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TROLLEY MUSEUM OF NEW YORK ACQUIRES SEPTA 618
The Trolley Museum of New York (TMNY) is excited to announce the acquisition of car #618 from the Seashore Trolley Museum. #618, is a Subway-Elevated car that previously operated on the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) Market-Frankford Line in Philadelphia, PA.
We kindly seek donations to facilitate the transportation of #618 to TMNY's Kingston, NY campus, thereby contributing to the preservation of this historically significant vehicle. Your consideration of making a tax-deductible donation is greatly appreciated.
The Trolley Museum of New York is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization that was founded in Brooklyn, NY in 1955.
#618 was part of a fleet of 270 stainless steel cars manufactured in 1960 by the Budd Company for the City of Philadelphia and SEPTA's predecessor, the Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC), as replacements for the initial fleet of 1906 "Market" and 1922 "Frankford" cars. Unfortunately, none of the original cars from 1906 and 1922 have been preserved.
Car #618 is one of only two cars of this type preserved upon the fleet's retirement in 1999 (with #606 preserved at The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Washington, PA).
Distinguished as the first mass-produced Rapid Transit cars made of Stainless Steel, this pioneering fleet predates the popular NYCTA R32 cars by four years.
Each car featured four distinctive rooftop ventilation fan housings, earning them the nickname "Almond Joy" due to their resemblance to the almonds atop the popular candy bar.
The “Almond Joy” fleet comprised cars 601-646, designed to run as single units, and cars 701-924, configured as “married” pairs. Car #618 becomes the first stainless steel car in TMNY's collection, filling a significant gap.
While the Market-Frankford Line track was built to the Pennsylvania trolley gauge of 5 ft 2 1⁄4 in, a pair of standard gauge (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) trucks accompanies #618, which will allow movement over TMNY's museum line.
Even after being in storage for a quarter of a century, #618 remains exceptionally well-preserved, a testament to its robust stainless steel construction. The interior of the car serves as a time capsule, retaining advertisements from as far back as the mid 1990’s.
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