can you make mth proto 1 trolleys proto 2?

Yes. So long as it has a flywheel on the motor you should be able to do a conversion like any other engine. By the time you spend and average $200 it may or may not be worth it to you. You could for about the same price buy a PS-2 PCC and swap out the shells and sell the PS-1's you have.

i thought it might be that price. Considering I grabbed a proto 2 nj for 145.  I wanted to maybe paint the shell in pittsburgh colors like the one that is out there. And can you get the sound file for the port authority of allegheny county pcc?  I hoping that can done because the real ones are not cheap!

 

Chris:

 

Does your Newark PCC have a 5-volt system or a 3-volt system?  If you don’t have the manual, for identification purposes the 5-volt system uses an 8.4-volt rechargeable battery that looks like a typical 9-volt household battery.  The 3-volt system uses a different looking 2.4-volt battery.  If it’s the 3-volt then you’re in luck as the Sound Chip from that #30-5121 PAT PCC should work as it uses a 3-volt system.  If not, you would need to get the sound chip from the only Pittsburgh PS-2 with the 5-volt system, the #30-2543 Route 37 Shannon (car #1711).  

 

Once you determine which one you need, contact forum member “GGG”, he may be able to supply you with the Pittsburgh PCC sound file that will work.  He recently got me a sound ship for an early PS-1 locomotive.  BTW that PAT PCC is the only one of the Railking Pittsburgh PCC's I don't have.

 

And from your avatar photo it looks like you've been to the PTM in "Little Washington".

 

Bill

 

PTM Member

PS  i go to the trolley museum 2 times a year.  bunny and santa trolley!  and i got a tour of the workshop that is attached to the visitors center.  cool stuff in there!

 

Hi Chris,

 

Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner but I watched the entire game last night and when it was over at 1:03 I went straight to bed.  

 

Anyway, to answer your question, MTH made 30 different PCC cars (not counting variations of the cars that came both with and without Proto Sounds).  They made 5 cars decorated for Pittsburgh.  Here’s a list of the Pittsburgh cars which I have posted here before but recently updated upon acquisition of the County Fair PCC:

 

There have been 5 different MTH Railking Pittsburgh PCC’s as follows produced in this order:

 

• 30-2505 Pittsburgh Railways Company (PRC) Red & Cream, cab #1713, Route 64 E. Pgh, Wilkinsburg, came out in 1998 with either PS (PS-1) or no PS (Lou Redman was the voice on the PS version).  PS version has stop announcements from Wood Street (downtown) to East Pittsburgh. 
• 30-2543 PRC Red & Cream, cab #1711, Route 37 Shannon, cataloged in 2003 and came with either PS-2 or no PS (Frank Hare was the voice on the PS version).  It uses the 5-volt system.  The PS-2 version has stop announcements for the 37 Shannon route but there is no downtown stop as the furthest inbound stop is P&LE Station.  The prototype #1711 has been restored and operates at the PA Trolley Museum in Washington, PA.

 

• 30-2584 PRC White & Blue lettered for the Allegheny County Fair, uncataloged and came with only PS-2.  It uses the 3-volt system.  Destination sign says “Chartered” and there is no cab number on it.  The stop announcements are along the Library route similar to the 37 Shannon immediately above and it doesn’t have a downtown stop either with the furthest inbound stop being South Hills Junction.  The furthest outbound stop is Mesta (Street) which is prototypically correct as that is the stop where PRC discharged passengers for the County Fair with shuttle bus service from there to SouthPark.  The voice sounds like Lou Redman although he had been deceased for several years before this car came out.

 

• 30-2586 Port Authority Transit (PAT) Pittsburgh Steelers “Terrible Trolley”, correct prototypical cab #1713, Route “Express”, was uncataloged (I believe it came out in 2006 or 2007), came with PS-2 only.  It uses the 3-volt system.   Instead of stop announcements, the voices of Myron Cope and I believe Bill Hillgrove call out audio clips from Steelers radio broadcasts.

 

• 30-5121 PAT White & Yellow, cab #1730, cataloged in 2011 and came with only PS-2 (I don’t have this one so I don’t know any other details.  I do have each of the first 4).  I would assume it has the 3-volt system.

 

They made two Newark cars, and based on when they were made, I believe one has the 5-volt and one has the 3-volt system.  When you get your car you can also tell which system it has by the charging port on the underframe.  The round one is the 5-volt system, the white “square” one is the 3-volt system. 

 

Probably more info than you wanted but hope it helps,

 

Bill

Thanks thats great info.  I love plenty especially the pittsburgh stuff.  Family in mt Oliver and south side and other areas.  I'm in grensburg now, love history of area.  Rail and all

Hi Chris,

 

I lived in Carrick and used to ride through Mt. Oliver on the #53, 77/54  and occasionally the 47.

 

I was at the PTM today and attached is a photo my wife took of me operating that same car that's in your avatar photo.  And she used to ride that #59 Homeville route as a kid.

 

Bill