Back in Pittsburgh area, the "Terrible Trolley" is undergoing a full restoration
WASHINGTON, Pa. (KDKA) — Its technical name is car No. 1713, but Pittsburghers remember it as the "Terrible Trolley," a black and gold moving symbol of the city that used to traverse the city and region's streetcar lines for almost 50 years.
"Back in 1980, a girl named Kim Severs had written a letter to Mayor (Richard) Caliguiri asking that they have a Steelers trolley car," said Pennsylvania Trolley Museum CEO Scott Becker. "So, he worked with the Port Authority, and low and behold, a few days after the letter, this car got repainted."
The car served its daily routes with distinction and eventually went back to a more traditional paint scheme. It was moved to Ohio once it was retired in the late '90s, but it's back in Pennsylvania for a full restoration to how it looked in its prime.
Michael Buchta, the facilities and restorations assistant at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, is helping lead the restoration, which started last May.
"It wasn't in the best shape," Buchta said. "It was a bit shabby, to say the least. But from then till now, it has really transformed a lot. A lot of what we have done is semi-structural. The frame itself was in good shape. We had to replace a couple of cross members that went to the side frames. And also we had to replace a couple of those side frame pieces here and there. But all the big stuff like that is done."
This restoration project is being enthusiastically supported by the Rooney family and the NFL. And while a lot of work has been done since May, a lot of work is left to do to get the trolley back to operating condition.
Electrical work, reinstallation of the seats and signage and painting the "Terrible Trolley" with volunteers from Prime Collision Center will all take time. But this project is slated to be finished by the time the Steelers head to training camp in the summer of 2024.
And once it is restored to its former glory, this car will be riding the rails once again at the museum.
"Our goal is to run the car," said Becker. "And we can expect Steeler fans are going to want to charter it. It would be a great thing to come down and have the Terrible Trolley here for special events and things like that."
For more information on the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Washington County and this restoration, click here.