Twin City Rapid Transit No. 1239
Description
Streetcar No. 1239 was built at the 31st Street Shops at
Nicollet Avenue and 31st Street in Minneapolis in March
of 1907. It was one of 25 H-6 class streetcars built between
February and April and was one of the final streetcars built
at 31st Street as the Twin City Lines' streetcar manufacturing
moved to the new Snelling Shops at Snelling and University
Avenues in St. Paul. The old 31st Street Shops were demolished
and replaced by the new Nicollet Station, strictly a carbarn
with facilities for routine maintenance and repair. Today,
the site is occupied by Metro Transit's Nicollet Garage.
In 1935, No. 1239 was rebuilt with front and rear double-stream
folding doors to permit operation by one or two men, identical
to the current configuration of TCRT streetcar No. 1300.
It was retired in August 1953 and the body was sold to
the Transportation Sales Company for disposition. The
body was acquired by the Museum in December 1987 and moved
to Jackson Street Roundhouse a year later, where limited
restoration work was done. On November 24 and 25, 1998,
it was moved to the newly-built Excelsior Carbarn on the
Museum's Excelsior Streetcar Line in west-suburban Excelsior,
where it would be restored for operation. No. 1239, in
its as-built 1907 appearance and configuration, was dedicated
and began operations on the Excelsior Streetcar Line on
September 11, 2004. It is temporarily out of service because
of a cracked wheel flange.
Photos
Materials
The streetcar's frame is made of steel. The body is made
out of wood, with canvas over the roof.
As-Built Technical Data
| Type |
H-6 |
| Number of trucks |
2 |
| Truck type |
Baldwin #5 |
| Wheel diameter |
33" |
| Wheel type |
Cast |
| Number of traction motors |
4 |
| Traction motor type |
G.E. 70 |
| Gear ratio |
15:71 |
| Controller type |
K-28-B |
| Weight |
49,000 lbs. |
| Width |
9' 2.5" |
| Length |
46' 7.125" |
| Underframe |
Steel |
| Trolley base |
G.E. R.B. |
| Trolley wheel diameter |
4" |
1935 Rebuild Changes
| Truck type |
Twin City #5* |
| Traction motor type |
G.E. 200* |
| Controller type |
K-35-JJ |
| Weight |
44,651 lbs. |
*Recent research indicates the truck type may have
been Twin City #9. The traction motors were G.E. 200 as
of January 1937, and G.E. 213 as of May 1948.
Information from The Electric Railways of
Minnesota, by Russell L. Olson. Published by the Minnesota
Transportation Museum.
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