A MONSTER FLATBED truck lumbered down Falls Road last week. It carried a slightly used trolley, the newest addition to the Baltimore Streetcar Museum. This vehicle, which once carried passengers in El Paso and San Diego, had crossed the country from New Mexico, where it had been converted into an office.
It was an apt time of year for this new-to-Baltimore, old car to arrive. I'll ever remember that sad autumn of 1963, actually Saturday, Nov. 2, when, among other things, the jerks who ran the transit shop here yanked up the tracks and junked our wonderful streetcar system. They destroyed the most reliable way to get to and from downtown, or wherever, in a transit vehicle. It wasn't until 1992 that we got a rechristened light rail back again, a system that I'd like to see spread and prosper over additional city and county streets.
What came to Baltimore the other day was a type of streamlined car that I boarded and alighted many times at the corner of Greenmount Avenue and 29th Street.
In my childhood, only the top cities had streetcars, that essential urban vehicle that was reliable and fun to ride. It somewhat resembled a bus but didn't stink and fume the way buses do; it also arrived on time, quite unlike their unpunctual, rubber-tired cousins.
A serious group of streetcar fans assembled for the streetcar's arrival, this time on one of the last warm days of the season. The car looked great - preserved in the arid New Mexico climate - not at all beat up, almost ready to take off down Falls Road.
A burly fellow who trucked in the 35,000-pound vehicle worked a set of hand controls. A set of steel rails had been laid to receive the behemoth. Many, myself included, stood around and gawked. Others held cameras, that essential rail fan tool. Some actually did the hard labor.
I skipped out of the office to observe this bit of tricky engineering - the transfer of this hunk of heavy cargo to its new resting ground. I thought it might provide a show - and was not disappointed.
The truck operator pushed a button to tilt the whole contraption. The idea was that the force of gravity would coax the streetcar down the flatbed's back and ease it onto the set of rails.
Reality proved otherwise. The streetcar seemed to like Baltimore so much that it busted the traces and took off, breaking a heavy restraining chain, and shot away in the direction of Towson. It remained upright, while planting its front fender into the Jones Falls Valley sod. It reminded me of the award-winning Laurel and Hardy short film wherein the comedic duo deliver the piano up the steep flight of steps.
There was a little damage to the front metal skirting, nothing that couldn't be hammered and repainted. It also shattered something called a brake beam casting. (I'm told the museum has an extra.)
The next try did the trick. The car was hoisted back up the inclined plane and eased down again to its proper berth. It is now resting, encased in a royal blue protective plastic wrap, awaiting restoration. Get your fares ready in two years.