Gomaco Trolley Company
Encyclopedia
The Gomaco Trolley Company is a manufacturer of vintage-style streetcars
(alternatively called trolleys in the USA, or trams in much of the world), located in Ida Grove
, Iowa
, United States
. The company has supplied replica-vintage streetcars to several transit systems in the USA, and has also restored and rebuilt authentic vintage streetcars for some systems.
Gomaco Corporation first branched out into the field of trolley manufacturing in 1982, when it was the successful bidder on a contract to supply two reproductions of "turn-of-the-century"-era trolleys/streetcars for operation on a new line due to be built at the Lowell National Historical Park
, in Lowell, Massachusetts
. The two cars (1601-2) were replicas of 15-bench, open-sided streetcars built in 1902 by J. G. Brill Company for the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway. The construction was all-new, except for their truck
s, which Gomaco obtained from retired Melbourne
, Australia
streetcars and refurbished and adapted for use with the cars it was building for Lowell. These first two Gomaco streetcars were delivered in 1983/84. The Lowell streetcar line opened in May 1984, and was well-received, leading to the historical park's placing another order with Gomaco later, for one enclosed car of similar faux-vintage style, which was delivered in 1987 (car 4131).
In the mid-1980s, Gomaco built two more 15-bench, open-style cars. Car 1976 was a conventional streetcar with a trolley pole
on its roof, while car 1977 was fitted with an on-board generator, so that it could be operated on existing tracks, on a trial basis, without need for overhead trolley wire
s. The two cars were demonstrators which the company loaned to a few different operators. Ultimately, car 1977 was acquired by the Platte Valley Trolley
, in Denver, Colorado
, and—many years later—car 1976 by HART for the 2002-opened TECO Line Streetcar System
in Tampa, Florida
.
agencies, for regular service along city streets. In 1991-92, the company provided four streetcars to TriMet
, in Portland, Oregon
, for use on the Portland Vintage Trolley
service, which began operation in late 1991. Similar to the "Lowell enclosed" model, these were replicas of 1904 Brill-built, double-truck cars, patterned on streetcars that had been operated locally, in Portland. However, in this instance the replicas would be sharing the tracks with modern light rail
cars of TriMet's MAX system, so while Gomaco based the new bodies on the 1904 cars, the trucks were a younger style (1940s/'50s) which the company assembled from parts it acquired from Boston streetcars and Chicago rapid-transit cars. The four Portland cars (511-514) also were equipped with modern features such as Automatic Train Stop
.
During the mid- and late 1990s, Gomaco restored and rebuilt several ex-Melbourne W2-type streetcar
s for Memphis'
Main Street Trolley
and also sold to the Memphis Area Transit Authority
a single-truck car it had built all-new in 1993 as a demonstrator.
In more recent years, the company has supplied new replica Birney
streetcars to the TECO Line Streetcar System
, in Tampa; to the River Rail Streetcar
, in Little Rock, Arkansas
; and to the Charlotte Area Transit System
, in Charlotte, North Carolina
, for use on the Charlotte Trolley
. These cars used trucks taken from 1920s-vintage Peter Witt-type streetcar
s which Gomaco acquired from Milan
, Italy
, and refurbished.
Gomaco Trolley added a new model in 2002, with the introduction of the "reconditioned Peter Witt", which is the refurbishing of a complete Peter Witt streetcar
, rather than only using its trucks. A large number of Peter Witt streetcars remain in regular service in Milan in 2009, but the operator of Milan's tramway network
, ATM
, has retired some in recent years, and Gomaco purchased a number of these cars from ATM, for possible reconditioning for customers in North America.
The company also takes orders from customers who only want a replica trolley body, not a complete and functioning car. In 2006, it built a replica of half of a Peter Witt trolley car for decorative use as a cover to the entrance to an underground trolley station (of SEPTA) at the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia. It was patterned exactly after the particular style of Peter Witt car that served Philadelphia—in large numbers—starting in the mid-1920s. The replica was a gift to the school from its Class of 1956.
Gomaco has also built at least one battery-powered streetcar. In 2008, it delivered two open cars to Glendale, California's
Americana at Brand
shopping development: one a 33-foot-long battery-powered car and the other a 22-foot-long unpowered passenger car (trailer). The powered car is equipped with a wheelchair lift
.
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
(alternatively called trolleys in the USA, or trams in much of the world), located in Ida Grove
Ida Grove, Iowa
Ida Grove is a city in Ida County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,350 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Ida County.-Geography:Ida Grove is located at...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The company has supplied replica-vintage streetcars to several transit systems in the USA, and has also restored and rebuilt authentic vintage streetcars for some systems.
History
Established in 1982, Gomaco Trolley Company is a division of Gomaco Corporation, a major builder of equipment used in concrete paving. Founded in 1965 by Harold Godbersen, the parent company's name, "Gomaco", is a contraction of the words Godbersen Manufacturing Company.Gomaco Corporation first branched out into the field of trolley manufacturing in 1982, when it was the successful bidder on a contract to supply two reproductions of "turn-of-the-century"-era trolleys/streetcars for operation on a new line due to be built at the Lowell National Historical Park
Lowell National Historical Park
Lowell National Historical Park is a National Historical Park of the United States located in Lowell, Massachusetts. Established in 1978 a few years after Lowell Heritage State Park, it is operated by the National Park Service and comprises a group of different sites in and around the city of...
, in Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
. The two cars (1601-2) were replicas of 15-bench, open-sided streetcars built in 1902 by J. G. Brill Company for the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway. The construction was all-new, except for their truck
Bogie
A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
s, which Gomaco obtained from retired Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
streetcars and refurbished and adapted for use with the cars it was building for Lowell. These first two Gomaco streetcars were delivered in 1983/84. The Lowell streetcar line opened in May 1984, and was well-received, leading to the historical park's placing another order with Gomaco later, for one enclosed car of similar faux-vintage style, which was delivered in 1987 (car 4131).
Trolley pole
A trolley pole is a tapered cylindrical pole of wood or metal, used to transfer electricity from a "live" overhead wire to the control and propulsion equipment of a tram or trolley bus. The use of overhead wire in a system of current collection is reputed to be the 1880 invention of Frank J....
on its roof, while car 1977 was fitted with an on-board generator, so that it could be operated on existing tracks, on a trial basis, without need for overhead trolley wire
Overhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
s. The two cars were demonstrators which the company loaned to a few different operators. Ultimately, car 1977 was acquired by the Platte Valley Trolley
Platte Valley Trolley
The Platte Valley Trolley is a heritage streetcar line in Denver, Colorado. It began service on July 4, 1989.-Route and operation:The trolley line begins where the REI has its Denver flagship store at Confluence Park, the historic location of the city of Denver at the confluence of the South...
, in Denver, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, and—many years later—car 1976 by HART for the 2002-opened TECO Line Streetcar System
TECO Line Streetcar System
The TECO Line Streetcar System is a streetcar line in Tampa, Florida, run by the Hillsborough Area Regional Transportation Authority and managed by Tampa Historic Streetcar, Inc.. It connects Downtown and Channelside to the historic Ybor City district. There is also an "In-Town" trolley-replica bus...
in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
.
Gradual expansion, new designs
Subsequently, Gomaco Trolley Company has won contracts from other operators to build or rebuild vintage streetcars and, unlike with the Lowell line, Gomaco's later products have mostly been used by public transitPublic transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
agencies, for regular service along city streets. In 1991-92, the company provided four streetcars to TriMet
TriMet
TriMet, more formally known as the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, is a public agency that operates mass transit in a region that spans most of the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon...
, in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, for use on the Portland Vintage Trolley
Portland Vintage Trolley
The Portland Vintage Trolley is a heritage streetcar service in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Service is provided with replicas of a type of Brill streetcar, nicknamed the "Council Crest" cars, which last served Portland in 1950. The Vintage Trolley is managed by Vintage Trolley Inc.,...
service, which began operation in late 1991. Similar to the "Lowell enclosed" model, these were replicas of 1904 Brill-built, double-truck cars, patterned on streetcars that had been operated locally, in Portland. However, in this instance the replicas would be sharing the tracks with modern light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
cars of TriMet's MAX system, so while Gomaco based the new bodies on the 1904 cars, the trucks were a younger style (1940s/'50s) which the company assembled from parts it acquired from Boston streetcars and Chicago rapid-transit cars. The four Portland cars (511-514) also were equipped with modern features such as Automatic Train Stop
Automatic Train Stop
An automatic train stop is a system on a train that will automatically stop a train if certain situations happened to prevent accidents from happening....
.
W class Melbourne tram
The W class is a class of electric trams that operates in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The tram model series is a cultural icon to Melbourne...
s for Memphis'
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
Main Street Trolley
MATA Trolley
The MATA Trolley is a heritage streetcar system operating in Memphis in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It has operated since April 29, 1993.As of 2008, the system consists of three lines: the Main Street Trolley, the Madison Avenue Loop and the Riverfront Loop...
and also sold to the Memphis Area Transit Authority
Memphis Area Transit Authority
The Memphis Area Transit Authority is the largest transit agency in Tennessee. MATA operates 39 bus routes, paratransit service for persons with disabilities , trolley service on three routes, and special-event shuttles for Memphis Grizzlies basketball games and University of Memphis Tigers...
a single-truck car it had built all-new in 1993 as a demonstrator.
Birney
A Birney or Birney Safety Car is a type of streetcar that was manufactured in the United States in the 1910s and 1920s. The design was small and light and was intended to be an economical means of providing frequent service at a lower infrastructure and labor cost than conventional streetcars...
streetcars to the TECO Line Streetcar System
TECO Line Streetcar System
The TECO Line Streetcar System is a streetcar line in Tampa, Florida, run by the Hillsborough Area Regional Transportation Authority and managed by Tampa Historic Streetcar, Inc.. It connects Downtown and Channelside to the historic Ybor City district. There is also an "In-Town" trolley-replica bus...
, in Tampa; to the River Rail Streetcar
River Rail Streetcar
The River Rail Streetcar is a heritage streetcar system operating in Little Rock and North Little Rock in the U.S. state of Arkansas. It has operated since November 1, 2004. As of February 17, 2007, the system is long after its first extension was put into service...
, in Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
; and to the Charlotte Area Transit System
Charlotte Area Transit System
The Charlotte Area Transit System, commonly referred to as CATS, is the public transit system in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. It operates bus service around the Metrolina area and a historical trolley in Uptown Charlotte, and operates a light rail system, called LYNX which opened on November 24,...
, in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, for use on the Charlotte Trolley
Charlotte Trolley
The Charlotte Trolley is a heritage streetcar which operates in Charlotte in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The line runs along the former Norfolk Southern right of way between Tremont Avenue in the Historic South End in a northerly direction to its terminus at 9th Street Uptown...
. These cars used trucks taken from 1920s-vintage Peter Witt-type streetcar
Peter Witt streetcar
Peter Witt was a Cleveland Railway commissioner, who designed a model of streetcar known by his name, and used in many North American cities, most notably in Toronto and Cleveland.-Features:...
s which Gomaco acquired from Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and refurbished.
Gomaco Trolley added a new model in 2002, with the introduction of the "reconditioned Peter Witt", which is the refurbishing of a complete Peter Witt streetcar
Peter Witt streetcar
Peter Witt was a Cleveland Railway commissioner, who designed a model of streetcar known by his name, and used in many North American cities, most notably in Toronto and Cleveland.-Features:...
, rather than only using its trucks. A large number of Peter Witt streetcars remain in regular service in Milan in 2009, but the operator of Milan's tramway network
Trams in Milan
The Milan tramway network is an important part of the public transport network of the city and comune of Milan, in the region of Lombardy, northern Italy.In operation since 1876, the network is presently about long...
, ATM
Azienda Trasporti Milanesi
Azienda Trasporti Milanesi is a public company, responsible for public transportation in Milan city and some surrounding municipalities, in Italy...
, has retired some in recent years, and Gomaco purchased a number of these cars from ATM, for possible reconditioning for customers in North America.
The company also takes orders from customers who only want a replica trolley body, not a complete and functioning car. In 2006, it built a replica of half of a Peter Witt trolley car for decorative use as a cover to the entrance to an underground trolley station (of SEPTA) at the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia. It was patterned exactly after the particular style of Peter Witt car that served Philadelphia—in large numbers—starting in the mid-1920s. The replica was a gift to the school from its Class of 1956.
Gomaco has also built at least one battery-powered streetcar. In 2008, it delivered two open cars to Glendale, California's
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
Americana at Brand
Americana at Brand
Americana at Brand is a large outdoor shopping community in Glendale, California. The property was built and is owned and operated by Los Angeles businessman Rick J. Caruso and his company Caruso Affiliated. Caruso Affiliated has built and operates of many other projects including The Grove at...
shopping development: one a 33-foot-long battery-powered car and the other a 22-foot-long unpowered passenger car (trailer). The powered car is equipped with a wheelchair lift
Wheelchair lift
A wheelchair lift, also known as a platform lift, is a powered device designed to raise a wheelchair and its occupant in order to overcome a step or similar vertical barrier....
.
External links
- Gomaco Trolley Company website
- Streetcar and Heritage Trolley Site of the American Public Transportation AssociationAmerican Public Transportation AssociationThe American Public Transportation Association is a non-profit organization which serves as an advocate for the advancement of public transportation programs and initiatives in the United States. Since its founding in 1882, APTA has educated the public about the benefits of public transportation...
(APTA) - Replica Vintage Trolley Cars (web page by John Smatlak)