On the Electric Boxcabs Continuation Page 1:
  ELECTRIC BOXCABS - Part 2 (follows), with

On this Electric Boxcab (Survivors) Continuation Page 2:

On the Electric Boxcabs (Survivors) Continuation Page 3:

Still on Continuation Page 5:
  ODD BOXCABS

ELECTRIC BOXCAB SURVIVORS

Of the four (4) box motors noted on the preceding page as on the roster of the Shore Line Trolley Museum of the BERA (Branford Electric Railway Association) in East Haven, Connecticut, three appear to be most likely "only" trolley car locos, but one turns out to be the South Brooklyn Railway (SBK) box motor #4 (map index 4), built by the Brooklyn Heights Railway Company in 1907 on two ALCo 2-axle trucks.  She is now on her own page, as befits any surviving boxcab of that age.

So, when is an electric boxcab merely a transit (trolley) box motor and when is it a boxcab locomotive?  On my site, it's when I say so!

L&PS; #L1 and #L2

As noted about the so-called Mystery Boxcab on the Electric Boxcabs Continuation Page 1, the locomotive in question turned out to be the L&PS; (London & Port Stanley) #L1, now at the ECRM (the Elgin County Railway Museum) in St. Thomas (London area), Ontario, Canada, and newly refinished.  Her sister is #L2, which survives at the Halton County Radial Railway in Milton (Toronto area), Ontario, run by the OERHS (Ontario Electric Railway Historical Association).  They were the first and second of three built by the GE Erie works in March 1915 and shipped north to GE's Peterboro/Toronto facility, without builder's plates to avoid duties, where plates were installed.  the L&PS; was started in 1856 and electrified in 1915 with these three 65-ton locos.

ECRM got #L1 from the CSTM ( Canada Science and Technology Museum) in 1995.  HCRR got #L2 (when?) from the Toronto and York Division of the Canadian Railway Historical Association (it was in their museum at Harbourfront, Toronto).  #L3 was scrapped somewhere along the line but two out of three ain't bad, not bad at all for 1915 products!   (16 Mar 05)

[To find #L1 on the ECRM site, click on "Roster" and then scroll down to, and click on, the photo above "London & Port Stanley Railway / Box Cab Electric #L1".]

Here is a photo of all three, labelled "6049. L.&P.S.Ry.; GEN VIEW LOCOMOTIVES IN SHOP FEB. 1915."; you can see that they have no pantagraphs or any other roof fitments:

(Image courtesy of Ontario Hydro Archives - from ECRM site, by permission
processed by SB,III to enhance visibility)

Mystery Canadian G.E. Electric Boxcab
No Longer a Mystery!

That builder's plate photo original is quite sharp and I could not find even a trace of stamping in the CLASS, NO., VOLTS, or DATE blocks.  However, after seeing my photo, a volunteer at the ECRM sent me this current photo of one of the plates, with the encrusted paint removed, revealing clear, deep stamping:

(Image courtesy of R. Sterne - all rights reserved
processed by SB,III to enhance visibility)

It's interesting to note that the city near Toronto in Ontario is "Peterborough"; was "Peterboro" a contraction to save space or an old usage?

[Ayuh!  Ted Garner, born and raised in Peterborough says the Peterboro usage is just that, a contraction.  Incidently, when he grew up in Peterborough, for years the largest employer was General Electric, the manufacturer of the Class 404-E-120-4GE-251-A locomotive.  Thanks, Ted!]

The truck looks just like that on the 60-ton oil-electrics.

The only lettering visible seemed to be "PS" and "LI", but it sure as heck wasn't an LIRR loco!^@

On 06 Jun 01, a volunteer at the Illinois Railway Museum (Union, IL) who works in the Electric Car Department spotted these photos, did some checking, and put me on to the identity of this engine and its sister; I had a lot of revising to do!

@ - The "PS" is, of course "Port Stanley" and "LI" is the loco number "L1".

The ECRM volunteer also sent a photo of locomotive #L2 whil(e)(st) in storage ca. 1990 at Brampton, Ontario (which is just northwest of Toronto).

(Image courtesy of R. Sterne - all rights reserved
processed by SB,III to enhance visibility)

First, Keith Sirman allowed me to post these three photos of #L1, starting with her on the first electrified run on the L&PS; on 20 Jun 1915:

(Image courtesy of K. Sirman - all rights reserved
processed by SB,III to enhance visibility)

(Image courtesy of K. Sirman - all rights reserved
processed by SB,III to enhance visibility)

(Image courtesy of K. Sirman - all rights reserved
processed by SB,III to enhance visibility)

Here are Harry Otterbein shots of all three engines in the London yard in May 1957:

[Photos ca. May 57 by H. Otterbein, from R. Masales collection, courtesy B. D. Switzer - all rights reserved]
(Images are thumbnails -click on the photos for larger images.)

(Photo by and courtesy of B. D. Switzer - all rights reserved

(16 Apr 63 photo by W. E. Miller, by specific permission - all rights reserved)

[Photos courtesy of Don Ross - all rights reserved]
(Images are thumbnails -click on the photos for larger images.)
{Corrupted left image restored 22 Feb 03}

Next comes #L2 at St. Thomas on 09 Sep 54 and in Toronto, as noted above, in Jun 84:

[Photos courtesy of Don Ross - all rights reserved]
(Images are thumbnails -click on the photos for larger images.)

[Photos courtesy of Don Ross - all rights reserved]
(Images are thumbnails -click on the photos for larger images.)

This is all rather funny for me, personally; my interest is really in the AGEIR (ALCo-GE-IR) Oil-Electric Boxcabs and here I am digressing madly about a triplet of old electrics!  Of course, they ARE GE locos and I DID stumble on one years back in Ottawa, but - - - .  Don Ross tried to entice me to look into his many other boxcab electrics, especially the Saint Clair Tunnel, a whole bunch of BA&P;, and others; well, some are up on my other electric boxcab pages but I am really only going to spend my time on SURVIVORS!

Readers interested in far more detail about the London & Port Stanley Railway are directed (by Don Ross) to the outstanding coverage of William E. Miller, historian of the Electric Lines in Southern Ontario, at his LONDON & PORT STANLEY RAILWAY page on that site, wherein he describes the line as "otherwise known as the L&PS; - Late & Poor Service" {emphasis mine}!

Readers interested in Ontario's railways are directed (by Don Ross) to Rob Hughes' Ontario Railway History Page.

Whil(e)(st) not particularly a traction fan, I must show you Mr. Miller's very unique and intensely clever e-mail sign-off (doctored slightly to appear to best advantage here):

 ________________________________________________________
          \      Electric Lines in Southern Ontario
           \       http://www.trainweb.org/elso/
    ________\_________________________________________
   /____G_R_A_N_D_____R_I_V_E_R_____R_A_I_L_W_A_Y_____\
   |[_] |_||_||_||_||_|            [][][]          [_]|
   || |   626                      |    |    626   | ||
   o-------------------------------======-------------o
   /|-|(o)=x=(o)  xxxxxx  O|___||___||-|  (o)=x=(o)|-|\
 ========================================================
  'In honour of the last interurban car built in Canada'

Thanks to Bob Lampe in Anaconda for reminding me about my BA&P; oversight.  He tells me {slightly edited} that "the boxcabs used by the BA&P; were all mostly built prior to WWI and remained in service until electric operations ceased in the late 60's or early to mid 70's.  Some of the boxcabs were sold to Canadian Northern".  Bob told me of the one at the Montana Mining Museum located at Montana Tech.  "In 1980, total operations for the BA&P; ceased and the line was renamed Rarus Railway and is all diesel."  "There were two different types of boxcabs; although they looked very similar, there were external differences.  One type was strictly a passenger locomotive; the other was freight.  There were fewer passenger locomotives than freight.  Also there were minor carbody differences depending on the year they were built."

Bob added {per a local expert, edited slightly} that the boxcab "on display at The Montana Museum of Mining located at Montana Tech in Butte, Montana, is #47, built 12-14-1914 by GE.  It is accompanied by tractor truck T-2, built on the same date.  A tractor truck is what we would today call a calf or a slug.  The BA&P; electrified in 1912 and had a total of 28 of these 80 ton boxcabs. It was the first railroad to electrify with 2,400 volts DC.  Passenger operations were discontinued in April 1955.  #201 and #202 were built in July 1957" at the Erie plant {must have been GE's Erie plant}.

Bob also advised that the "200's were strictly freight and were purchased to complement the diesels 101-107.  There were only two of the class 200 (201 and 202) and were purchased after BA&P; had ceased passenger operations.  They were actually a failure as they didn't stand up to the standards put forth by the manufacturer and there was usually a diesel or two MU'ed with them.  One engineer, a friend of the {Bob's} family, stated that 'they wouldn't pull the hat off your head'."  Bob believes that they were also sold to CNo.  Bob recalled that locos designated for "passenger service had gold lettering in the letterboard and the name was spelled out entirely BUTTE ANACONDA & PACIFIC."

He also noted that "there is a Milwaukee boxcab on display in Harlowton, Montana" which he's seen and "a Little Joe on display in Deer Lodge, Montana", which he believes is the E-72 or E-74* {but that's no boxcab, nohow; the loco in Harlowton turns out to be a 1915 Milwaukee Road E-57B electric locomotive made by General Electric - SB,III.}

* - That Deer Lodge Little Joe is E-70 per Ron Hamilton, former Secretary, Milwest (Milwaukee West) Historical Group, which restored her in the mid 90's (thanks, Ron).

Bob Lampe reminded me of (and recommends) William D. Middleton's "When the Steam Railroads Electrified"; I find that a new edition is due out this month (Aug 01) from Indiana University.

(Photos from TRAIN SHED CYCLOPEDIA No. 15.)

Survivor BA&P; #47 in the Anselmo mine yard in Butte, along with Tractor Truck ("slug") No. T-2 of the same vintage, now has its own page, q.v.!

Bob Lampe is a veritable gold mine of BA&P; info.; he tells me that "in the very early days when a BA&P; train would cross over a MILW train (both electrics, of course and at the same exact spot as in the picture at the right), there was some sort of electrical feedback that really raised hob with the locomotives.  As long as they were not directly in an over-under situation, all was OK.  It was just when a BA&P; locomotive passed directly over a MILW locomotive that the problem occurred."  Perhaps some sort of inductive interference - but with DC?  Help!