El Paso receives first of 6 restored vintage streetcars

The first of six vintage 1937 Presidents’ Conference Committee (PCC) streetcars returned to El Paso, Texas. The streetcar returned after going through a restoration and modernization program at Brookville Equipment Corp.’s (Brookville) manufacturing facility in Western Pa.

The restoration is part of an effort to return the PCC streetcars to service since their removal in 1974.

The vehicles were kept in outdoor storage until Brookville and the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority (CRRMA) agreed in 2015 to repair and replace body components, add new propoulsion systems and interiors, upgrade door systems, and rewire the streetcars. Modernization efforts included adding HVAC systems, pantographs, mobility device lifting systems, and more.

Deliveries of the five additional El Paso streetcar vehicles will continue throughout 2018. The vehicles will undergo on-site testing prior to entering revenue service. The CRRMA is overseeing construction of the El Paso Streetcar Project — including system infrastructure and restoration of the six PCC vehicles. Streetcar service will be operated by the City of El Paso’s Mass Transit Department, known locally as Sun Metro.