Third Avenue Railway System 678

Third Avenue Railway System No. 678 with Matt Nawn's 1949 Plymouth. Photo by Bill Monaghan.

Third Avenue Railway System No. 678

The Third Avenue Railway Company of New York City embarked on a car building program to fulfill its service requirements rather than purchase the PCC street cars as the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Company was doing in the 1930s. Built in the Company's 65th Street shops, TARS 678 is a collection of recycled parts and new-fangled gadgets. Old eight-point K-35 controllers and newly-designed, brake pedals govern its speed. Rattan, walk-over seats contrast with aluminum window sash. And a thrashing air compressor more than compensates for quiet herringbone gears. Intended for service in the Bronx, the Company equipped TARS 678 with trolley poles and without a conduit plow.

Interior of TARS 678 after the addition of lettering in the winter of 2019. Photo by Thomas Petersen.

Following abandonment of trolley lines in the Bronx in 1948, forty cars of this class provided service for another twenty years in Vienna, Austria as Marshall Plan dollars replaced trams damaged during World War II. Wiener Stadtwerke replaced the trolley poles with a pantograph, warned passengers that the doors are pneumatically operated, installed a wood-slat floor, added turn signals, and covered the rattan seats with vinyl.

Below is a short clip of a former TARS car, nearly identical to 678, operating in Austria.

The Museum purchased TARS 678 and shipped it to the site during the Summer of 1971. The car was removed from service in 2000 for extensive restoration. TARS 678 returned to occasional service in January 2015 following a complete rebuild of the air compressor.

Shortly after the car was returned to service, it was discovered that 678's motors required complete rebuilding - an expensive, labor intensive and time consuming process. Car shop crews removed the motors and sent them to an outside contractor to perform the work.

Photo by Thomas Petersen.

Finally, in the winter of 2018, TARS 678 was returned to occasional service on the museum railway. A favorite among visitors, this car is one of the most unique in the collection.

TARS 678 as it appears today.

TARS 678 awaits passengers on a wet December day, 2019. Photo by Thomas Petersen.

We conclude by taking this opportunity to extend our sincere thanks to our AMAZING volunteers who have spent hundreds of intense, long and exhausting hours working on this car over the years. Without these dedicated individuals, there is no question that 678 would not be operating today (and certainly not look this good.)

Stay tuned for our next Trolley Time post. Stay safe!