Perley A. Thomas Car Works
Encyclopedia
Perley A. Thomas Car Works, Inc. was a 20th century builder of wooden and steel streetcars, based in High Point, North Carolina
in the United States
.
It was named for its founder, Perley A. Thomas
. Thomas had been employed by Southern Car Works in High Point, who then formed his own company when Southern went out of business.
The company built many of the wooden electric overhead
-trolley powered
streetcars
used throughout the United States primarily in the first half of the 20th century. Known for their workmanship and durability, some of the cars built by Perley A. Thomas Car Works in the early 1920s are still operating today in New Orleans. Thomas based the design of these cars on New Orleans' first order for double-ended, double-trucked, arch-roofed electric streetcars, the 400-series from Southern Car Works.
A famous Tennessee Williams
play and later film of the same name was set in New Orleans, Louisiana
where Perley A. Thomas streetcars were operated on the Desire line
around the period of 1947 in which the story was set, hence the name: A Streetcar Named Desire
.
The Perley A. Thomas Car Works was reorganized as Thomas Built Buses, Inc., and became one of the three principal builders of large school bus
es in the United States by the end of the 20th century. It is still based in High Point, and is part of Freightliner Trucks
of Daimler AG.
Perley A. Thomas, who died in 1958, was inducted into the North Carolina Hall of Fame.
Perley Thomas cars continue to run on New Orleans' historic St. Charles Avenue Streetcar line, and have "filled-in" for the Von Dullen Canal Street cars damaged in Hurricane Katrina.
A few Perley Thomas cars have been preserved outside of New Orleans. Examples include New Orleans Public Service car #836 at the Connecticut Trolley Museum
, #966 at the Seashore Trolley Museum
, #832 at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum
and #850 at the Shore Line Trolley Museum
. Two cars, Car #913 and Car #952, are preserved in San Francisco's F Market & Wharves line. Car #913 is currently undergoing restoration.
High Point, North Carolina
High Point is a city located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina. As of 2010 the city had a total population of 104,371, according to the US Census Bureau. High Point is currently the eighth-largest municipality in North Carolina....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
It was named for its founder, Perley A. Thomas
Perley A. Thomas
Perley A. Thomas was a Canadian-born American industrialist and entrepreneur. He was trained as a millsmith , and moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he was employed by a streetcar manufacturer....
. Thomas had been employed by Southern Car Works in High Point, who then formed his own company when Southern went out of business.
The company built many of the wooden electric overhead
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...
-trolley powered
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....
streetcars
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...
used throughout the United States primarily in the first half of the 20th century. Known for their workmanship and durability, some of the cars built by Perley A. Thomas Car Works in the early 1920s are still operating today in New Orleans. Thomas based the design of these cars on New Orleans' first order for double-ended, double-trucked, arch-roofed electric streetcars, the 400-series from Southern Car Works.
A famous Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
play and later film of the same name was set in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
where Perley A. Thomas streetcars were operated on the Desire line
Streetcars in New Orleans
Streetcars in New Orleans have been an integral part of the city's public transportation network since the first half of the 19th century. The longest of New Orleans' streetcar lines, the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar, is the oldest continuously operating street railway system in the world,...
around the period of 1947 in which the story was set, hence the name: A Streetcar Named Desire
A Streetcar Named Desire (play)
A Streetcar Named Desire is a 1947 play written by American playwright Tennessee Williams for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1948. The play opened on Broadway on December 3, 1947, and closed on December 17, 1949, in the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. The Broadway production was...
.
The Perley A. Thomas Car Works was reorganized as Thomas Built Buses, Inc., and became one of the three principal builders of large school bus
School bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
es in the United States by the end of the 20th century. It is still based in High Point, and is part of Freightliner Trucks
Freightliner Trucks
Freightliner Trucks is an American manufacturer of heavy duty trucks, chassis and semi-trailer trucks in the United States. The company was founded as Freightliner Inc in 1942 and is now a division of Daimler Trucks North America, a subsidiary of the German Daimler AG...
of Daimler AG.
Perley A. Thomas, who died in 1958, was inducted into the North Carolina Hall of Fame.
Perley Thomas cars continue to run on New Orleans' historic St. Charles Avenue Streetcar line, and have "filled-in" for the Von Dullen Canal Street cars damaged in Hurricane Katrina.
A few Perley Thomas cars have been preserved outside of New Orleans. Examples include New Orleans Public Service car #836 at the Connecticut Trolley Museum
Connecticut Trolley Museum
Founded in 1940, the Connecticut Trolley Museum is the oldest incorporated museum dedicated to electric railroading in the United States.The museum is located in East Windsor, Connecticut, and is open to the public most of the year, featuring static displays and self-guided tours of the state's...
, #966 at the Seashore Trolley Museum
Seashore Trolley Museum
The Seashore Trolley Museum, located in Kennebunkport, Maine, United States, is the world's oldest and largest museum of mass transit vehicles....
, #832 at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum
Pennsylvania Trolley Museum
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, located at 1 Museum Road, Washington, Pennsylvania, is a museum dedicated to trolleys and includes several restored examples.-History:...
and #850 at the Shore Line Trolley Museum
Shore Line Trolley Museum
The Shore Line Trolley Museum, located in East Haven, Connecticut, is the oldest operating trolley museum in the United States. It was founded to preserve the heritage of the trolley car. The museum includes exhibits on trolley history in the visitors' center and offers rides on restored trolleys...
. Two cars, Car #913 and Car #952, are preserved in San Francisco's F Market & Wharves line. Car #913 is currently undergoing restoration.
Products
- NOPSI 800 series DE streetcar
- NOPSI 900 series DE streetcar
- NOPSI 1000 series DE streetcar
External links
- History of Thomas Built Buses
- Company history at ironhorse129.com
- History of the Desire streetcar line