Open House set for Saturday to aid restoration of Car 790

SWOYERSVILLE — For James and Peter Baut, the restoration of Car 790 is important because of its connection to local history. They believe it will allow future generations to relive a small aspect of their ancestors’ daily lives.

“On a personal note, working on Project 790 is a way to connect to our dad and honor his memory,” the twin brothers said. “He dreamed of seeing Car 790 run again, and we’re going to make it happen.”

The Baut brothers are the sons of the late Conrad Baut, owner and president of The Baut Studios in Swoyersville. Mr. Baut and his longtime friend, the late Rev. James Wert, shared a love of local history, trains and especially trolleys.

Car 790 is believed to be the last Wilkes-Barre trolley in existence. It was removed from its site on Perrin’s Marsh in the Back Mountain. The trolley was part of a house and it had to be extricated via a large crane in 2019.

It was then taken to The Baut Studios, where work got underway. In the summer of 2022, Conrad Baut died at the age of 62. His twin sons, Peter and James, stepped up as leaders of the family business — and the restoration of Car 790.

Open House Saturday

Anthracite Trolleys will host an open house on Saturday to celebrate the 100th manufacturing anniversary of the beloved Wilkes-Barre Trolley Car 790 and to showcase the restorative efforts made since its rescue in 2019.

The event will run from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at The Baut Studios, 1095 Main St., Swoyersville.

“Come and see Car 790 in our workshop,” the Baut brothers said. “We will have various displays featuring artifacts from Car 790 and the Wilkes-Barre trolley system, the extraction of Car 790 from the summer cottage, and our restoration plans.”

The Bauts said members of Anthracite Trolleys will be available to discuss the project’s progress and to answer all questions about Project 790.

Dr. Harrison Wick, author of “Greater Wyoming Valley Trolleys,” and other members of Anthracite Trolleys will give presentations about the history of Car 790, the Wilkes-Barre trolley system, and the restoration starting at noon.

D’s on Wheels will sell chicken bites, cheesesteaks, pulled pork and more. Project 790 memorabilia will also be available for sale to support the restoration efforts.

Frank Paczewski of Dallas has also helped spearhead the restoration project. He said $60,000 has been raised toward the estimated total project cost of $300,000. They said it will take two to three years to complete the restoration.

“We all believe in this project,” Paczewski said. “We want to preserve this part of our local history.”

About Car 790

• Car 790 was part of the Wilkes-Barre Railway Corporation from 1933 to 1950, and it was documented by photographer Ed Miller.

• Car 790 was one of ten trolley cars originally ordered from the J.G. Brill Company on April 2, 1924, for the Eastern Pennsylvania Railway in Pottsville. Car 790 was delivered to Wilkes-Barre in September 1933, and was part of a large network of electric trolleys that served the Wyoming Valley for more than 60 years.

• Car 790 served for 17 years on the Nanticoke line that went to Public Square in Wilkes-Barre. It was in service until Saturday, Oct. 14, 1950. The Nanticoke and Hanover lines offered the last trolley service in the Wyoming Valley.

• After trolley service was discontinued, the Wilkes-Barre Railway Corporation trolley cars were designated to be scrapped. Fortunately, the superstructure of Car 790 was saved from the junkyard and incorporated into a summer cottage built on Perrin’s Marsh by the late Mary and Walter Krakowski.

• A full complement of original J.G. Brill Winner-style seats, doors, and upper window sashes were donated by the Reading Company Technical and Historical Society to Project 790. The donated items will need to be restored; however, most of the hardware is intact and nearly impossible to come by.

• Car 790 was professionally stripped of paint and rust using a wet glass bead method over a few abnormally warm days in February 2023. Bob Kadluboski from Bieber Dustless Blasting and his crew spent three days carefully blasting the exterior and interior steel.

“This method was gentle enough to cause no harm to the car body, yet so powerful it removed all rust, scale, and residual paint so that the steel could be inspected and worked on,” The Bauts said. “A special additive was used to prevent the bare steel from rusting and a large section of the original paint was retained.”

Wilkes students help

Four Wilkes University seniors majoring in Mechanical Engineering conducted a structural review of Car 790 for their senior design project.

Under the supervision of Dr. Edward Bednarz III, Associate Professor in the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Department, the students took careful measurements of the trolley and digitally modelled the car body and designed a new chassis using CAD tools.

Wilkes Seniors Erin Shober, Tess Edwards, Kayla Roselle and James Cunningham did the work.

The models were then tested using various parameters to determine the structural integrity of the trolley in its current condition. From this modeling, the students were able to make recommendations to repair and strengthen the trolley body so that it will be able to safely operate when it is fully restored.

How you can help

Anthracite Trolleys Inc., is a registered nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to the restoration of the last known Wilkes-Barre Trolley — Car 790.

To volunteer, monthly meetings are held the first Saturday of the month at The Baut Studios at noon. Call Chairman Peter Baut, at 570-855-3977, for information.

To donate, address all checks to:

Anthracite Trolleys Inc.

1095 Main St., Swoyersville, PA 18704

Call: 570-855-3977

Email: anthracitetrolleys@gmail.com