Pennsylvania Trolley Museum - SEPTA Red Arrow 24

SEPTA Red Arrow Division 24


Trolley Display Building, 2005 (John Smatlak photo)	Last regular trip on the West Chester Line at Broomall, 1954 (David H. Cope photo)

Car Number	24	Car Builder	St. Louis Car Company
Year Built	1949	Year Acquired	1983
Type	DE streamlined suburban car	Seats	58
Length	50' 5"	Width	9'0"
Height	10'0"	Weight	49,000 lbs (22 tons)
Motors	WH 1433B	Status	Stored outdoors under tarp

When the Red Arrow Lines (Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company) needed additional modern equipment to handle the burgeoning postwar population growth in Philadelphia's western suburbs, only one streetcar builder remained in the United States - the St. Louis Car Company.

The fourteen cars they supplied were quite advanced for the day, featuring streamlines bodies like the PCC cars had, and riding on wheelsets designed for high-speed operation. Little wonder, then, that car 24 (and sister 14, beautifully restored to its 1949 appearance and in service at the Museum) remained in regular operation until new cars were purchased in 1982.

Car 24 is the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum's newest streetcar (only our 1960 subway car is more recent). Someday, 24's replacement may sit next to it in a museum display!

Click on the thumbnails below for larger photos (will open in new window):


Approaching 69th Street Terminal. (Miller Library, PTM)	Last Fan Trip of the West Chester Line, 1954. (Miller Library, PTM)	Westbound at Kirk's to West Chester, about 1950. (David H. Cope photo)	Operator's position, 2005 (Timothy P. Jones photo)

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