Matthew D. Cosgro in 2002

Builder: G. C. Kuhlman Car Co.
Description: Suburban
Secondary Use: Dwelling
Type: City and Suburban Streetcars
Year: 1927
Retired from Service: 1947
Acquired by the Museum: 2002
Note: : As of April 2017, No. 115 was stored at Fairview carbarn under a tarp. The tarp is in torn condition. The car has an orange and turquoise paint scheme.
Fund: 874

City Lines of West Virginia 115

From Parkersburg, West Virginia

Back to Search

History

No. 115 is one of 15 streetcars purchased from G.C. Kuhlman in 1927 by West Virginia Traction and Electric Co. (a subsidiary of West Virginia Utilities). WVT&E operated streetcars in Morgantown, WV and Wheeling, WV. Twelve of the Kuhlman cars went to Wheeling. Three (Nos. 113 – 115) went to West Virginia Traction and Electric’s system in Morgantown, WV. The Monongahela West Penn Public Service Corp. acquired the Morgantown system in 1927. The Monongahela West Penn served a number of small cities in southwestern Pennsylvania and West Virginia and was a subsidiary of American Waterworks & Electric System. Morgantown streetcar service ended in 1934 when Sabraton Tin Plate Mill, a major employer in town, closed. West Penn transferred No. 115 to Parkersburg, WV. (The CERA Bulletin 110 on West Penn Traction reports that No. 115 went to the Clarkesburg, WV system in 1934, but other sources say it went to Parkersburg.) In 1943, City Lines of West Virginia acquired the Parkersburg streetcar system. No. 115 operated under the auspices of City Lines of West Virginia until the Parkersburg lines converted to bus in 1947. In Parkersburg, No. 115 normally ran on the Viscose line which served workers at the textile mill of the same name. Much of the Viscose line was on private right-of-way and included freight service which was turned over to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad when streetcar service ended. After retirement, No. 115’s carbody was used as a dwelling. The owners offered the car to Seashore in 1987, but mud conditions at the site delayed pickup by Seashore. Instead, No. 115 went to a museum at the Hamar railroad bridge in Marietta, OH. In 2002, the carbody was donated to Seashore. Seashore placed No. 115 on Brill 177E1 trucks which are correct for this car. However, these trucks would also be correct for Georgia Power No. 876, and the museum might transfer these trucks to the Atlanta car.

Technical Information

Control: K-35
Compressor: DH16

Trucks

Number: 2
Manufacturer: Brill
Model: 177E2X

Motor

Number: 4
Manufacturer: West
Model: 510C

Weight and Dimensions

Length: 47’ 4.00"
Width: 8’ 6.00"
Height: 10’ 6.00"
Weight: 39240 lbs.

Additional Images

Matthew D. Cosgro in 2002