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| Tuscarora Almanac for April 19 and a Tuscarora Dispatch (1647836) | |||
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Tuscarora Almanac for April 19 and a Tuscarora Dispatch |
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Posted by irtredbirdr33 on Sun Apr 19 10:42:30 2026 Tuscarora Almanac for April 19 and a Tuscarora Dispatch 1953 – from The Book of Last Runs This is the last day for streetcar service in Birmingham, Alabama. Tuscarora Dispatch No. 29 3rd Avenue El Car Assignments 1955-1973 The 3rd Avenue El south of 149th Street was closed on May 12, 1955. Thereafter all train service ran between Gun Hill Road and 149th Street. Service was provided by IRT MUDC cars and BMT Q-Types. Standard Steinway motors car replaced the MUDC’s and Q-Types in December 1956. They ran in six cars trains. Eleven trains were needed to cover the rush hour service. The number of Steinway started to decline as the oldest cars were retired. Beginning in early 1961 a Lo-V trailer replaced a motor car. In 1962 train length was reduced to five cars. The peak requirement remained at eleven trains The fifty World’s Fair-Steinway motors were transferred to the el in February 1962. Two of these cars, 5660 and 5689 became work motor for the R-37 Vacuum Cleaner Trains leaving forty eight cars. There were now about ten standard Steinways (5628, 5631, 5633,5636,5638,5641,5647,5649, 5650,5651) on hand as well as seventeen Lo-V trailers (4902,4913,4934,4942,4946,4950, 5303,5312,5323,5330, 5335,5337,5340, 5353, 5354, 5356,5390). This gave a total of seventy fours cars. This number continued to decline as the oldest cars were withdrawn. Due to this fact in about April 1968 the five museum Lo-V Motors were placed in service. At first they ran as a solid train but later were intermixed with the other cars. The first train of R-12’s began operating on the El on August 30, 1969. The last of the old cars ran on November 3, 1969. There were fifty of these cars all with General Electric braking systems, nos. 5703-5802. They ran in four car trains and the rush hour requirement was for eight trains. Four R-14’s 5803-5806 were placed in service on April 29, 1971. . The last full day of service on the El was Saturday, April 28, 1973. The final run left 149th Street at 12:06 AM on Sunday, April 29, 1973 and arrived at Gun Hill Road at 12:23 AM. First and Last Runs At 12:01 AM the first train of Steinway motor cars was placed in service on the 3rd Avenue El in The Bronx. The consist was composed of 4757, 5642, 4700, 4716, 5638 and 4768. December 15, 1956 was a Saturday so it would seem that the entire fleet of about eleven trains was replaced in one day. This would not have been difficult as on a Saturday only about four train-sets were needed to cover the service. The last train of IRT “elevated” cars consisted of MUDC motor cars; 1795, 1793,1754,1778,1761 and 1780. Their retirement marked the end of wooden cars on the IRT. November 3, 1969 was the last day of operation of pre-WWII cars on the IRT #8 3rd Avenue El in The Bronx. The last train made one trip in the AM rush. Here is the consist. (N) Steinway Motor Car 5641 (ACF-1925) World’s Fair-Steinway Motor Car 5670 (St Louis-1938) Low-Voltage Trailer Car 5353 (Pullman-1922) Steinway Motor Car 5636 (ACF-1925) World’s Fair-Steinway Motor Car 5676 (St Louis-1938) April 28-29, 1973:. The consist of the last revenue train was (s) 5778-5760-5793-5802 (n). It was followed by an empty back-up train consisting of (s) 5782-5791-5768-5754 (n). The Electric Railroaders Association ran a “Farewell to the El” fan-trip on Sunday, April 29. The consist was Lo-V Motors 5290, 5292, 5443, 5466, 5483 and Lo-VT 4902. The train left from Grand Central at 10 AM. Car 5483 developed mechanical trouble and had to be set out at Westchester Yard. The other five cars made the last two round trips on the el. Source: ERA New York Division Bulletins, December 1964, February 1973, February 1982 |
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