On the first day of the restored Canal Line, April 18, 2004,
Canal-Cemeteries car 2017 is at the foot of Canal Street, passing the
“pocket track”, heading out Canal toward the Cemeteries terminal.
— Earl Hampton photo| DTAR | 2001-2024 | 47' 6¼" OA 8' 5¾" W |
Brookville Trucks | Regional Transit Auth. | 2003-04 Prototype BLT 1997 | 24 cars |
A roofless pseudo-monitor conceals air conditioner tower and trolley bases.
RTA's Elmer Von Dullen, Supt. Vehicle Assy., supervised building these magnificent streetcars. The 24 are really a new category of streetcar not seen before. The “PT2000” is a synthesis of light rail technology and Perley A. Thomas streetcar design, mirroring his 900 class built 1924 for New Orleans.
Much technological data and car performance published in Technology Forums II “Return of the Streetcar” p. 2 & many P.
The trucks follow principles upon which the PCC type follows. Larry Conrad's Brookville Equipment Corp., Brookville, Pa. (estab. 1918 to build small locos & mining eqpt.) produced the trucks. The company recently restored many PCC trucks for S. E. Penn. Trans. Auth., Philadelphia. The N. O. trucks are quieter than earlier PCC types and appear to the eye to be heavier & more substantial. Resilient wheels. Originally AC inverters to allow AC motors considered, but instead opted to use 4 - 60 hp. GE DC traction motors per car, reducing costs considerably. Regenerative and antilock braking, manual sanding. DC controls are Saminco Electric Traction - 300 v. DC differentials. Interior lighting 600 v. DC to 120 v. AC. Top speed 35 mph on Canal, 45 mph on Riverfront. Acceleration 3.4 mph/sec, which was chosen to match the 900 cars. Capability to operate in 8" standing water at reduced speed. 96% American contents. 100 improvements on Perley Thomas 1924 cars.
Body uses Corten® plate, stainless steel, forged aluminum, marine aluminum sheet, marine plywood. Seats: Mahogany, side panels still 1/8" steel plate (Corten® instead of carbon steel). Aluminum forgings instead of wooden front window posts. These windows do not open & have windshield washers. Passenger windows open 3".
Air conditioning: “10 ton” dual compressor. Door mechanisms same as used on Salt Lake City light rail cars.
ADA accessibility via middle door lift each side, designed by Von Dullen. Each car seats 40 and accommodates 70-75 standees comfortably.
20 “PT2000” streetcars do the work of 29 buses — each carry 21% more and are 20% faster. Oper. and maint. costs $56.53/hr. vs. bus $72.59/hr.
2001 was the prototype, BLT 1997 with Czech controls, ran on Canal with Tatra car — Baronne to foot of Canal, connecting with the St. Charles and Riverfront Lines. Riverfront RG to 5'2½" in 1997. 2001 only one of the 24 w/o Saminco controls (poss. now changed to Saminco). Gave free rides at first betw. Baronne & River, later 25 cent fare.
Not in 50 years has a transit corp. or auth. built a fleet of 24 or more cars, new streetcars, OS.
First car to run entire length new Canal Line - 2017 on 10/17/03 (after 39 years!), Mr. Von Dullen operating, slow for testing, almost a walking trip.
2004 first official “revenue” trip on new Canal Line, leaving Randolph SIS at Canal & Gayoso for Cemeteries at 3:20 a.m. 18 Apr. 04, one week before Jazz Fest. Original plan to open the line in 2001 in fall met many delays mainly due to track & road work, extensive landscaping problems.
2013 followed 2004 on first run.
Official opening ceremony 31 May 04 — 40th anniversary of first Canal Line bus substitution — used three cars, 2004, 2019, 2024.
| “PT2000” signs: | Center roller sign, Route: | CANAL, CITY PARK, DESIRE, RIVERFRONT, CARROLLTON, (RTA logo) |
| Right roller sign, Destination: | CHARTER, OUT OF SERVICE, WHITE ST, CEMETERIES, ESPLANADE, CITY PK/MUSEUM, GAYOSO ST, FRENCH MARKET, RIVERFRONT, (RTA logo) | |
| Above lists verified by EWH Jan. 2009. It is possible that prototype car 2001 originally had different sign indications. | ||
| RTA is still (as of 2009) rather casual in the use of these signs. For example, a car assigned to the N. Carrollton branch line to City Park may carry a route sign Canal, Carrollton, or City Park, with no apparent consistency. | ||
| About the first of May 2013, with the new Loyola/UPT line in operation, and additional lines being planned, new roller signs were installed: | ||
| Center roller sign, Route: | CANAL, DESIRE, RIVERFRONT, RTA, RAMPART/ST CLAUDE, ST CHARLES, LOYOLA/UPT, CONVENTION CENTER, LOYOLA/ELYSIAN FIELDS | |
| Right roller sign, Destination: | CITY PARK/MUSEUM, FRENCH MARKET, RIVERFRONT, RTA, HARRAH'S, CONVENTION CENTER, ELYSIAN FIELDS, POLAND AVE., PRESS ST | |
On the first day of the restored Canal Line, April 18, 2004,
Canal-Cemeteries car 2017 is at the foot of Canal Street, passing the
“pocket track”, heading out Canal toward the Cemeteries terminal.
— Earl Hampton photo
The Cemeteries terminal, a single stub-end track, showing car 2004 waiting its
turn to reverse, as 2003 starts its run toward the River, April 18, 2004.
Car 2003 is taking the track in the left-hand automobile lane for the short trip
over the narrow part of Canal Street to the wider street at Anthony Street, where
it will enter the neutral ground. — Earl Hampton photo
This is the first day ever for streetcar service on Carrollton Ave. from
Canal Street to Beauregard Circle. Car 2022, signed for Canal - City
Pk/Museum, is turning from Canal into the left traffic lane on Carrollton;
the track was built in the traffic lane because the neutral ground was not wide
enough for double track. Passenger loading is from the left side of the
car, with the loading platforms in the neutral ground. — Earl Hampton photo
The two-track terminal of the Carrollton branch line at Beauregard Circle.
Car 2008 is preparing to depart toward Canal Street; 2023 has just arrived.
Both are displaying the destination sign City Pk/Museum, but while 2023 has the
Canal route sign on display, 2008 is showing City Park as its route.
No one seems to care. — Earl Hampton photo
The flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina drowned the Canal SIS site where the PT2000 cars were stored, ruining their electronic motors and controls. RTA brought some of the Perley Thomas 900 cars down from Carrollton Station to operate the Canal and Riverfront lines. See the discussion of the rebuilding of the PT2000 cars and the 457-463 Riverfront cars on page aa. The 2000s were rebuilt first, starting in early 2008 with cars 2004 and 2008; as of mid-January 2009, cars 2004 and 2008 through 2015 were back in service, and the last few cars (2003, 2005, and 2006) were completed in the summer of 2009. Work then commenced on the 457-463 cars, extending into 2010.
By early January 2009, enough of the PT2000 cars had been returned to service
to partially operate the Canal and Riverfront Lines. Due to the need for
left-side doors (which the 900 cars cannot provide) on the Carrollton Avenue
branch to City Park, that route was filled first by PT2000s. Here, Perley
Thomas car 962 is on the Canal-Cemeteries run (though without a meaningful route
sign), passing replica car 2008 signed for the City Park branch. — George Friedman photo
The 2000s were also used on the Riverfront line in 2009, before the 457-463
group of cars had been refurbished. Here is 2012 in Riverfront service
at the Dumaine Street stop. — George Friedman photo
| DT Open 1794 | Ex Chattanooga Choo Choo, ex Warehouse Pt., ex Rio de Janiero (Brill Narragansett type) - never operated - SLD Main Street Trolley, Memphis with the Australian cars - is operating, but RB. |
| PCC Cars | RTA bought nine SEPTA PCC cars, dismantled for parts
(electrical equipment, controls). The cars arrived
4 Jan. 95. Cars' gauge was 5'2¼", just
¼" less than RTA. Car 2147 did make one
round trip Carrollton Station - Lee Circle, and tiny
difference in gauge caused two minor derailments.
No other trips made! One and only trip, 5 Jan. 95.
See S p. 181 re. PCCs in N.O.! All ex-SEPTA PCCs were St. Louis Car Co. products, BLT as ff: 1947: Nos. 2737, 2749, 2751, 2779, 2788, and 2791. 1948: Nos. 2147, 2166, 2183. 2147 & 2183 re-SLD by NORTA in March 1997; disp. of 2749 unkn; rest, bodies SCR, March 1997. |
| Tatra Car | One Czech car exhibited on Canal St. - used connect St. Charles & Riverfront Lines 1997. Studied for use in designing the “PT2000s” or possibly ordered for new Canal Line. The car has new computerized controls that caused problems passing circuit breakers. Car arrived with 2 prs. trucks, one 4'8½" gauge, the other 5'2½". Attempt to sell car to San Francisco fell through. Car returned to Czech Republic. |
| 29 | The 1897 Ford Bacon & Davis car - ex Canal & Claiborne RR Co. - has been lovingly RB, not as passenger service car (unfortunately - but RB as revenue car not difficult) but as work car. Ed Branley and Earl W. Hampton, Jr. observed 29 on 30 Nov. 04 in advanced state of RB. Car is now in regular work car service. |
On January 5, 1995, SEPTA PCC car 2147 made a single non-revenue experimental trip
down the St. Charles car line from Carrollton Station to Lee Circle and return.
This blurry copy of a snapshot is the only known photo of that trip.
It was the only time a PCC car ever operated in New Orleans.
— Louis Hennick Collection of The Historic New Orleans Collection
In August 1995, one of the 1948 Philadelphia PCC cars, 2166, in SEPTA livery,
sits in the Willow Street doorway to Carrollton Station between two older cousins,
FB&D car 29, and one of the Perley Thomas 900s. — George Friedman photo
A 1947 Philadephia PCC, 2791, is seen from Jeanette Street inside Carrollton
Station, August 1995. — George Friedman photo
The Tatra car in December 1997, at the Esplanade Ave. end of the Riverfront
Line, awaiting its return trip to Canal & Baronne. The lettering on the side
of the car reads, “Manufacturer: CKD DOPRAVNI SYSTEMI, a.s. / CZECH REPUBLIC /
DEMONSTRATION VEHICLE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY”.
— Earl Hampton photo
The Tatra car and prototype car 2001, dressed for Christmas, side by side at
the pocket track at the foot of Canal Street in demonstration Canal Line service,
December 1997. Car 2001 had a painted CANAL route sign, not a roll sign.
The Tatra car sported a small paper route sign with the printed words
“CANAL / ESPLANADE” on this end; the other end had a similar sign reading
“ESPLANADE / CANAL”. — Earl Hampton photo
Car 29 in “zebra stripes” livery in 1971 on Jeanette Street at Carrollton
Station. The yellow VW behind the car belonged to author Louis Hennick.
— Earl Hampton photo
The pipe hanging out of the side of car 29 was the working end of a vacuum
cleaner (failed experiment) that was supposed to suck leaves into a cage inside
the car...didn't work. — Earl Hampton photo
Car 29 is seen here in early 1983 along St. Charles Avenue assisting with
cleanup after a Mardi Gras parade. The car sides and doors are now green,
with dash striping and white or cream front window posts. Rear view
mirrors have been added for one-man operation. — Earl Hampton photo
After a controller fire badly damaged car 29, Carrollton Station Shops,
under the direction of Elmer Von Dullen, dismantled and completely rebuilt
the venerable car. Here we see the work in progress, June 3, 2003.
— Earl Hampton photo
Work car 29 in rail-sanding duty, March 19, 2005, on Carrollton Ave. at
Claiborne, awaiting its turn to reverse ends and return down the St. Charles
Line. This shows the results of its 2003-04 rebuilding and repainting.
Note the dash striping and the color of the doors. Compare to the car's
1983 dress, above. — George Friedman photo
Copyright © 2009, 2010 Louis C. Hennick. Photos by George Friedman copyright © 2010 H. George Friedman, Jr. Photos by Earl Hampton copyright © 2010 Earl W. Hampton, Jr. Picture captions copyright © 2010 H. George Friedman, Jr. All rights reserved.
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