TdM 11P #1320 in the last paint scheme the 11Ps wore before the end of the TdM's commuter trains

In 1928, the TdM ordered 30 cars from Brill – they wanted to purchase them from CC&F, but CC&F wasn’t building new trolley cars in the 1920s – to operate their passenger trains on the electrified lines between Montréal, Philipsburg, and Iberville. These were basically a commuter line, and those trains kept running (the Philipsburg line was trimmed back to Venice-en-Québec after the second world war) until the 1970s after which of these cars were either scrapped, donated, or moved into MOW service.

The 11Ps were fairly utiliarian coaches, with the notable exception of the frosted windows by the toilets, which instead of just being a single pane of frosted glass were fairly spectacular leaded glass extravaganzas (covered, after the second world war, with plexiglas panels to discourage theft & vandalism.) These “Cathedral Cars” were the first pieces TdM equipment to be painted in the the post-war orange & green paint scheme, and were kept spotless up until the day when the last commuter trains stopped running.

4 of them survive in MOW service on the TdM, another 5 were donated to one railroad museum or another, and 21 sets of leaded glass windows are stored at the TdM’s shops.

TdM inspection car #M972 in orange & green

One of the MOW cars was rebuilt into an inspection car, and the TdM shops did not do a sloppy job of it. Not luxurious (it has 3 tiny sleeping compartments with bunks) but it does have a small dining area and actual parlour car-style seating on the open-platform-end of the car.

It occasionally shows up on the official train, but is primarily used as an inspection car on the 3KVDC sections of the Parsons Vale system.

  • Copyright © 2024 by Jessica L. Parsons (orc@pell.portland.or.us) unless otherwise noted
    Wed Dec 13 14:59:53 PST 2023