Give a 118-year-old Washington street car its wheels.
About the Project
Capital Traction Company 522 needs its wheels so visitors may see, and one day ride, one of the first electric street cars to operate in the Nation's Capital. Once fully restored, CTCo 522 will enhance the Museum's semi-annual Cavalcade
of Street Cars on the demonstration railway by being a "featured" car
and enable expanded interpretation as a static exhibit in Street Car Hall. The street car body work is done, but now CTCo 522 requires a particular truck (wheel set or undercarriage) to support the freshly painted woodwork. Your donation to this campaign contributes to a proper Lord Baltimore truck for CTCo 522.
This $53,000 project is supported in part by the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, the Tom E. Dailey Foundation, and many generous individuals. Help the Museum close the funding gap with your contribution, which is matched dollar-for-dollar.
The Museum provides a
unique interpretive experience among the attractions in Montgomery County as it demonstrates the mode of transportation which "built our
cities." Having more street cars available for service on the railway
draws more visitors to the Museum and to special events like the Cavalcade of
Street Cars. In particular, CTCo 522 will generate more visitation because it
is well over one hundred years old, has that period look and feel to it, and brings life to a local story.
Built in 1898, CTCo 522 was a typical single-truck, closed car with open
platforms and clerestory windows below the deck roof. A pair of sliding doors on each end of the
body provided protection for the passengers riding within the car. Longitudinal
upholstered seating offered space for twenty-six seated passengers with leather
straps available for standees. Three clusters of three, bare lamps mounted against
reflectors lighted the passenger compartment. Interior
woodwork included oak veneer decorated with
gold leaf striping and varnished mahogany. These new cars
tipped the scales at just under twenty thousand pounds and were twenty-five
feet six inches long. The bodies rode on Lord Baltimore trucks equipped with
conduit plows to supply current through K-9 controllers to two General Electric
1000 motors rated at thirty-five horsepower each. Intended for service on former cable car lines,
the cars had no trolley poles and attending hardware. An order of the District Electric Railway Commission
to enclose the open platforms made the cars rather unique by altering their
classic lines. The Capital Traction Company installed
"portable vestibules,"
probably supplied by J.F. Sjoberg & Company of New York, to fulfill
the requirement by January 31, 1905. The Museum must add a trolley pole, but is otherwise returning CTCo 522 to its 1906 appearance.
Matching Sponsors
We would like to thank our generous sponsors for their support!
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Donate $50 or more
The Museum will recognize the donor in its newsletter, The Headway Recorder, and on the kiosk in Street Car Hall which presents CTCo 522 to visitors.(200 of 200 remaining)Amount is fully tax-deductible -
Donate $100 or more
The Museum will recognize the donor in its newsletter, The Headway Recorder, and on the kiosk in Street Car Hall which presents CTCo 522 to visitors.
The Museum will invite the donor for a special tour of the Museum's maintenance facility and the work being done on CTCo 522.(95 of 100 remaining)Amount is fully tax-deductible -
Donate $500 or more
The Museum will recognize the donor in its newsletter, The Headway Recorder, and on the kiosk in Street Car Hall which presents CTCo 522 to visitors.
The Museum will invite the donor for a special tour of the Museum's maintenance facility and the work being done on CTCo 522.
The Museum will offer the donor an opportunity to operate a street car on its demonstration railway.(20 of 20 remaining)Amount is fully tax-deductible
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$200Erik Ledbetter
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$112Charles Pineda
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$168John Shriver
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$100Harvey Heiges
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$35.80Match from Montgomery County MD
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$1,120Anonymous
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$1,120Match from Montgomery County MD
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$112Ron Wasem
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$112Match from Montgomery County MD
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$1,120Anonymous
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$1,120Match from Montgomery County MD
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$112Robert Clarke
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$112Match from Montgomery County MD
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$56Raymond Grant
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$56Match from Montgomery County MD
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$25Matthew Lewis
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$25Match from Montgomery County MD
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$67.20Rodger Logsdon
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$67.20Match from Montgomery County MD
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$112John DeFerrari
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$112Match from Montgomery County MD
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$1,120Anonymous
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$1,120Match from Montgomery County MD
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$1,120Ken Rucker
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$1,120Match from Montgomery County MD
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