It is important to note that Muni opted for ‘modification’ of these eleven streetcars, rather than a complete rebuilding, as was performed on the first seventeen PCCs restored for F-line service. The rationale for this was based on the fact that these cars had been very well maintained during their half-century of service in Newark (the cars, built between 1946 and 1948, moved their from their original home of Minneapolis-St. Paul in the early 1950s). The cars ran on private right-of-way, away from the collision risks and stop-and-go operations of city streets, and were always stored under cover (at least until the last couple of years when after their retirement they sat in an open storage yard in Newark).

Just as important as the cars’ condition was the pressing need to get more cars in service to alleviate the pressure on the existing fleet, which is racking up far more operating hours and miles than anticipated, because of rider demand. The first phase of the E-line, from Fisherman’s Wharf to Mission Bay, cannot be opened until the fleet is expanded.

Thus, the focus of this contract, with Brookville Equipment Co. of Pennsylvania, is on the required modifications for the cars to enter service in San Francisco: an electronic package, compatible brake actuators, front poles, and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The only cosmetic upgrade in the contract is exterior repainting in tribute liveries.

Concerns
Even though the work scope was limited, No. 1080’s arrival caused concern from some Muni officials and Market Street Railway board members in several areas, and has triggered a rethinking of the contract scope.

The most significant operating concern is the front doors, which have been changed from outward folding to inward folding so as to clear the accessible ramps on the street and ADA requirements. The steel roll sign housing above the operator, original to the car, currently precludes the door from opening fully. Brookville representatives were in San Francisco in early June to work with Muni officials on a solution to this issue.

Another concern has to do with the interior appearance of the car. The scope did not include interior repainting, though it did include repair of the original automotive crank windows. The contractor removed interior side panels to accomplish this, and when they were replaced, some chipped. The interior of these cars were brush-painted anyway, since the Newark operation had no spray paint booth, and even without chipping, these cars’ interiors would not be as pleasing as the professionally sprayed interiors of the current renovated F-line PCCs . At press time, Muni was considering whether to modify the contract with Brookville to repaint the interiors, contract with a third party to do it, or leave the cars as they are. There is some funding in the project contingency that could be applied to this purpose.

‘A pimple’
Another highly visible issue, though perhaps not very important operationally, has to do with something Muni mandates that almost no other PCC operator used: a front trolley pole and ‘catcher’ (the round housing that holds the trolley rope). All North American operators of single-end PCC cars (except Muni and El Paso-Juarez) backed their cars using the rear pole. Because of frequent turnbacks on the 11th Street wye and back-in barn movements, Muni installed front poles on its PCCs, traditionally putting them above the headlight. But the small front catchers Muni used to use for this are no longer made and the used ones they have in storage are worn out, so Muni opted for a new, larger catcher that protrudes past the front anticlimber (bumper) when mounted above the headlight.

The traditional placement, Muni reasoned, could cause damage when the cars are parked nose-to-tail in the yard at night, so instead, Muni opted to put the catcher lower down on the left front of the car, directly in front of the operator’s feet. This unusual appearance stirred concern for aesthetic reasons, with one Muni official calling it a ‘pimple’. Muni has repainted the black catcher to match the front-end color, which does reduce the visual impact on this car. However, on several liveries in this contract, this low left-side catcher placement would conflict with striping or other livery elements.

Meantime, work continues at Brookville on other cars in the contract. In early June, members of the Heritage Trolley Task Force of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) visited the facility and saw several cars in various stages of work. There was concern expressed (apparently shared by the Brookville staff) that there is more body rust on the cars than had been anticipated. These kinds of concerns are common in overhaul of used rail cars, and are addressed through standard contract discussions, such as Muni and Brookville are now having.

What’s important
By far the most important issue, though, is the prospective reliability and durability of these cars once they enter service. While the cars did perform yeoman service in Newark, there is no getting around the fact that they are more than 55 years old, and still have their original wiring. The limited scope of this contract was a calculated decision, approved by [outgoing] Executive Director Michael Burns, to opt for getting more cars on the street as quickly as possible, and stretching the available funding to do some work on all eleven of the acquired cars, rather than focusing on completely rebuilding just a few. It is worth noting that a separate contract, to completely rebuild four double-end Muni PCCs plus one or more ‘Baby Ten’ single-end cars, continues to wend its way through the funding and approval process.

Market Street Railway welcomes its members’ feedback on the issues surrounding this car modification activity. Comments can be sent via email, or sent to our office address. We will keep our members and friends up to date in future issues of Inside Track.