East Troy Electric Railroad Museum

Toronto PCC Streetcar 4617

Toronto Transit Commission PCC 4617 was built for city street operation in Toronto with the non-standard gauge of 4' 10 1/2." In order to operate the car on the East Troy Electric Railroad, the gauge had to be changed to the standard 4' 8 1/2." As with ex-Philadelphia PCC 2185, 4617 was retrucked with ex-Chicago Transit Authority 6000-series trucks. The new trucks were installed in July 1998, and the various electrical cables and braking wires were reconnected.

Although the PCC is a "standardized" car, many differences exist due to changes improvised over the years by resourceful electricians and mechanics. Thus, connecting correctly the various cables and wires is not always easy, and has consumed many volunteer hours. The motor-generator set which supplies the battery system with 32 volts was installed in August, 1998.  4617 made its initial appearance on the East Troy line on September 7th, 1998 with owner Tom Matola at the controls. The test run showed that the basic functions operated satisfactorily, but some adjustments were needed.

On September 19, 1998, the car ventured out on the mainline and operated for three hours with Tom Matola and John DeLamater on board. As the car was returning to East Troy, a short developed, which in turn caused other problems. During the winter, the car body was jacked up, the trucks were disconnected, and the motors, brushes and wiring carefully re-worked. The shaft brakes and brake actuators were disassembled, cleaned, greased and reassembled. The trucks were reconnected.

Tests in April and May 1999 indicated that there were still problems in the electrical system. During the busy Fall Fun Days period, work was suspended.

During December 1999, a visit from a veteran PCC repairman resulted in repairs to the acceleration system and the car was then able to operate under its own power.

The photo above was taken at the Elegant Farmer Station after the first mainline test run and includes the car's then-owner, the late Tom Matola.  The car was willed to the Friends of East Troy Railroad, Inc. and is now a permanent part of the collection.

Here's a shot in January, 2000, as 4617 gets a test run workout in the East Troy Yard. Photo by John DeLamater