Both car Nos. 1054 and 1060 were among the fourteen PCCs purchased second-hand by Muni from Philadelphia’s SEPTA in the early 1990s, and completely rehabilitated. Both received historic liveries honoring cities that ran this famed car type. The 1054 was given the sharp looking silver and electric blue of SEPTA’s predecessor, Philadelphia Transportation Company, that graced its first PCCs in 1938. The 1060 received a less flashy gray and blue livery from Public Service Coordinated Transport of Newark, New Jersey.

Both were involved in serious accidents involving the same operator. The 1060 suffered severe body damage on November 5, 2002, when it apparently took a curve at Market and Steuart too fast, jumped the track, and hit a lightpost. Car No. 1054 was totaled on November 16, 2003, when it was rear-ended by Breda LRV No. 1541 on San Jose Avenue during routine brake tests for the PCC. That Breda operator was also at the controls of No. 1060 when it crashed, and has reportedly been dismissed by Muni.

The 1054—its rear end accordioned by the crushing impact, which distorted the frame almost the entire length of the car—was judged far too expensive to repair, when Muni has dozens of unrestored but structurally sound PCC bodies on the property. (Even so, several body shop workers, with their "can do" attitude, were itching to try it.) Top priority had already been given to No. 1060, which had incurred "the mother of all dents" in its accident, a huge indentation between the front and center doors that buckled the roof and reached all the way down to the underframe, pushing the floor in and up.

Body shop workers Sam Avila, a 27-year Muni veteran, and Steve Chu, who has been with Muni five years, took the lead in fixing No. 1060, joined by other team members on occasion. First, they torched off the metal skin of the car, a small square at a time, to ascertain the exact nature of the damage. The struts and posts were closely examined, and a plan to fix each was designed. Using a variety of tools, they pulled out the dent to the greatest extent possible. Avila says this was the toughest part. “If you’re not careful, pulling on one side might open up something on the other side.” They tested different angles and different pressures until they got the best result. They discovered that the window framing between the doors was damaged beyond practical repair, so they cut a matching piece from a scrapped PCC and welded it in. Then they painstakingly reconstructed the headliner (ceiling), roof ribs, roof, and side panels, with Muni’s sheet metal shop fabricating new roof and side panels. The carpenters cut new interior panels, and the electricians checked and fixed damaged wiring.

During No. 1060’s reconstruction process, No. 1054 had its accident, subtracting the attractive "Cream Cheese" livery from the operating fleet. Since Muni was negotiating to buy more PCCs, cars that had actually run in Newark, it was decided to reserve the Newark livery for one of those cars, and dress No. 1060 in that silver livery from its own hometown of Philadelphia. This necessitated additional body work on the undamaged portions of the car, removing rust around the roofline and in other spots, so the new paint would bond properly to the car. As always, Carole Gilbert’s paint team did a splendid job matching No. 1060’s livery to 1054’s, right down to the Philadelphia Transportation Company’s logo.

When No. 1060, resplendent in its new livery, was unveiled at the celebration honoring Muni’s streetcar maintainers on August 20, 2004, Deputy General Manager for Maintenance Mike Hursh told the crowd, “I am so proud to be part of this team. When I saw that car wrapped around the pole on Market Street, I thought it would never run again. But thanks to your skills and dediction, it’s back!”