When the CA&E cars were made available for preservation in late 1961, the 319 was purchased by Gerald E. Brookins of Ohio for his projected trolley line, the Columbia Park and Southwestern, along with two other wood cars and five steel cars. This line was intended to be not only a tourist attraction, but also to provide transportation for the residents of a mobile home park which he was developing, allowing them to access the shopping center at one side of the park. The car left Wheaton via the C&NW in a seven-car train, which included most of the preserved cars heading east, in May 1962.
The 319 shortly after arrival at North Olmsted. Note the ornate bracket arms on the line poles, which came from Cleveland. Car has been repainted but not yet relettered. Photo from the Bill Volkmer collection, via Dave Mewhinney.Mr. Bookins was a successful businessman and was able to devote resources to this project that no other museum at the time could match. A storage barn with an attached workshop was built to store the collection. He had several full-time employees on the payroll in the early years to do construction, maintenance, and restoration work. The "Columbia Park and Southwestern" name refers to Columbia Rd., the main nearby thoroughfare, and the Cleveland Southwestern and Columbus interurban line which had run through the area.
The 319 was repainted in an adaptation of the blue-and-grey paint scheme, as seen here. The interior was not painted, except for the floor, which was painted red like most of the other Brookins cars.
(
Photo from Dave Mewhinney)
It was operated occasionally over the next thirty years or so. It was stored inside and well maintained. All of the CA&E cars had their third rail beams removed, and they were never reinstalled during their time in Ohio. Otherwise there were few modifications other than paint. The 319 had dash lights and folding signs installed at North Olmsted, one of the few modifications made to backdate any of the cars.
Gerald Brookins died in 1983 and for several years the Trolleyville operation continued, with volunteers doing much of the work. The Brookins family continued to oversee the operation. Cliff Perry was the general manager during the later years.
In 1995 the 319 was repainted in a maroon paint scheme with tan roof, doors, and windows. The interior and vestibules remained in their end-of-service paint. In 2001, however, the family decided to sell off the North Olmsted property, and it was necessary for the trolley operation to be evicted. At that time a deadline of five years in the future was set.
A volunteer organization was formed with the name "Lake Shore Electric Railway" to provide a new home in the Cleveland area for the Brookins collection. The collection would be based near the lake shore in downtown Cleveland, and the CA&E cars would be operated occasionally for excursions on the Greater Cleveland RTA system. The 319 was moved to Cleveland in 2006 and stored in a subway tunnel on GCRTA tracks, but never operated in revenue service.
ACQUISITION BY IRMThe overall success of the Lake Shore Electric project had always been contingent on substantial investment by the city government of Cleveland, which never happened. By early 2009 the city's financial crisis had destroyed all hope of this possibility, and the decision was taken to wrap up the LSE project and dispose of the collection. The Brookins collection of 35 cars or so was put up for sale to qualified non-profit museum groups, and Bill Wall was tasked with organizing a consortium of museums to distribute the cars to the most appropriate destinations.
Car 319, four other CA&E cars, and an open car from Veracruz in Mexico were awarded to IRM in October. Julie Johnson provided most of the money (at great personal sacrifice) and much of the impetus behind these arrangements.
On December 17, 2009, the 319 was moved to Brookpark Shops to be prepared for movement to IRM. It left Cleveland on Dec. 28, arrived at IRM the next day, and was unloaded on the 30th and stored in the barn. The car was placed onto the 321's trucks, since they were known to be in good condition and operable.
Due to the rebuilding in 1953, the only authentic paint scheme for this car would be the final Brilliant Red and Aurora Gray. Work therefore started on stripping the car. Also, the dash lights and folding signs had to be removed.
All of the lettering had been done with decals, and they were quickly removed. We also started stripping and repainted all of the windows, and repairing the worst seat cushions.
(January 2010)
At the end of February, the car was moved into the Diesel shop at the east end of Barn 2, so it could be repainted by a contractor, Jim Followell. He and his employees finished the tasks of preparing the surfaces, and painted the red and gray. (He also repainted the 409, 451, and 460).
The car emerged from the paint shop for the first time on June 6. We then inspected the car and did the necessary work to make it operational, including the installation of trolley poles.
(Bill Wulfert)
However, it was later decided that this version of Aurora Gray was incorrect, and the car was put back into the shop for the gray to be repainted. On July 3, it was lettered by another contractor, Ron Coy. The car operated for the first time in revenue service at IRM on July 4th, after it appeared in the trolley pageant.
APPENDIX A
MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT
Electrical:Motors: 4 GE-254, 140 HP
Control: GE type M -- SB 2522
Contactors: 13 DB-260
Reversers: 1 DB-409K4
Controllers: 2 C-6 (C-21 until c. 1950)
Brakes:Motorman’s Valves: 2 M23
Triple Valve: 1 M2-B, located under car
Feed Valve: 1 WH C8, located under seat #1
Compressor: 1 D3-F, 8.44 HP
Governor: 1 WH Type J, located under seat #28
Brake Shoes: 8 G4678
Seats:
Walkovers: 23 Hale and Kilburn
Footnotes[1] Brough, L. A. and Graebner, J. H.
From Small Town to Downtown: A History of the Jewett Car Company, 1893-1919 Indiana University Press, 2004
See also
Jewett Car Company posted by Mid-Continent.
(Joe Testagrose collection, via Dave Mewhinney)
The 319 represents an interesting stage in the transition from wood to steel. The side truss is a ¼" steel plate that extends from the floor nearly to the belt rail, the entire length of the car side. This replaces the earlier forms of wooden compression trusses built into the side of the car, as on the 308, 309, and other older wooden cars. There are also steel angle plates built into the car at the corners.
Before the arrival of steel equipment in 1923, this type of car was used in both local and express service over all parts of the railroad. (Except, perhaps, the Geneva branch. Pictures of this branch during the wood car era seem to show only "shorties". If so, this was probably due to sharp curves in the streets.) After that time, it was generally used only in Chicago to Wheaton service. Most often, the 319, 320, and 321 were used in express service to Wheaton, generally with trailers 105 and 209 sandwiched in. Particularly in the last few years, the car would have made only rush hour trips.
it was probably between 1.5 and 2 million miles.
Blue ("Early American"): Body was dark blue; side windows and posts were light grey (not white); ends were bright red, with red stripes below the belt rail and over the windows; yellow lettering with black outlining. On this car the Sunset Lines herald was painted over blue, with no background. Roof was light grey. The interior walls were painted a peach color above the window sills; the lower walls remained stained and varnished. The ceiling was painted white. The vestibule interior was the same blue as the exterior. Until November 1953.
Gerald Brookins died in 1983 and for several years the Trolleyville operation continued, with volunteers doing much of the work. The Brookins family continued to oversee the operation. Cliff Perry was the general manager during the later years.
On December 17, 2009, the 319 was moved to Brookpark Shops to be prepared for movement to IRM. It left Cleveland on Dec. 28, arrived at IRM the next day, and was unloaded on the 30th and stored in the barn. The car was placed onto the 321's trucks, since they were known to be in good condition and operable.
All of the lettering had been done with decals, and they were quickly removed. We also started stripping and repainted all of the windows, and repairing the worst seat cushions.
The car emerged from the paint shop for the first time on June 6. We then inspected the car and did the necessary work to make it operational, including the installation of trolley poles.
However, it was later decided that this version of Aurora Gray was incorrect, and the car was put back into the shop for the gray to be repainted. On July 3, it was lettered by another contractor, Ron Coy. The car operated for the first time in revenue service at IRM on July 4th, after it appeared in the trolley pageant.
