Pittsburgh Railways Company
Car #4398

Current Photo, 2004 (Photo © PTM)	In Service, 3/24/1940 (Photo © PTM)

For over 40 years the trademark of the Pittsburgh Railways system was the "yellow car."  In the years from 1910 until 1926 over 1000 cars of this type were built for service in Pittsburgh.  Of those cars only two survive today here at the museum.

These cars are technically known as the P.N. Jones low floor car, after the Pittsburgh Railways General Manager who urged his former colleagues at Westinghouse Electric Company to develop smaller motors that would fit under a car having 25" wheels.  This significant development permitted Jones (and all that followed) to engineer a car with fewer steps for passenger boarding and alighting.  This in turn decreased running times and reduced accidents.  Because of Jones' pioneering effort thousands of low-floor cars were ultimately built for systems throughout North America.  Pittsburgh Railways had 1056 yellow cars, built to the same basic design by a variety of builders.  Of these, 618 were single-ended and 213 were double-ended.

Pittsburgh Railways 4398 is an example of the double-ended low floor car.  Cars of this type need no loop track on which to turn around at the end of the line.  In reversing a double-ended car, the operator places the trolley pole on the wire at what has been the front, picks up his control handles, changer, fare box, cash box, cap, lunch, transfers, etc. and carries it all to the other end of the car.  There he replaces all the moveable parts on their mounts, pulls down the trolley pole at that end, and is ready to return.

Originally, most streetcars were double-ended.  In later years, operational efficiency relegated most double-ended cars to short shuttle or "dinky" lines, which connected with through routes to downtown.  Today, many of the new light rail operations, including the one in Pittsburgh, have rediscovered the flexibility of double-ended equipment.

Car 4398 was one of the last such double-ended cars used in revenue service, having operated on the 99 Glassport-Evans Avenue line until 1952.  It was one of a handful of cars held for emergency service until 1956.  Of the 213 double-ended low-floor cars owned by Pittsburgh Railways Company, 4398 is the only survivor.

In 1977, 4398 was taken out of service at the museum and a restoration was begun.  Unfortunately, the scope of the work required was beyond what was initially thought to be needed, and the project was allowed to become dormant.  In 2004, the restoration of 4398 was again begun, with an estimated completion in 2006.

To see and read about the restoration of car 4398, click here.

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Last updated October 17, 2005
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