Duluth Street Railway No. 78
Streetcar No. 78 was acquired by the Museum
in 1972 and restored to service in 1991.
Here it crosses Morse Avenue on its way from Water Street
to Old Excelsior Road.
Description
Duluth Street Railway No. 78 was one of twenty streetcars
delivered by the LaClede Car Company of St. Louis, Missouri
in October of 1893. It served Duluth until it was retired
and its carbody was given to Mrs. Florence Lee of Duluth
on September 11, 1911
Between 1899 and 1905 it was rebuilt from double-ended operation to single-ended. Also, between 1899-1901 or 1904-1907 the rheostat controller was replaced with a K-2 series-parallel controller.
Museum members located the body near Duluth. In December 1971 it was acquired and moved to a University of Minnesota research facility. In September 1973 it was again moved, this time to the Northern Pacific's Como Shops (today's Bandana Square) where the Museum was then doing restoration work. Another move occurred in November 1984, when it was moved to the Como-Harriet Streetcar Line's Linden Hills Carbarn and Shops for restoration. Because of its deteriorated condition and the amount of new material required, No. 78 could almost be termed a replication instead of a restoration. The body, including the bulkheads, is essentially original material. Both platforms and vestibules are new material. The power truck came from Belgium via the East Troy Electric Railroad Museum. When finished in May 1991, it was the Museum's third operable streetcar and the oldest operating streetcar in the nation.
In the spring of 1999 No. 78 was moved to the new Excelsior Streetcar Line in time for its grand opening.
Photos
When No. 78 was discovered it
was a shed in Duluth, Minnesota
No. 78 before restoration was started.
Materials
The streetcar's frame is made of wood. The body is made
out of wood, with canvas over the roof.
As-Built Technical Data
| Type | Enclosed Passenger |
| Number of trucks | 1 |
| Truck type | McGuire |
| Wheel base | 7' 6" |
| Number of traction motors | 2 |
| Traction motor type | Westinghouse #3 |
| Controller type | Rheostat |
| Weight | 18,000 lbs. |
| Width | 8' 4" |
| Length | 32' 9" |
Information from The Electric Railways of Minnesota, by Russell L. Olson. Published by the Minnesota Transportation Museum.
