Nostalgia & History > Baltimore Had A Great Streetcar System

Baltimore had one of the best streetcar operations anywhere in the country until the bus company, National City Lines  purchased the Baltimore Transit Company, and deliberately converted line after line to bus operations, even though the general public transit riders objected.  In these photos, number one shows PCC cars in the Gardenville Yard in Northeast Baltimore, number two show the very last streetcar on the last day of service in Baltimore, PCC car 7407, and number three shows the same PCC car 7407 painted in the original colors at the Baltimore Streetcar Museum where it still operates for visitors at 78 years old and still going strong.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

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Great shots! First time I've ever seen or heard of a streetcar with reserved seats. Do you know how one made a reservation?

B&OBill

Thanks for helping to photographically preserve the past. All those PCC cars in photo one look clean and like they were in top shape. How sad to know they weren't allowed to finish their lives in the service for which Baltimore intended them.
Bob

bandob Wrote:
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> Great shots! First time I've ever seen or heard of
> a streetcar with reserved seats. Do you know how
> one made a reservation?
>
> B&OBill
Yes, that particular PCC Streetcar, #7407 was already destined to be in the collection of the Baltimore Streetcar Museum, although there was no museum back when the last cars were running in November 1963.  But a fellow named John Engleman and a bunch of other streetcar buffs got together to pay the scrap price for this particular car of which John was attached to for many years.  So on the very last weekend of regular service, John and his group and other close friends were invited to ride on 7407 on both the numbers 8 and 15 lines, which were the very last streetcar lines in Baltimore.  Someone of John's friends made that special roll sign saying "Reserved Seats Only" and that is how the car operated.  As you may also notice, John was instrumental in having that car repainted a few months prior to the end of service, that is why it looks so shiny and bright.  All money that was raised for that last trip over the last two lines went towards the saving of the car and the transportation out to Lake Roland in Baltimore County where a museum was being organized in 1964, while the rest of the PCC cars were being hauled to the scrap yards, although the bodies of the cars, without the trucks and wheels, were being sold to anyone for a very reasonable price.  Some of them were purchased and used as storage sheds and even vacation cabins up in the mountains.
Thank you B&O Bill for your interest.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

Thanks for the pix at Gardenville. Not far from mmy home in Balto.

Very NICE look at the Baltimore PCC's and narrative.

Larry