The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum has acquired the Philadelphia & West Chester Traction Company “Red Arrow” 83, a streetcar built in 1932 to connect Philadelphia with its western suburbs. This car, known as an “80 ca,” was built by the J.G. Brill Company mostly out of aluminum to save weight and had very comfortable seats in the company’s attempt to attract riders away from their automobiles.

The trolley ran from the company’s 69th Street Terminal in Philadelphia to West Chester, Media, Sharon Hill and Ardmore. P&WCT Co. was owned by the Taylor Family, who later rebranded their system with the Red Arrow Lines as part of the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Co. PST was sold to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) in 1970, and SEPTA operated the car until 1982. It was briefly renumbered 86 toward the end of its service life.

The car was later sold to Wendell Dillinger, founder of the Middletown & Hummelstown Railroad. Dillinger passed away in 2023, and his family recently donated some cars to the Rockhill Trolley Museum. The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum plans to restore the car to operation. —Railfan & Railroad Staff