Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality
Jack, have we seen this photograph of a center entry street car before? I seem to remember that 211 sign.
Jesus E. Selgado http://www.skyscrapercity.com/
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ER, I really can’t say if this picture appears elsewhere on the site, but I may have just missed it.
The car itself is a Los Angeles Railway Type C, “Sowbelly”, so named for it’s low under-slung center profile. It was one of 259-center entrance cars built to accommodate the Hobble-skirt craze, which began in America shortly after the turn of the century. The first “Sowbelly” was completed in November of 1912 and entered service on January 19th, 1913. Seventy-six of the type were built new, and the remainder from older cars.
While the type survived until 1945, no more were built as the hobble-skirt craze faded, and jitney buses began to eat heavily into LARY patronage and profits. In addition, it required both a motorman to run it and a conductor to collect fares.
Only one example of the type survives, No. 936, awaiting restoration at the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris, CA.
Cheers,
Jack