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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
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Location: NEW JOISEY
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 Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2025 4:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Cyberider wrote: | | Interesting that they saw the need for open cars at that late date. Meanwhile, on the other coast, PE had a few open cars early on but what really stood out on both the PE and LARy were the "California" cars with open ends and an enclosed interior area. PE also had many cars with one open end and an enclosed end where, in later years, the open end was enclosed. |
Cyberider:
Agreed; it is indeed odd that PS saw the need for a "new generation" of open cars at such a late date.
Speaking of "California" cars, there are several interesting photos of what were termed "Huntington Standards" in the book "LOS ANGELES RAILWAY YELLOW CARS" (Jim Walker)
Oldest photos of such cars (in the aformentioed book) dated back to the 1890s; it is clear that this design proved QUITE popular with the cable companies of San Francisco! 
"NYO"
["LARY"] |
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Cyberider
Joined: 27 Apr 2007
Posts: 1216
Location: Tempe, AZ
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| Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2025 5:35 pm Post subject: |
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| The LARy Huntington Standards had open end sections until their retirement as did their "Sowbelly" center entrance cars. I guess the California Coastal climate justified the open air section though they had pull down blinds for inclement weather when the enclosed center sections were full. |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 30296
Location: NEW JOISEY
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| Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2025 6:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Cyberider wrote: | | The LARy Huntington Standards had open end sections until their retirement as did their "Sowbelly" center entrance cars. I guess the California Coastal climate justified the open air section though they had pull down blinds for inclement weather when the enclosed center sections were full. |
Cyberider:
You mentioned center-entrance cars; the only such cars rostered by PS were the trailers (built by OSGOOD-BRADLEY) which were only used on the busiest Newark lines during rush hours.
All were retired in 1935; many were used for years as waiting shelters; only one survives today, restored, at the Shore Line Trolley Museum.
It had been used as a waiting shelter at PS's Exchange Place bus station (Jersey City) for many years, until the early 1960s; I still remember it!
These were the only trailers ever operated by PS..........
"NYO"
["15 KINNEY"] |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 30296
Location: NEW JOISEY
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| Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2025 6:13 pm Post subject: |
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Here is a rare photo of one of PS's 4500-series trailers in later years, in use as a waiting shelter........
https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?118342
(courtesy: nycsubway.org)
["4500"] |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 30296
Location: NEW JOISEY
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| Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2025 6:20 pm Post subject: |
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This early 1960s photo shows PS's old Exchange Place Terminal (Jersey City); streetcars also used this terminal until the early 1940s.
Look on the left for a glimpse of the old trailer car body, used as a waiting shelter (I remember it well, as a lad!)
The "16" bus (like the "17") ran right up the block from our old apartment house in Union City, when I was growing up! 
https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?157233
(courtesy: nycsubway.org)
["16"] |
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Cyberider
Joined: 27 Apr 2007
Posts: 1216
Location: Tempe, AZ
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| Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2025 6:45 pm Post subject: |
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The center entrance cars turned out to be a poor investment for more than one transit company. On LARy, they were built after the Huntington Standards and were retired before them. Not only did women's fashions change but the need for 2-man operation doomed them as well.
Those PSNJ Old Looks in the last photo certainly look handsome! |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 30296
Location: NEW JOISEY
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| Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2025 7:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Cyberider wrote: | The center entrance cars turned out to be a poor investment for more than one transit company. On LARy, they were built after the Huntington Standards and were retired before them. Not only did women's fashions change but the need for 2-man operation doomed them as well.
Those PSNJ Old Looks in the last photo certainly look handsome! |
Cyberider:
Boston was one city where the center-entrance cars were indeed QUITE popular, with both management and the riding public.
Designed especially for service in the trolley subways (hence the reversed poles) these huge crowd-swallowing cars moved more crowds in the subways than even the PCCs did, back in the day.
The first of these massive cars were trailers; then, by 1918, a steady flow of center-entrance motor cars began arriving on BERy property.
The very last were not retired until 1953......
"NYO"
["SUBWAY"] |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 30296
Location: NEW JOISEY
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| Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2025 8:34 pm Post subject: |
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To this day, many traction buffs still regard the hulking center-entrance cars as the most iconic streetcar ever to operate in Boston.
Here is an interesting article........
https://collections.trolleymuseum.org/items/99
["BRAVES FIELD"] |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 30296
Location: NEW JOISEY
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 30296
Location: NEW JOISEY
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 30296
Location: NEW JOISEY
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Cyberider
Joined: 27 Apr 2007
Posts: 1216
Location: Tempe, AZ
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| Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2025 9:14 am Post subject: |
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The Red Arrow was exceptional. I was amazed when I first learned of it and the equipment they were running in the 70's and 80's.
On the subject of center entrance cars, let's not forget the giant Key System center entrance cars that were dismantled to build the Bridge Units from. |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 30296
Location: NEW JOISEY
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| Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2025 10:25 am Post subject: |
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| Cyberider wrote: | The Red Arrow was exceptional. I was amazed when I first learned of it and the equipment they were running in the 70's and 80's.
On the subject of center entrance cars, let's not forget the giant Key System center entrance cars that were dismantled to build the Bridge Units from. |
Cyberider:
The "KEY" cars you are referring to were the massive "650" class; those cars were MONSTERS!
Recall, al;so, that the "Apartment House Fives" ("500 series), though not center entrance cars, were STILL crowd-swallowers (think of the massive rush-hour crowds, streaming from the ferries, that these big cars the engorged, at the Key Pier! )
"NYO"
['E"] |
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NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629
BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
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Posts: 30296
Location: NEW JOISEY
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Cyberider
Joined: 27 Apr 2007
Posts: 1216
Location: Tempe, AZ
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| Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2025 1:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Definitely like the Cleveland and Shaker Heights cars. Even have a few photos my Dad took of them in Cleveland. Shaker got their cars from Cleveland. |
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