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Lehigh Valley Transit Interurban Car
700-701-711 |
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Click on picture for larger image |
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| THE COMPANY | |
| To fulfill the need for a "universal
car," Lehigh Valley Transit Division superintendents and officials
of the Philadelphia & Western Railways conceived the design of cars
700-711, which were built by the Southern Car Company in 1916. It appeared advisable to design a car which could be used equally well either in local or interurban services. Therefore, a detailed study was made of all existing conditions, such as clearances grades schedules, etc. and future needs were estimated as far as possible with the results that plans and specifications were drawn for a universal car of a double end, all-steel center entrance type car. These cars operated local schedules on week days and as a third car in trains with two 800 series cars on weekends. They also operated in two car trains, but rarely in three car trains. |
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| THE CARS | |
| LVT cars operated over P&W tracks to
be equipped for third rail operations. For current collections over
the remainder of the line, they are equipped with Miller trolley
shoes and the usual trolley poles. The cars are mounted on Brill M.C.B.-2X trucks with 36 in. diameter wheels with a 3 1/2 in. thread and equipped with Westinghouse 547-A motors with ALM control and with Westinghouse straight and automatic air breaks schedule A.M.M. The miscellaneous equipment includes Tomlinson couplers, Rico anti-climbers, automatic ventilators and Horne double-acting hand brakes. The car body is all steel with arch roof and all steel tee post with pan floor construction. The interior of the car in one end is a large smoking compartment seating 13 with Hale & Kilburn Walkover seats. The cross seats in the rest of the car are the walkover type. In the center of the car are four longitudinal seats and there are three folding seats and one stationary seat at each end. In the opposite end of the car from the smoking section, and just behind the motorman's compartment, is located a toilet room. |
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| CAR CONVERSIONS | |
| LVT converted cars 700-701 & 711 from original central entrance structure to one man operation by removing the center entrance leaf doors, rods post, folding steps and side designation signs, enclosing center door spaces with steel sheet and a double window, creating a cabinet with door in the right side enclosure door well space for storage of the headlight. Enclosing side designation spaces with steel sheets, covering interior step spaces with floor boards, placing two plush-covered walkover seats at each center entrance location, replacing side seats with forward-facing walkover seats, removing smoker-coach partition, removing no. 1 end motor mans cab partitioned door and adding a curtain (plus rods) to eliminate interior glare for motor mans from lights during nighttime operation. they also moved switches near controls at no. 1 end. Adding a partition at no. 2 end's right side to create a vestibule, removing no. 2 ends cab door, transferring coal stove and bin from near center entrance to no. 2 ends platform, installing traps and doors and new type steps to both no. 1 end entrances with only the left front door operated by air valve, moving no. 1 end pilot from underneath platform to truck frame and moving the whistle from above no. 1 ends right front window to a position beneath the platform. The lavatory remained at its original position. | |
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