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Last move
Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2020 9:07 am
by awalker1829
Saturday was a busy day as the museum moved our last streetcar from our old yard at North 4th Avenue and 8th Street in Tucson to the new shop at South 4th Avenue and 36th Street. A tractor trailer from Frontier Towing did the honors. Frontier is a great friend to the museum-occasionally they will donate a tow move and when they can't donate the move, they charge us an absolute minimum. All of our staff were wearing masks and maintaining social distancing when possible.
The tractor with the streetcar loaded on N 4th Ave.
En route to the new shop. We had two trucks tailing the load-mostly doing a traffic check to prevent idiots from getting where we didn't want them to get. As you can see, there were numerous overhead obstacles to be avoided and the guy driving the tractor was a new guy I've never seen before.
Streetcar on the unloading ramp. I had to back the bus out so that the equipment needed to get the streetcar inside the building could get access. Naturally, that part of the job took the longest. After the wrecker left, the number of volunteers quickly dwindled to four. Three old heads and a new guy, who had to leave when family duty called. It took us all afternoon to get the car in the building (it derailed twice in the process) but we did it. First derailment was due to the curved piece of track being half an inch wide. After rerailing the car, we regauged the track which took about an hour. The reason that the track was out of gauge was that the track gauge that was used to space the rails was itself out of gauge. It was within railroad industry tolerances, but freight railroad wheels have a different profile and wider tread than street railway wheels.
Re: Last move
Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2020 12:57 pm
by ffuries
Awesome, I always look forward to your updates. Love seeing everything yall have accomplished.
Re: Last move
Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2020 2:58 pm
by Junk Yard Dog
Re: Last move
Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2020 2:59 pm
by awalker1829
Thanks for the compliment. The new truck driver is now broken in. I suppose that the guys at Frontier don't consider a driver to be "experienced" until they've hauled a streetcar. That would certainly fit the description of a "unique" job. BTW, those overhead street signs were lower than the overhead clearance, so he did have to weave around them to get through.
I'll be glad when the COVID is past and we can get back out to the auto shows. I don't mind taking the bus to shows and sitting all day. The appreciation that folks have is the only reward we get for the long hours of work. We've done everything on that bus and the trolley the right way, not the easy way. 135 is the product of two perfectionists working on a project. We pay attentions to the details that no one else would notice because we'd know that we cut a corner. Like I said, once we get the seats in, you'll think it's 1960.
The destination sign in the bus is an original Old Pueblo Transit Company roll sign. RODEO only means one thing in Tucson-RODEO week. The Pima County Rodeo is an annual event that takes place every winter. It's a BIG DEAL. The Rodeo Parade is the largest non-motorized parade in the United States and the schools are on vacation during the Rodeo. 135 would have done shuttle service for the Rodeo in its day.
Re: Last move
Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2020 5:36 pm
by ffuries
awalker1829 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 20, 2020 9:07 am
Saturday was a busy day as the museum moved our last streetcar from our old yard at North 4th Avenue and 8th Street in Tucson to the new shop at South 4th Avenue and 36th Street. A tractor trailer from Frontier Towing did the honors. Frontier is a great friend to the museum-occasionally they will donate a tow move and when they can't donate the move, they charge us an absolute minimum. All of our staff were wearing masks and maintaining social distancing when possible.
The tractor with the streetcar loaded on N 4th Ave.
En route to the new shop. We had two trucks tailing the load-mostly doing a traffic check to prevent idiots from getting where we didn't want them to get. As you can see, there were numerous overhead obstacles to be avoided and the guy driving the tractor was a new guy I've never seen before.
Streetcar on the unloading ramp. I had to back the bus out so that the equipment needed to get the streetcar inside the building could get access. Naturally, that part of the job took the longest. After the wrecker left, the number of volunteers quickly dwindled to four. Three old heads and a new guy, who had to leave when family duty called. It took us all afternoon to get the car in the building (it derailed twice in the process) but we did it. First derailment was due to the curved piece of track being half an inch wide. After rerailing the car, we regauged the track which took about an hour. The reason that the track was out of gauge was that the track gauge that was used to space the rails was itself out of gauge. It was within railroad industry tolerances, but freight railroad wheels have a different profile and wider tread than street railway wheels.
We have a close friend that is now living in Arizona. I've got to talk the wife into visiting her, so I can come see yalls work firsthand. Love vintage transportation, it'll be like gunshow for me.......
Re: Last move
Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2020 5:44 pm
by etprescottazusa91
Prescott must have been an awesome little city up in the mountains back then when they had street cars like that running. 
Re: Last move
Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2020 9:04 pm
by awalker1829
etprescottazusa91 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 20, 2020 5:44 pm
Prescott must have been an awesome little city up in the mountains back then when they had street cars like that running.
I bet it was. The thing for us modern Arizonans to remember is that back in the mining heyday, places like Prescott and Bisbee were the biggest towns in the territory. Remember that Prescott was the first territorial capital of Arizona.
