As requested, the rear end of the Michigan interurban car. This car originally had an open platform and railing, somewhat like a steam railroad observation car. The railing disappeared, and the current owners of the car constructed some wooden "railing" to allow peole to walk up onto the rear of the car, without falling off.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Grand Rapids, Grant Haven & Muskegon #8's Rear End
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5 comments:
Randall,
Thanks for the fast responce. It's too bad the original railing is no longer there. Interurban observation cars are quite rare I only know of three or four others.
Ted Miles
Ted,
I was the one who went to Michigan on business and took the photos.
David
This was not designed as an observation car but followed Detroit practice. Large open rear platforms were found on most early Detroit city and interurban cars.
Very interesting variation if I understand the configuration correctly. From the comments section, it sounds as if one end was a closed operators cab and the other was an open platform entrance for passengers not a observation platform per say, which I assume probably imply a lack of dual controls, one at each end. Is this correct? Thanks for the photographs, always something interesting lurking here.
Most interurban cars were single-ended. We're used to CA&E, North Shore, and South Shore cars which had to be double-ended due to their Chicago terminals, but in smaller cities there was always somewhere to reverse the car in the streets. And for most museums, that's a problem.
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