1. Install Masonite headliner interior vestibules.  1950s and early 1960s.
2. Remove wood slat runners on floor's center aisle & vestibule.  Install rib rubber flooring.  Late 1950s-early 1960s.
3. Remove canvas roof, vents, wood runners, roof ladders, wood saddles & trolley bases.  Install aluminum roofs, new vents under roof drip rails, steel trolley base saddle, trolley coach trolley bases & rubber runners on roof.  Early 1960s.
4. Remove all inside vents & center headliner.  Install new center headliner & extra steel “baning”.  Early 1960s.
5. Remove mahogany gothics (dash - upper sash).  Install steel gothics & rubber channeled glass.  Early 1960s.
6. Remove wood steps, cast iron step tread.  Make & install step pans with aluminum non-skid tread.  Install aluminum skip tread inside on platform.  Early 1960s.
7. Remove wood belt line caps (elbow rail) & install steel belt line caps.  1960s.
8. Remove oak vestibule corner posts.  Install aluminum shaped replacements.  1960s through 1970s.
9. Rubber bumper added to steel bumper.  Early 1960s.
10. Remove mahogany side sash and dash, lower dash & runners.  Install aluminum replacements, aluminum runners.  Install aluminum “vestibule sash” (lower sash on dash).  1960s & early 1970s.
11. Install 16 gauge steel knee cover pans.  Late 1960s.
12. Remove wooden doors.  Install aluminum doors (BLT Carrollton Shop — most repl. items BLT there).  1960s.
13. Remove journal boxes.  Axles modified to receive Timken roller bearings.  Early 1960s.
14. Install alternator for 12 v. system for fare boxes.  Late 1960s.
15. Remove conductors' staunchions both ends.  Install fixed operators' seats each end.  Modify exit doors to push type exit doors.  Modification to one-man operation.  Began 1971 with no. 926.

1. PCC type window sashes on early renovations were actually GM bus sashes in stock for 1700, 1800, 1900 buses (GMC model TDH-5105).  They were in stock, so were put on a few cars to update their appearance.
2. Swivel type trolley poles came from TCs, but had to be cut 5 ft. to make the angle correct for pole to contact wire and stay on.
3. Push doors in rear used mechanism from diesel buses.
4. Rear exit doors are smaller than originals.  They did not just take the doors off and rearrange them, they built new ones to look similar to ones in front.
5. When NOPSI bought the 1000 series (1928), they were preparing some of the 900s for one-man operation also.  Special wiring was installed in 945-972, but never used, and finally removed in the '80s.  This wiring was installed by Emile Fresard, who was general foreman of Carrollton Shops from 1956-1972, grand total of service 47 yrs.
6. Headlights were 56 watts 130 volt railway bulb, 22 lights, 20 constant, 4 circuits of 5.  Headlight and vestibule light were on depending only on end where motorman was.  Sealed beams installed later were on resistors to run on 600v.
7. Farebox was run from 600v to 12v inverters.

FINAL RB “BUILT TO LAST FOREVER.”  NEW ORLEANS REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY 1990-92.

In late 1980s there was a serious effort to “outsource” the building of 35 “replica” streetcars.  Parts of the original 35 900s would be cannibalized, and the original Thomas car bodies scrapped.  Preservationists insisted the original bodies were sound enough for RB, so the much maligned “replica” scheme was dumped.

Each of the 35 St. Charles Line cars was disassembled.  Their bodies were repaired as necessary.  The RB was equal to building 35 new cars.  All work done at Carrollton Station, a true carbuilding factory.  The final RB look like the 2nd RB in appearance, but in structural consideration, these cars all are as if newly built.

SERVICE RECORD
Following symbols for this section only:
*	Ran last day Canal Line		OG	Otto A. Goessl
{O}	Operating today on St. Charles		DT	Fr. D. R. Toye, S. J.
{M}	Sold to museum		R	Regional Transit Authority
{R}	Same, returned to N. O. by “Bring Our Streetcars Home”		WG	Wilbur T. Golson
900	{O}		913	{M} Last used 29 May 1964.  SLD Orange Empire Museum, Perris, Calif.  RG and operating.  SLD '05 to Muni S. F., arrived 8/29.
901	SCR May 1952 DT.  Head-on collision w/917 in dense fog on West End Line 11/15/49.  Retired immediately.  Cut down to use as trailer dismantling West End Line.  P, pp. w, z.		914	{O}
902	Retired 1961; SCR 6 Feb. 63 WG		915	{O}
903	{O}		916	SCR ca. 1958, operating in 1957.
904	{O}		917	SCR early 1951 (see 901).  Platforms removed, sides cut down to elbow rail as with 901.  Used in hauling debris from dismantling West End Line.  First 900 to be scrapped.  P, p. w.
905	{O}		918	{M} Last used 29 May 1964.  SLD Greater High Point Civil Center & Museum Assn., High Point, NC.  Currently stored inside at Spencer, NC railroad museum in former Southwestern Railway locomotive repair facility.  Thomas Built Buses plans to restore and exhibit the car by 2010.
906	{O}		919	* {M} SLD Southwestern RR Historical Assn., Dallas, Texas. {R} Returned 9/19/85 for use on Riverfront Line, RTA.  See Riverfront Line section, p. aa.
907	{O}		920	{O} One of two cars with inside vent covers — see 932.
908	SCR May 1964 OG		921	{O}
909	* SCR 7 June 64.  Poss. unrecorded sale to museum.		922	{O} Perhaps deserves title “Desire car” more than any other car.  It actually starred in the movie, shown picking up “Blanche” at foot of Canal St., starting the events of “A Streetcar Named Desire”.
910	{O}		923	{O} Last car to have ribs under the umbrella hood.
911	{O}		924	{M} Last used 29 May 1964.  SLD National Railway Historical Society.  Put in “Underground Atlanta”. {R} Returned Jan. 1986.  Used on Riverfront Line; see section for cars on that line (p. aa).
912	SCR June 64 OG

Copyright © 2008, 2010 Louis C. Hennick.  All rights reserved.

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