J. G. Brill & Company - Page 2
A Gallery of Brill’s Most Notable Cars
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Brill called this their “non-hibernating”
car. They apparently thought of it as an open car that could be closed in
winter. Others may have judged it a closed car that could be opened up for
summer use by means of removable side panels —
primitive air-conditioning. (100 Years of Railroad Cars) |
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Introduced in 1902, the "semi-convertible"
was used in all parts of the country. Both upper and lower window sash
raised up into the roof to give better air flow in summer, making
removable side panels unnecessary. (100 Years of Railroad Cars)
Patent drawing below shows window pockets. |
Brill “Narragansett”
Car
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Open-sided cars were a
summer-time favorite in the days before air-conditioning (and still are,
as any trolley museum volunteer can tell you). But they typically required
a long step-up to the running board. Brill’s
answer was a patented two-step arrangement that made life easier for women
in tight skirts and safer for children. (Above, 1911 Electric Railway
Dictionary — below, Trolley Car Treasury)
Narragansett cars that
once ran in Brazil are on display at the
Electric City Trolley Museum
in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and the
Midwest Electric Railway Association at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. The City of
New Orleans reportedly owns one of these Brazilian cars, which it planned
to restore, but the report is several years old. |
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Brill constructed about
360 snowbroom cars. While other companies favored a single rotating brush
(or two parallel segments) under only the front or the middle of the car,
Brill preferred to have a broom at each end covering only one rail and
half the track, with both brooms operating at the same time. This is a
1907 model. (Pedro Milheiro collection) |
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In 1926, Brill built ten of these heavy
and fast articulated trains for the Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis
Electric Railroad. They were 97'-4" long, weighed 116,770 lbs., and seated
94 passengers. (100 Years of Railroad Cars) |
Brill High-speed
Bullet Car
The Brilliner
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