do please email me with any corrections, comments or suggestions.  I hope that you all will come to value these two sites as much as you value the Index.

As for the Index itself I hope to have a new Update for it finished by the end of this month with many more new links... still working on pages so a count isn't available as of yet but it will be as good as the many Updates of the past with many new links being added and even more cars now being covered by what can be found on the web.  Hopefully soon I will finally be able to start working on some of the projects that I have in the works for quite some time... will be good to be able to finally take it easy.

[up1950s]

You are the Passenger Car Pigeon King bringing all things passenger to a single nest .

[UP4-8-8-4]

Love the Passenger Car Photo Index, looks like two more to become popular as well !
Fantastic work as well on all.

[sp org div]

Jerry
+1
Thanks for making all this info so readily available!
You helped me immensely in compiling the needed information to build my Coast Starlight trains.
Regards
Jeff

[R L Smith]

Oh. My. God.   

This will be a terrific reference for the historical repaints for SFMTA ("Muni").

Let me know if I can assist with any Brookville info.

Ron

[jmlaboda]

Let me know if I can assist with any Brookville info.

Brookville is surely an important member of the preservation movement... so glad that they are doing so much to restore these cars.

The PCCs were built like tanks and the testimony of how durable the carbody is can be seen in the cars that are still around but not restored.  Cars in several parts of the country sit awaiting the possibility of being restored, while battered and beaten, still are in one piece even after years (decades) of weather.  The cars are right up there with Budd Co. products... hands down the result of what surely was one of the best "Committees" to ever come together to design a new product.

Now if only we can get someone to produce on (or more) in N-scale... (not counting the Shapeways prints available from Imperial Hobby Productions...)

[narrowminded]

Now if only we can get someone to produce on (or more) in N-scale... (not counting the Shapeways prints available from Imperial Hobby Productions...)

I have a chassis in the works that will turn a tight radius (35' or so), good scale speed and smooth control (like the 44" w'base test unit video), stone quiet operation, and all below window height affording the opportunity for a believable interior.  The power truck details have been a couple of year + endeavor and is finally coming together.  More soon, I hope.

[nscalbitz]

Presidents' ??

OK I see PCC- is a trade name of some kind.
American nomenclature still confuses the hell...
We (British Empire fallen-flag) would have called these 'trolleys' or 'trams'.
Err, without an apostrophe too
dave

[narrowminded]

Presidents' ??

OK I see PCC- is a trade name of some kind.
American nomenclature still confuses the hell...
We (British Empire fallen-flag) would have called these 'trolleys' or 'trams'.
Err, without an apostrophe too
dave

As I understand it, that was a committee put together by the PRESIDENTS of the various interurban companies to come up with a common design that addressed all of the interurban issues that experience had taught the individual companies.  Each company didn't have the volume to effectively develop their own designs  but collectively they did and with all of their needs and issues being fairly common to their industry.  The presidents of the various companies held a CONFERENCE to outline their needs and objectives and organized various COMMITTEEs with expertise in each area of design to address their common design criteria.  Hence, The Presidents Conference Committee, or PCC.  All reports suggest it was very successful.

[nscalbitz]

Thanks narrowminded- very interesting.
Always wondered why they looked s similar across the US in all the history pics and albums.

Perhaps a 'mobile-vehicular-track-guided' colophon/ train-pedia could explain these things in general.
d

[R L Smith]

Presidents' ??

OK I see PCC- is a trade name of some kind.
American nomenclature still confuses the hell...
We (British Empire fallen-flag) would have called these 'trolleys' or 'trams'.
Err, without an apostrophe too
dave

Dave,
Yes, Americans call them trolleys too, but tram is an unusual term in the States. The most common term is "streetcar".  "PCC" is used to differentiate these cars from other trolleys, like those manufactured by Brill. The average rider is probably unaware of the "PCC" history.

As proud as I am of the work Brookville is doing, credit must be given where due: SFMTA ("Muni", short for "Municipal") is the organization funding the restoration of these former SEPTA PCC cars, and the Market Street Railway museum organization is the driver behind the historic paint schemes.

Narrowminded, that was an excellent synopsis.

Ron

[narrowminded]

Thanks narrowminded- very interesting.
Always wondered why they looked s similar across the US in all the history pics and albums.

Perhaps a 'mobile-vehicular-track-guided' colophon/ train-pedia could explain these things in general.
d

That basic design was utilized all over the world.  WW II's devastation set an urgent demand for so many goods and trolleys were no exception.  Direct export was done but also licensing arrangements were made with firms around the world.  Crompton-Parkinson Ltd. in England was the first licensee but other than a few experimentals built they never produced them for English cities.  But many more followed.  Belgian Electrorails, Sweden's Ab Svenska Jarnvagsverk-staderna (ASJ), Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board of Australia, Czechoslovakia's Tatra-Smichov, and Fiat were the earlier ones and those arrangements resulted in further sub licenses over time.  Those license built cars with identical looks or at least clear evidence of their pedigree were in extensive use around the world.  Over 16,000 as I understand from some research I have done.  It was a good, robust design.