Thomas Built restores streetcar for museum

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Thomas Built Buses has restored a 1923 Perley A. Thomas Car Works streetcar for the North Carolina Transportation Museum.

One of only 73 of its kind remaining, the streetcar graced the rails of New Orleans’ famous Canal Street until its final run May 31, 1964.

Streetcar 918 is slated for exhibit in early 2010, and Thomas Built Buses has committed the funds necessary for the three-year renovation project.

Perley A. Thomas Car Works was founded in 1916 and originally manufactured streetcars and trolley buses. It transitioned to production of school buses in 1936 and changed its name to Thomas Built Buses in 1972. In 1998, the company was acquired by Daimler Trucks North America LLC, a Daimler Company. Perley A. Thomas, the company’s founder, was inducted into the North Carolina Transportation Hall of Fame in 2005.