Capital Traction Company 27

Capital Traction No. 27 under restoration in the Car Shop.

G.C. Kuhlman Company, 1918
Washington, D.C.

Principal Features

• Double Truck, Double End, "Deck-Roof Car"
• Trucks: Brill 77E1
• Control: K66A
• Motors: Four GE247D
• Tomlinson Couplers removed prior to 1931

History

Increased passenger traffic in World War I increased demands on the Capital Traction Company (CTCo) and resulted in an 1918 order for twenty cars, numbers 26-45, from the G.C. Kuhlman Company. When delivered this group of cars carried equipment for train operation. Operating solely on the conduit lines of Capital Traction, these cars were not equipped with trolley poles, but did carry hooks and trolley boards for future use. The conduit system provided a challenge to train operation which took until 1924 to solve. By that time only twelve cars in the group, numbers 26-37, were used for train service. After only a few more years, Capital Traction abandoned train operation in 1931 and train equipment was removed from the few cars which still carried it (numbers 39-45).

CTCo 27 was completely rebuilt in 1931. Features included new brakes, floors and leather seating. The motors were shunted to improve speed in traffic. A new green and gray color scheme was used with green in the panel below the windows and gray on the balance of the car. By this time the car received trolley poles for use on the Connecticut Avenue line.

Capital Transit was formed in 1933 from the merger of Washington Railway and Electric Company and Capital Traction Company. CTCo 27 was renumbered as Capital Transit 766 and received the standard paint scheme for two-man cars (motorman and conductor) of yellow across the window section and apple green above and below. Increased traffic in World War II caused the company in 1944 to convert Capital Transit 766 to one-man operation by closing off the doors on one side of the car and installing a treadle door at the rear platform. The paint scheme already in use for the one-man (operator only) PCCs and streamliners was applied.

At the request of local traction fans, and with the assistance of Al Savage, in 1951 Capital Transit preserved 766 for use on charter trips and public relations programs. Wearing lights and garlands, the car paraded through downtown at the Christmas season. On some of these occasions, the company installed a piano and public address speakers on the car. D.C. Transit System continued use of the car on all ceremonial last runs as the trolley system was abandoned, ending with a final farewell trip on January 28, 1962.

Mr. O. Roy Chalk donated Capital Traction Company 27 to the museum in 1970. The car is currently undergoing restoration.

FAQs - DC Transit 1470

Frequently Asked Questions - DC Transit 1470

TTC 4602 pushes DC Transit 1470 onto number 14 track at the Car Shop on Wednesday, July 15.

Photo by Thomas Petersen.

Does the car run? What does the interior look like? What are your plans for the car? Over 10,000 people (thank you - that is a record for our Facebook page!) viewed our post announcing our acquisition of DC Transit 1470 last Friday - many asked excellent and reasonable questions about the car. We've selected a few of the questions and have posted both the questions and our answers below.

Before we begin, please note the following:

• It is still early - the car has only been on our property for one week. Everything mentioned below is subject to change.
• We can't release all of the details surrounding the acquisition, the exact condition of the car or our future plans. Again, most of this remains largely unknown and/or undecided at this time.
• All of the below information is presented to the best of our knowledge.

FAQs:

-Is it "DC Transit" or "Capital Transit" 1470?

Technically, both. The car was originally owned by the Capital Transit Company, which was eventually merged to create DC Transit System, Inc. The car is currently in a Capital Transit paint scheme. We are not sure which paint scheme the car will eventually be restored with.

-Does the car operate?

No. DC Transit 1470 was donated to the Virginia Museum of Transportation in the mid-1960s. To the best of our knowledge, the car has not operated since prior to its donation. The car was towed to the Car Shop after arriving at our facility.

-Could the car be made operational again?

It's a possibility - see the next question.

-Did the car sustain any damage prior to being acquired by the Trolley Museum? What is the condition of the car?

Yes, the car does have some damage. DC Transit 1470 was displayed outside for most, if not all, of its time in Virginia. Additionally, it did endure at least a couple floods while on display. The associated damage to the car will make restoration, at least to operational condition, slightly more challenging.

HOWEVER, upon inspection of the car at the Trolley Museum, we were very pleased to find that the damage was not as severe as once thought. The car appears to be in fairly good condition - initial inspection shows that the flood waters did not severely impact the body. The interior of the car, while worn, is largely complete and in decent condition.

What does this mean? Well, as to be expected with any unrestored street car, 1470 needs work. But, restoration of the car, cosmetically and to operational condition, is definitely possible, should the necessary funds become available in the future.

We want to thank the many volunteers at the Virginia Museum of Transportation who cared for the car though the decades. Their attention to the car saved it from incurring any severe damage. Additionally, we thank them for making the car available to us.

-What are your plans for the car?

We do not yet have any formal plans - we are still in the very early stages of assessing the car. For the time being, we are performing a series of inspections and small repairs to facilitate additional inspection. Display of the car in Street Car Hall is a possibility for the near future, although due to COVID-19 we remain closed for until further notice and do not yet have a date of reopening. Follow our Facebook page for updates.

-What can I do to help with the restoration of DC Transit 1470?

Donations are ALWAYS welcomed - we can even restrict your donation to any specific car or project, upon your request.

To donate to the restoration of DC Transit 1470, please write a check to: National Capital Trolley Museum, 1313 Bonifant Road, Colesville, MD 20905-5955 - *Put CAR 1470 in the Memo line so our Treasurer's Office can process it to the correct account. All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

We aren't currently set up to receive donations electronically, outside of Facebook. If you are on Facebook, you may make a donation by credit or debit card - simply go to our Facebook page, find any post about DC Transit 1470 with a "Donate" button at the bottom, and click the "Donate" button. You can enter any amount, and your contribution is tax deductible - you will automatically be emailed a donation receipt. All donations made through those posts will be restricted to the restoration of 1470. THANK YOU for your generosity!!

Again, we wish to thank everyone for the incredible support and kind messages we have received over the past couple of days - none of us expected the reception to be as warm and exciting as it was. Thank you to everyone who Liked, commented, shared or even just viewed the post. And an extra thanks to those who "Liked" or Followed our page.

We remain committed to giving our collection of street cars, both from Washington and elsewhere, the best possible "retirement." We are just as excited as many of you are as to the possibilities of this special car; we know the future holds much promise. And with your help, we can get there.

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As a reminder, we recommend following us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates on car 1470, the museum and the rest of the historic cars in our collection.

For more information on how you can get involved, visit our website at dctrolley.org.

The National Capital Trolley Museum is supported in part by funding from the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, Montgomery County Government, and Heritage Montgomery and by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

**NCTM Acquires DC Transit 1470**

DC Transit 1470 sits on the Plaza Loop at the National Capital Trolley Museum, in Colesville, Maryland, on Wednesday, July 15, shortly after being removed from the back of the trailer used to transport the car from Roanoke, VA to the museum. THOMAS PETERSEN PHOTO.

FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2020 - The National Capital Trolley Museum in Colesville, Maryland is pleased to announce our acquisition of historic DC Transit Company PCC street car No.1470 from the @Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, VA.

DC Transit 1470 was built in 1945 by the St. Louis Car Company and is of PCC (President’s Conference Committee) design - the same as DC Transit 1101, 1430 and 1540 which already reside in the museum’s collection. DC Transit 1470 is unique from the other Washington PCC cars in our collection; it is equipped with an automatic trolley catching device (notice the catching device on the roof holding the trolley pole.)  An air motor replaced the traditional catcher and pulled the pole down to save manpower at plow pits.  Both the release for the catcher and the air motor could be operated from the operator’s position in the car.

DC Transit 1470 was donated to the Virginia Museum of Transportation in 1964 by the President of DC Transit System, Inc., Mr. O. Roy Chalk, who donated many other historic street cars to the National Capital Trolley Museum.

The National Capital Trolley Museum’s Board of Trustees initially voted to acquire the car in late summer of 2019. On Wednesday, July 15, 2020, DC Transit 1470 was delivered to our facility in Colesville, Maryland. The arrival of this car on our campus marks the first time in many decades that the car is in a facility with other Washington street cars.

We wish to extend a very special thank you to the many individuals and organizations who assisted with this acquisition, from the planning to the transportation, of this special car.

We invite you to Like and Follow our Facebook and Instagram pages, subscribe to our TrolleyTime Blog and watch our website for additional information, photos and details regarding our acquisition of DC Transit 1470. Thank you for your continued support of the museum.

No Passengers!

The Trolley Time Blog is taking a break through July 22, but will return Thursday, July 23.  We will continue to publish content on our Facebook page on an occasional basis.

Our staff continue to work hard preparing the museum for reopening, as well as addressing other important projects. We sincerely look forward to the opportunity to welcome our members and visitors again soon.

Don't forget to subscribe to the blog for email updates when we post! Thanks for your continued support; we hope everyone remains safe.

"Vienna" 678

On July 31, 1971, car 4220 left Vienna, Austria, for the long trip back home to the United States. Recently NCTM Vice President Hermes van der Lee discovered a few copies of the museum's Headway Recorder newsletter outlining the arrival of the car in Northwest Branch Park.

We've scanned a few selections from a couple different editions of the Headway Recorder - click the link below to view.

Click here to view (opens PDF in a new tab)

Artifact Showcase: B&O Railroad Station Stamps

Continuing with our archive theme, today's TrolleyTime post showcases these two vintage stamps from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's stations in Rockville and Silver Spring, respectively.

These were generally used by ticket agents to imprint the stations on paperwork- tickets, receipts, bills, etc. These two came from a small desktop "tree" that held stamps for many other B&O stations in the mid-Atlantic area, including Washington, DC and Baltimore.

Both the Rockville and Silver Spring stations still exist- the Rockville station is served by MARC and Amtrak trains; the original Silver Spring station is a museum, although MARC commuter trains serve a new facility located down the tracks from the original station.

These two stamps are in a private collection, although they are an accurate representation of the many local history artifacts in our archives - preserving an accurate history of street cars in the Washington DC area comes with the "corequisite" of preserving coinciding local history.