Roster of the
Jamestown Street Railway Company

The following roster describes the cars of the Jamestown Street Railway Company in Jamestown, NY.

Physical Descriptions

1-13    Horse Cars.  Numbers 2,3,4,9,11,12,13 were converted into 
        trailers when the lines were electrified.
14-28   Single-truck, double-end, Monitor roof wooden cars.  Purchased
        in 1891
29,30   Similar to #14-28, Longer cars, double-truck, Purchased in 1892.
31-54   Single-truck, open bench cars with hand-brakes.  Purchased 
        beginning in 1892.
58-67   Double-truck, double-end, two-man wooden cars with a deck roof.
        10 windows on each side with 5 pairs of wooden cross seats and
        side wooden benches.  Purchased March 1909 from the Third Avenue
        Railway in New York City.  Extensively modified upon receipt,
        including installing trolley poles, air brakes and whistles.
        #63 had folding doors installed later for use on suburban runs.
68-76   Similar to above cars, purchased from Yonkers, NY in 1914.  These
        cars had six pairs of cane-covered cross seats and side benches.
        These were Brill semi-convertible cars with hand-operated folding
        doors.  Originally numbered in the 150 series when first 
        delivered.  
78-87   Steel double-truck, double-end cars with an arch roof built by
        the St. Louis Car Company and delivered in November 1916.  They
        were 42 feet long and had seating similar to the 68-series cars.
        Originally configured as two-man cars, they were reconfigured in
        1924 as one-man cars by replacing the door to the left of the
        motorman with a window.
87,88   Double-truck, double-end, one-man steel cars with an arch roof
        built by the St. Louis Car Company.  Purchased from the Chicago &
        Joliet in April 1934.  The C&J had purchased them from the
        Central Illinois Traction company.
91-98   Single-truck, single-end, one-man steel cars with arch roof and
        magnetic track brakes built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1926.
        These 30 passenger cars with leather seats were advertised by
        the builder as "Deluxe Superservice Type."  When first purchased
        they were not numbered, but bore local Indian names like 
        "Chautauqua" and "Chadakoin."

Assignments

14-30   These closed cars were used on all lines during the winter.
31-57   These open cars were used on all lines during the summer.
62-67   Regularly assigned to the Falconer Line.  #63 was equipped with
        folding doors and was used to Celoron.  These cars used regularly
        until 1926.
68-76   Were used on the city loops until the 78 series was placed into
        service in 1916.  At that time they were moved to the Celoron and
        Lakewood lines and used as extras on all lines.  #69 was the 
        regular Celoron car.  Were replaced by the 91 series cars starting
        in 1926 and used mostly as extras after that.
78-87   These were placed into service on the city loops upon their
        arrival in 1916 and remained until 1926.  #78 was the regular
        Barret Avenue car, #80 worked to North Main, and #81 to Lakewood.
        #82 and 83 worked the Willard loop and #86 to Forest Avenue.  The
        remaining cars were used to fill in where needed.
        After 1926 these cars were placed on the Falconer and Celoron 
        lines where they worked until the end.
87-88   The second #87 and #88 were used on the Falconer and Celoron-
        Lakewood lines exclusively.  They were the only cars speedy
        enough to maintain the particularly tight Sunday and Holiday
        schedules on those lines.
91-98   These cars were placed into service on the Willard and North
        Newland loops upon their arrival in 1926 and remained there
        until the end of service.  #92-94 were equipped with magnetic
        track brakes and used only on the Willard loop to deal with the
        particularly steep Swede Hill.

Disposition

62-67   These cars were scrapped as they wore out.  #58, #59, and #61
        were first with #60 and #65 lasting until 1932.
68-76   These cars were scrapped after 1930 with #68 and #72 being the last
        cars in the series to see service.
78-87   #78: Sold to Cornwall Street Railway.
        #79: Sold to Lehigh Valley Transit Company.
        #80: Sold to Lehigh Valley Transit Company.
        #81: Sold to Lehigh Valley Transit Company.
        #82: Sold to Lehigh Valley Transit Company.
        #83: Sold to Lehigh Valley Transit Company.
        #84: Sold to Cornwall Street Railway.
        #85: Sold to Lehigh Valley Transit Company.
        #86: Sold to Cornwall Street Railway.
        #87: Destroyed in car barn fire, December 1928.
87-88   The second #87 and #88 remained in the car barns until 1941
        when they were sold to be used as chicken coops in Gerry, NY
        after no railroad buyer could be found.
91-98   No railroad buyer could be found for these after the end of 
        service on the line in 1938 and they were sold and used as
        tourist cottages at French's Cabins near Colburns on Chautauqua
        Lake.

References