- Peter Witt streetcar
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A Peter Witt tram in front of Milan Central Station. It carries that city's current orange color scheme.
Sister ex-Milan Peter Witt car operating on Market Street in San Francisco.Peter Witt was a Cleveland Railway commissioner, who designed a model of streetcar known by his name,[1] and used in many North American cities, most notably in Toronto and Cleveland.
Contents
Features
This design was distinguished from other streetcars of the era by its use of the center door as an exit only, with a conductor stationed inside just in front of the door. Passengers could board through the front doors without waiting; they could pay the conductor immediately and sit in the rear of the car, or wait in front and pay just before they exit.[1] This had the effect of reducing the car's dwell time at stops, improving schedule times and increasing capacity. Many vehicles were later converted to pay-as-you-enter operation in order to reduce the number of staff needed, but they continued to be known as Peter Witt cars.
History
Mr. Witt completed the first prototype in 1914 and filed his patent for the car design in 1915. G.C. Kuhlman Car Company then delivered 130 cars of this design to Cleveland in 1915 and 1916. From this point the design was licensed to a number of cities that needed large capacity trolleys. Production continued until the availability of the PCC streetcar in the mid 1930's.
TTC (Toronto) streetcar, ca. 1960sPeter Witt cars were also built in Italy and used in several Italian cities, including Milan, where 200 out of 502 originally built Ventotto (‘twenty-eight’) vehicles (introduced in 1928) are still in use up to this day. Additionally eleven ex-Milan cars can be seen today on the streets of San Francisco, where they operate on the F Market & Wharves streetcar line.
Besides their continued use in day-to-day service in Milan and San Francisco, Peter Witt cars have been preserved in several locations. Gomaco Trolley Company, a US streetcar renovation specialist, has bought 70 ex-Milan cars which it is offering to museums and heritage streetcar operators.[2]
Operators
This ex-Toronto car has been restored to its 1921 livery, and is now preserved at the Halton County Radial Railway Museum.
This ex-Milan car, now operating in San Francisco, carries the two-tone green color scheme used by Milan from the 1930s to the 1970s.
This ex-Milan car in San Francisco car carries its original 1928 yellow and white color scheme.Operators that used Peter Witt streetcars included:
Builders
A Peter Witt streetcar in Milan - piazza Bottini terminus, near Stazione Lambrate.Company City State/Province Country J.G. Brill Company Philadelphia Pennsylvania United States Canadian Car & Foundry Montréal Québec Canada Cincinnati Car Company Cincinnati Ohio United States G.C. Kuhlman Car Company Cleveland Ohio United States Ottawa Car Company Ottawa Ontario Canada Preston Car Company Preston Ontario Canada St. Louis Car Company St. Louis Missouri United States Carminati & Toselli Milan Milan Italy Officine Elettroferroviarie Tallero Milan Milan Italy Officine Ferroviarie Moncenisio Condove Turin Italy Officine Ferroviarie Meridionali del Vasto Vasto Chieti Italy See also
- PCC streetcar - Presidents' Conference Committee Car
- Birney - Birney Safety Car
References
- ^ a b US 1180900, Witt, Peter, "P. Witt Street Railway Car", issued 1916
- ^ "Reconditioned Peter Witt Trolley". Gomaco Trolley Company. http://www.gomacotrolley.com/Resources/peterwitt.html. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
Categories:- Passenger rail vehicles
- Tram vehicles
- Tram vehicles of Canada
- Tram vehicles of Italy
- Tram vehicles of Mexico
- Tram vehicles of the United States
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