Interesting Use of A Birney

The car is a 1937 LaSalle, like my great aunt's that I rode in as a kid, and came within a hair of getting a twin for, but missed the chance.   Not too far from here is a surviving Tankcar station, with railroad tankcar still in place.  In northern Ohio, somewhere in the Toledo area there once was a McKeen car doing duty as a diner.   Old street car bodies were also not too uncommon as recycled diners.

A few years ago my younger son lived between Williamsburg and Richmond, Va. One day we were on a tour of Civil War and rev war sites and he showed me several old street car bodies that had been turned in to camps. they looked in pretty decent shape but, of course, no trucks or motors and the insides had been stripped.  Some had roofs built over them. We figured they were from Richmond. Yes, street car body would be a great project.  Have to think about that.

Interesting find. Several PE streetcar bodies ended up as parts of buildings as well. For years, a Los Angeles Railway Funeral Car, "the Descanso" was a shelter for railfans up at Summit in the Cajon pass out here. The car was taken to the Orange Empire Railway museum and restored.

Somewhere back in my memory I recall reading an article about offerings, during the 1950's, of diners for sale from some company. that were designed to look like street car bodies, but with interiors for restaurants,  that were newly created for sale to would-be restaurant owners.  I would bet the evolution of fast food burger joints and franchising soon ended that business.

I can tell your not from Jersey. Silk City Diners in nearby Paterson built over 1500 of them starting in 1926. A few still survive in almost original form although they mostly acquired additions over the years.

Scotie