Jamestown Street Railway
Trolley Car #93
Restoration Project

• Just like that, another year has gone by. I made a few attempts to get things going with a display building, and now realizing some of the contacts, connections, support I have had over the years is fading away through various forms of attrition. Hope I can rev things up come 2023.
  
  

• One healthy benefit that came in 2022, I was able to redirect the fund raising effort from an event I have worked to perpetuate. As chairman of the now named Chautauqua Region Vintage Book and Paper Show, AKA The Book and Paper Show, efforts are now set up to benefit the Trolley Car #93 Restoration Project. Scheduled for the first Saturday in August each year, the 2022 show netted $2600 for the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation Trolley Fund. The Chautauqua Suites, Mayville New York venue is already reserved for the upcoming Saturday August 5, 2023 Show. Always looking for more participants so call me, Bob Johnston, at 716-338-5051 if you think you might be interested.

• OK, now drag that old trolley pole out from under the trolley, clean it up and paint it.

  

• Now stick it into the trolley pole base on the roof. It should be noted that this fairly simple operation would not have been possible had it not been for a Warren Railcar Service donation. Byron West who was running the place at the time, came to one of the National Train Day Shows when #93 was still at the Gateway Train Station under Lee Harkness. Ah the good old days when we thought the trolley would have a home at the old Erie Train Station forever… Anyway, Byron sold us two controller cabinets one of which we were able to sell to recoupe our total cost. Then he gave us the trolley pole base and a trolley pole that he had laying around from a years ago project.

  

• With a bit of luck, our trolley wheel and housing mounting holes lined up almost perfectly with the holes already in the end of the trolley pole. A couple of bolts later we were in business.

  

• As mentioned earlier, we finally got our trolley catcher. The spec sheet found on the internet for that model of catcher stated that it came with 22 feet of rope. The guys at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum said the rope we needed was Samson spot cord #8. Looking at pictures and playing around a bit, got the rope in place and the thing works like a charm. The idea is to keep the trolley pole from springing straight into the air if the trolley wheel comes off the overhead power wire. The catcher works like a car seat belt. It allows slow movement, but grabs hold quickly if its a sudden jerk.