Bowser HO scale Presidents Conference Committee streetcar

There were many variations of the Presidents Conference Committee (PCC) streetcar, and this HO PCC car from Bowser accurately models its specific prototype. The model has a smooth-running mechanism, easily handles tight-radius curves, and can be converted to Digital Command Control.

Prototype. By the mid-1920s the presidents of several electric street railways in North America sought to make their companies more competitive as buses and automobiles gained prominence. These executives formed the Electric Railway Presidents Conference Committee. One result of this committee was the PCC streetcar.

More than 5,000 PCC cars were built between 1936 and 1952. The Bowser model is based on a PCC car from an order delivered by the St. Louis Car Co. to the Philadelphia Transit Co. in 1948.

In 1992, the San Francisco Municipal Ry. (Muni) acquired 15 of these PCC cars and operates them on its Market Street F Line. The Muni repainted the PCC cars in the prototypical paint schemes of other street railways that had once also run this type of car.

The model. Our review sample is decorated for car no. 1061 in the Pacific Electric Ry. livery. The striping and placement of the lettering match prototype photos. The model has correctly placed Los Angeles and F Market signs. There’s also a handicap-accessible symbol that’s on the contemporary prototype. You could paint over the symbol to backdate the model.

The dimensions of the Bowser model match drawings in PCC Cars of the United States: A Book of Plans – Variations of an American Classic (East Penn Traction Club).

The model’s plastic body shell has sharply molded details. The non-operating trolley poles are made of flexible plastic. The poles pivot but can’t be raised.

All of the windows have clear plastic glazing. The mechanism takes up most of the interior, so there isn’t a convenient way to add passenger figures. A motorman figure is included in the cab.

The trucks on the Bowser PCC car have the correct wheelbase but lack detail. Only the lower part of each truck sideframe is modeled as a separate plastic part.

Mechanism. The plastic body shell is secured to the frame by four tabs. I used toothpicks to spread the walls of the body shell until the tabs disengaged from the frame. I could then easily remove the shell.

The motor and flywheel are mounted on top of the frame. A worm connects the motor to a gearbox above the front truck. The wheels on the rear truck are unpowered but pick up current from the track.

A printed-circuit board (PCB) above the motor is supported by four posts attached to the frame. The PCB can be replaced by a Train Control Systems M4T Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder, which is available exclusively from Custom Traxx (See the Bowser Web site for more information).

Before running the model I applied plastic-safe light oil to the engine and wheel bearings as outlined in the instruction sheet.

The model’s non-directional headlight and taillights came on at 1.5 volts. These parts are light-emitting diodes. (The TCS M4T decoder allows you to trigger a brake light effect with function 3.)

The model’s mechanism is quiet and accelerated smoothly from under 1 scale mph to 67 scale mph at 12 volts. The top speed of most prototype PCC cars is 50 mph.

To simulate the tight curves of a street railway, I successfully ran the Bowser PCC car on flextrack that I curved to a 7½” radius.

With its reliable drivetrain, the Bowser PCC car runs as good as it looks.

HO scale PCC streetcar
Price: $124.95

Manufacturer
Bowser Manufacturing
1302 Jordan Ave.
P.O. Box 322
Montoursville, PA 17754
www.bowser-trains.com

Road names: Pacific Electric Ry.; Baltimore Transit Co.; Boston Elevated Ry.; Brooklyn, Board of Transportation, City of New York; Chicago Transit Authority; Cincinnati Street Ry.; Kansas City Public Service Co.; Los Angeles Ry.; Louisville Ry. Co.; Newark Public Service Coordinated Transport; Philadelphia Rapid Transit; Philadelphia Transportation Co.; San Francisco Municipal Ry. (“wing” livery or later simplified paint scheme). Unpainted and undecorated version is available.

Era: 1948 to present day

Features
All-wheel electrical pickup
Can motor with brass flywheel
Metal RP-25 contour wheels in gauge
Weight: 6 ounces