Twins Reunited

Last Tuesday, there was a reunion at the National Capital Trolley Museum. Twins - born in 1951 - saw each other for the first time since 1996. I caught up with the pair on Saturday parked together on track #14. TTC #4603 has been a mainstay of the museum's operations since its donation in 1996; and now, twin sister TTC #4602 has joined our fleet. She was purchased from a trolley museum in Ohio which sold off its collection. It's amazing that two, 58 year old, consecutively numbered trolley cars from Toronto still exist; bringing them together again in one place borders on the miraculous.


Since the cars were parked over the pit, I went underneath for a quick inspection. Generally speaking, the new car appears to be in good shape. The seller said that TTC #4602 was in operable condition before it was parked a couple of years ago. Next Saturday, we'll begin a thorough inspection of the running gear, and perform routine maintenance. With a little luck, she will join her sister hauling passengers on our new streetcar line.

Unfortunately, the museum's re-opening will probably be delayed a few more weeks. We've had more trouble with the tamper, we've still got overhead wire to string, and we're still working the kinks out of our new trackwork. We have a punch-out list a mile long, and members are working seven days a week to get the museum re-opened as soon as possible; but we've had problem after problem, and there are only so many hours in a day. Still, a bad day working on trolley cars beats a good day doing just about anything else. So check the Museum's website for up-to-date information:

National Capital Trolley Museum

Then come out and enjoy the ride. And while you're waiting for us to re-open, here's a link to some great Conrail photos:

Conrail Cyclopedia

Check out the cranes in the Maintenance of Way department.