Not In Service

Not In Service, originally uploaded by William 74.

Once a common sight in American cities, the PCC streetcar is a design icon. Originally developed to help electric railways fend off competition from buses, the Presidents' Conference Committee was tasked with developing a new, more efficient streetcar design. This the PCC design did, bringing new levels of refinement to streetcar travel, as well as being far easier and less expensive to run compared to older designs.

The first PCC cars started service in the 1930's, with production continuing until the early 1950's. The design was also exported outside of the United States, with the first European cars appearing in Spain in the late 40's. Refinements of this design operate today in many European cities.

Stateside, PCCs saw use in many major cities, and in some cases they were running well into the 1980's. In recent years, some cities with streetcar systems still in use have begun to restore PCCs for revenue service in historic areas, serving as both a transportation system and a tourist attraction. Notable systems are those in Kenosha and San Francisco.

This particular car is a former San Francisco Municipal System car, and was one of the final batch of cars built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1952.