western railway museum banner train tracks

San Francisco Municipal Railway 1153

1153 in Muni yard 1978. 1153 in Muni yard 1978.

Description

San Francisco Municipal Railway 1153 is a post-war, all electric PCC car. It is a single end car with back up controls.

History

San Francisco Municipal Railway Muni 1153 is a single-end, all-electric one-man car, originally built in 1946 by the St. Louis Car Company for the St Louis Public Service Company as car 1742.

In the mid to late 1950s, the Muni was looking to replace all remaining "Iron Monster" type cars with modern cars. Since the major street car builders were no longer building PCC cars, the Muni was forced to look for second-hand equipment from US cities which were closing down their street car lines. 69 cars were eventually obtained through lease arrangements with the St. Louis Public Service Company. SLPS refurbished the cars, repainted them, and installed back-up controllers salvaged from scraped Chicago Transit Authority PCC cars before shipment to Muni. SLPS 1746 entered service in San Francisco in 1957, repainted and renumbered as Muni 1153.

In the late 1960s/early 70s, Muni wanted to simplify the green and cream wing color scheme to save on labor costs, so it experimented, finally settling on the scheme the 1153 currently has.

Car 1153 was replaced by the Boeing-Vertol Light Rail Vehicles in the early 1980s and was purchased
by the Western Railway Museum in October 1982.

1153 currently awaits restoration

  • Vintage Photo: Vintage Photo
  • Vintage Caption: Muni 1153, L line. outbound, Market at Church, Oct. 1961, [BAERA 18783]
  • Owners: San Francisco Municipal Railway 1153. St. Louis Public Service 1742.
  • Technical Data: All electric post war PCC car. Built by, St. Louis Car Company of St. Louis, Mo. in 1946. Seats, 55 passengers, one operator. Weight, 36,420 pounds.
  • Trucks: Clark B2. Wheels. Axle. Journals. Traction motors, 4-55 horsepower @ 600 VDC.
  • Air Brake Equipment: Brakes, all electric
  • Dimensions: Width, 9’ 0”. Length over buffers, 46’ 9”. Height, 11’ 2”. Truck centers. Truck wheelbase.
  • Propulsion Equipment: Propulsion equipment: General Electric. Controls, GE. Traction motors, General Electric 1220A1.
  • Misc Data: Trolley shoe, Ohio Brass J-6. Trolley base, Ohio Brass Form 11. Electric bell.
  • Current Condition: This car is in good condition.
  • Proposed Future Treatment: This car needs to be repainted.
  • Date Last Modified: Tuesday, 09 April 2019

Hours

Year Round
Saturdays & Sundays
10:30 am – 5:00 pm


Summer Hours (May 27 - September 1)
Thursdays (Interurban Train Rides)
10:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Fridays (Guided Walking Tours Only)
10:30 AM - 3:30 PM

Hours may vary at any time due to weather and/or the availability of our volunteers.


Closed Holidays
Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, New Years Day

Museum Location

5848 State Highway 12
Suisun City, CA 94585

(707) 374-2978

Contact Us


familysdayout