Nostalgia & History > Maybe someone can ID this street car?

This is a long shot, but, hey- who knows?!

My Dad passed away 11yrs ago.  I was going through some of the stuff I saved and found an envelope of negs...    they included this shot that caught a 4 wheel bobber type street car in the background.  Who's systems included these cars?   (oops! I reversed the close up!   But it looks like the car has a 3 digit number beginning with a "1') 
Possible Clues:
Probably in California
My Dad lived in Oakland for a short time in about 1929-33. 
His brother was born in San Francisco in 1931.
My grandfather had worked oilfields in Taft, but I don't know the years.
There is a photo from San Diego in the envelope.

Any ideas?
Thanks
SR



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/24/17 15:42 by BoilingMan.

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I recall riding Birneys on the Bakersfield and Kern Electric RR in the '40s but that doesn't look like one of them or Bakersfield. The conductor would let my brother Mike and I help flip the seats over when we got to the SP Depot in East Bakersfield (Kern).

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

Birney "Safety" car.

The San Diego Electric Railway had 34 of these cars, but found them rough riding
cars and sold of most of them to other operators such as the Sacramento Northern and 
Stockton Electric!

Photo doesn't look like any San Diego locations!

Mike

Hotel Thorne might be a clue.  Didn't find anything in a quick Google search though.

Yeah, I'd tried the hotel too- but only came up with places in the UK.
SR

Might this be Fresno?

Fresno operated bobber type street cars.
Thorne Avenue is a major thoroughfare in Fresno, and crosses both the SP and the ATSF

Fresno might be a good guess, there used to be a quite a bit of brick roadways around the freight station area.

Out

I'm liking Fresno too. I'm Googling around trying to prove it..
SR

Two things: that car has curved sides, which no Birney ever had; and the second photo has been reversed in relation to the first one.

It's not a single truck Birney Safety Car.  See  http://www.american-rails.com/birney.html

Marty

Anybody have a picture of the SP Fresno train station?  It looks like the cars in the foreground are backed up to a brick terrace, etc. Maybe a taxi or pick up area?  That lamp pole would show in a teens or 20s picture.

Could also be the Santa Fe, since Thorne Street crossed both in those days. 

I was thinking along those lines too- that this was taken from the train, or rather, trainside. The line painted on the brick maybe being the "yellow line". And it would explain the horse teams- freight haulers meeting trains?
Thanks guys
SR

I think I may have found the location.
If the Hotel Thorne was on N Thorne Ave. in Fresno.
The car has turned East at it's intersection with
Nielsen Ave. (now Divisidaro St.)

The 1923, 1942, 1947. 1964, 1967 Topo Maps,
show streetcar and bus lines going North on Thorne
From California Ave. To Nielsen Ave/Divisidaro St.
The Topo maps show it turning East on Nielsen Ave. (now Divisidaro St).

This is just a guess on my part. If I have erred. I'll gladly stand corrected.

BaltoJoey


 

Topeka Railway Co. First photo was an eastbound on  5st and about to stop at the AT&SF depot. Will have to think about the other photo.  wag216 (stay tuned)

This is so cool-
Thanks again!
SR

wag216 Wrote:
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> Topeka Railway Co. First photo was an eastbound
> on  5st and about to stop at the AT&SF depot.
> Will have to think about the other photo. 
> wag216 (stay tuned)

I think you've nailed it, wag216.  I can picture in my mind the location of East 5th street ending right there at the ATSF depot (south side visible at the extreme right of the picture).  Rates at the Hotel Thorne were $.75 to $1.50. in about 1916.

Does this picture look like the car in the original post?  I think so.

http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/307505
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/17 15:01 by KskidinTx.

Both photos are the same. The seconed image is the negative turned backwards! wag216

wag216 Wrote:
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> Both photos are the same. The seconed image is the
> negative turned backwards! wag216

I hate to demote Mr. Wag but this has nothing to do with the Topeka Railway Co of Kansas.  Plus, the original post shows a single-truck car. Your shot in Kansas shows a double-truck car.  And plus, where did you find room rates for the Thorne Hotel ??
Try again, please !!

KRK

Both of you are needing to have more info. Ken, this car is single-truck. Track is as I showed it , and the ATSF depot is at the correct location. The MoPac depot was about a 1/2 block to the southwest. The negative show the Jordon Bakery at the far left. The MoPac depot was on the other side of the bakery. I have lived most of my life on Topeka, KANSAS, more than 80 years. The Amtk depot is, now, at exactly the same spot that used to the ATSF depot! wag216 (if you are in Topeka, give me or a bunch of local railfans  a tour.)

I don't know anything about trolley cars so will stay out of that discussion.  I do see wag216 beat me to the answers concerning the location of the MOP depot and the Santa Fe depot.  Yes, I remember the bakery located just south of the Santa Fe depot with the MOP depot directly west of it.  The current Amtrak (old Santa Fe) depot was a two story brick building as seen in the picture.  Sometime (probably in the 50's) the second story was removed and the first story was "modernized".  We had the Santa Fe training center's air brake classroom on the south end which you are looking at.

As far as room rates at the Hotel Thorne, they were found by Google-ling Hotel Thorne in Topeka Ks.  Here is a link:

   https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=hotel+thorne+in+topeka,+ks&*

Look at the 7th item from the top.  Other items cover some help wanted ads for Hotel Thorne.  Had found some other items with a different search but one would have to subscribe to the Topeka Daily Capital to read the full articles.

Mark

PS:  Just noticed in the 4th item from the top concerning "Kansas Farmer", if you open it up, scroll down just a little to the bottom of the first page you will see the ad for Hotel Thorne which states "Opp. Santa Fe Depot, Topeka, Kansas"
 



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/17 19:38 by KskidinTx.