Roanoke Chapter Acquires Roanoke Railway and Electric Company #51
The Roanoke Chapter is pleased to announce the acquisition of Roanoke Railway and Electric Company #51. Built as a Master Unit in 1929 by the J. G. Brill Company, the car ran as #115 for the Virginia Electric Power Company in Lynchburg, VA until 1937 when it was moved to Roanoke as the #51. It served in Roanoke through 1947 when it was retired. It went into private ownership and moved to the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, ME in 1991.
Brian Tenaglia shop foreman at the Seasore Trolly Museum said this about #51, “The Master Unit kind of marks the end of technological development on the “traditional” streetcar, and they were sold during a time when there really wasn’t much of a future for the streetcar. The later (1936) PCC design was a total departure from “traditional” design in almost every respect.”
The museum has determined that it is appropriate for the #51 to return to its original home territory and has donated the trolley car to the Chapter. We will be working on plans to move #51 in the future. But for now, the chapter is delighted to have secured this important piece of Roanoke History.
About Seashore Trolley Museum: The Seashore Trolley Museum, located in Kennebunkport, Maine, United States, is the world’s first and largest museum of mass transit vehicles. While the main focus of the collection is trolley cars, it also includes rapid transit trains, Interurban cars, trolley buses, and motor buses. https://trolleymuseum.org/