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| 323
is a 13-window Stone & Webster "turtleback" type street car built in 1915 as part
of an order for 26 such cars for the Northern Texas Traction. |
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| N.T.T.
operated local streetcar service between Oak Cliff and Dallas using these "300"
class cars. NTT was later purchased by the Texas Electric Railway. |
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| In
1934,Texas Electric sold the Oak Cliff lines and all rolling stock to the Dallas
Railway Company, which continued to operate the "300" class cars until 1952 when
they were retired and "all" were scrapped. |
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| 323
survived as a ticket office and souvenir shop at the now defunct "Old Abilene
Town" in Abilene, Texas. |
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| 323
is longer and heavier than our #186. It has 13 windows per side rather than the
10 commonly found on Stone and Webster streetcars. |
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| 323
is the only known example of the Stone and Webster "stretch" streetcar still in
existence in the world today. |
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|
Because of 323's size and weight, we must outfit it with a pair of so-called "maximum
traction" trucks. Maximum traction trucks carried as much as three-quarters of
their car's weight on their rear powered axle, which was fitted with large diameter
wheels; the truck's lead axle was fitted with small 17"diameter wheels.
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| Such
trucks must be manufactured or purchased. |
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| 323
does not yet have a corporate sponsor. |
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| The
car is currently in storage at our East Dallas storage lot, awaiting restoration. |