- Perley A. Thomas
Perley A. Thomas (1874-1958) was a Canadian-born American
industrialist andentrepreneur . He was trained as a millsmith (specifically inwoodworking ), and moved toCleveland, Ohio , where he was employed by astreetcar manufacturer.He attended night courses at
Case Institute of Technology , and learnedtechnical drawing , design skills, and structural engineering. As the streetcar manufacturers transitioned from wooden to steel construction, his expertise allowed him to accept a better offer withSouthern Car Company inHigh Point, North Carolina , where he became chiefengineer , and he and his wife moved south in 1910. Thomas became chief engineer, draftsman and designer for the company, using both his mechanical skills and his experience as a skilled woodworker. After he was laid off there when the company folded in 1916, he was persuaded to undertake a contract to renovate streetcars for theSouthern Public Utilities Company ofCharlotte, North Carolina , using Southern's former facilities and many of its employees. The following year, he organizedPerley A. Thomas Car Works , which became famous for its streetcars.Perley A. Thomas streetcars were renowned for their expert craftsmanship and solid construction, and operated in many large North American cities, including
Detroit, Michigan ,New York City ,Miami, Florida andSan Juan, Puerto Rico . A famousTennessee Williams play and later film of the same name was set inNew Orleans, Louisiana , where Perley A. Thomas streetcars were operated on the route labeled "Desire" around the period of 1947 in which the story was set; hence the name: "A Streetcar Named Desire". Late in the 20th century, local employees carefully restored the cars, which operate on aheritage streetcar system .As he had noted and taken advantage of the transition from wooden to steel streetcars, he also recognized the transition from streetcars to
bus es whichNorth America was undergoing in the 1930s. Thomas guided his company through a transition to bus manufacturing in 1936.The Perley A. Thomas Car Works was later reorganized as
Thomas Built Buses, Inc. , and became one of the three principal builders of largeschool bus es in the United States by the end of the 20th century. It is still based in High Point, and is part of the [http://www.freightliner.com/ Freightliner Group] ofDaimlerChrysler , a worldwide automotive manufacturer.Perley A. Thomas was inducted into the North Carolina Transportation Hall of Fame in 2004.
External links
* http://www.ironhorse129.com/rollingstock/builders/bibliog-bldrs.htm
* http://bywater.org/strtcar.htm
* http://www.ironhorse129.com//rollingstock/builders/perleyt.htm
* http://www.thomasbus.com/corporate/history.asp
* http://www.bayarea.com/mld/thestate/2002/04/30/business/3166069.htm
* http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/state/2002/05/30/news/local/3397525.htm?1c
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