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The Official Western Rails
PCC Street Car Conversions Information Page

Some time ago, Metropolitan Transit System purchased 3 Post-War model Presidential Car Company Historic Street Cars which will travel around the downtown San Diego loop at fifteen minute intervals when restored and repainted in the historic San Diego Electric Railway colors. As part of this transaction, both the San Diego Vintage Trolley Corporation and its partner organization, the San Diego Electric Railway Association were created as subsidiaries of the Metropolitan Transit System.

San Diego Electric Railway Association and San Diego Vintage Trolley have acquired a fourth historic PCC Street Car for the new service in downtown San Diego. Unlike the first three, which operated in San Francisco, the fourth car operated in Philadelphia on the rails of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA).

These cars were previously operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway, commonly known as MUNI.

The Table below provides a cross-referencing of the former San Francisco Municipal Railway Number and how it correlates to the new San Diego Vintage Trolley (SDVT) number.

The PCC Service will be known as the Silver Line, and will be in addition to the Blue, Green, Red, and Orange Lines, operated by the San Diego Trolley (SDTI), an other operating subsidiary of the Metropolitan System.

These cars were purchased as part of the preparation for the 2008 American Public Transit Association Conference in San Diego.

The last car in the original SDER Fleet, which was retired from service some time ago, was the SDER #528. These cars will continue the series in sequence.

SDVT #529 now has a pantograph unit installed. The FRA Class I deep-flange wheels for the #530 and #531 are already on the property. The wheels that will be placed beneath the car body on #529 will be a new set of wheels and the wheels for the #532 will be acquired through a swap-out with another provider. The SDVT #529 was the first car to be moved over to the paint and body shop in San Diego Trolley's Newton Street Yards (also known as the "C" Yard by San Diego Trolley Personnel) for paint stripping and panel replacement work. Some time in 2009, it will be repainted in the livery of the San Diego Electric Railway.

SDVT #529 will also have a wheelchair lift installed as part of the preparations process. The wheels that are currently on the property that represent the trucks that the SDVT #530 will eventually roll on, will be swapped out for a set of deep-flange FRA Class-I Wheels that are in Texas, that will be shipped to California. The next step for the #530 is to construct the Pantograph Assembly, which will be mounted on the roof at the front end of the car. This will require the as-built trolley pole to be removed to prepare the space where the Pantograph will be mounted. The rear trolley pole will remain part of the car, however, it will be left in the downward position, and will be for show only, since it is not compatible with the overhead catenary system used in San Diego. The #531 also needs a fan blower/defroster for the windshield.

Source: Jeff Trimble, San Diego Electric Railway Association

San Diego Electric Railway Cars #508 and #528 are at the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris, California.