Strafford cars in winter

My job took me this past weekend to Rochester, New York, home to the New York Museum of Transportation. I happened to be there for an informal gathering of trolley museum types called "Winterfest," which included operation over the newly-electrified portions of the demonstration railroad shared by NYMT at the north end and the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum at the south end.



The cars used have an interesting history and a Midwest connection. Originally built for the Philadelphia & Western's Strafford line, upon retirement cars 161 and 168 were sold to an operation over the electrified trackage on the Keokuk Dam in Keokuk, Iowa. During the 1993 floods, when the dam was one of the few ways of getting across the river, car 161 was used nearly round-the-clock ferrying workers and volunteers from Illinois to Iowa and back. Later both "Strafford cars" were acquired by NYMT for initial electrification of their museum line. Above left, car 161 is shown ascending the grade towards the NYMT museum site before a bleak Upstate New York winter landscape; on the right the car sits in the car barn with various trolley museum volunteers gathered around. Thanks to everyone at NYMT for a great time!