Nostalgia & History > Cars from New York's IRT arrive in Emeryville ...

In the early 1940's, the first of ninety (90) ex-IRT elevated cars from New York arrived in Emeryville for modification by the Key System so as to make them compatible to operate on the Richmond Shipyard Railway to the Kaiser Shipyards at Richmond.  Here is IRT # 835 waiting for her modification in Emeryville's "Yerba Buena Yard".
The cars were third rail only.  So, Pantographs and Pilots came from ex- Southern Pacific IER cars.  Another smaller group of IRT cars were sent to Hunters Point to provide Naval Transportation around the base, pulled by steam locomotives !  Most of the cars were built in 1887 so they already had a lot of miles on them..

I don't know if anyone ever suggested trying to operate them on the Bay Bridge !  BUT, the Toll Bridge Authority would probably have told them to 'DROP DEAD'...  (grin)

Cheers.

KRK

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