The Montoursville, Pa., company has long made single- and double-truck trolley cars of its own. In more recent times, Bowser has made a motorization rig for Corgi’s unpowered die-cast metal PCC streetcar. Now it offers a frame and drive mechanism for Corgi’s old-time trolley.
Making one from two
The swap from static model to powered trolley is straight-forward.
But before jumping into it, note that the frame and interior of the car are very well detailed, and you lose them by powering the car. However, in my book, having an operating car is worth it.
First, remove the solid plastic “headlights” on both ends of the car using a sharp device. I used a craft knife, but a very thin slot-head screwdriver would work as well. Behind the round plastic piece you’ll find a Phillips-head screw. Screws on both ends of the shell join the shell to the interior and frame.
Remove both screws, and then use a thin screwdriver to pry out the plastic base of the car. This removes the running gear, fender, and all the interior decoration – which is a single piece. What you have left are the shell and two poles inside the car.
On the Bowser motor base, you’ll see two “weights” attached to a stamped-steel lip. Remove the top screw from each “weighted” end. The bottom screw holds the weight to the steel lip.
Slide the trolley shell over the base. Using the screws you removed from the weight (and not the screws removed from the trolley), secure the body in place and replace the plastic headlamps.
Once finished, I was pleased to discover that the motor runs smoothly and quietly. There was no vibration or other noise from the mating of the shell with the new frame. The car moves forward only, although an electronic reverse unit could be added with no difficulty.
On our sample, it seemed like one of the screws that held the weight to the motor frame wasn’t long enough. When I secured the top screw, the lower screw would come lose from the frame and the frame would fall free at one end.
While I thought the screw might be too short, the culprit turned out to be the hole in the weight, which was slightly wider than the screw.
My solution was to drop a dab of fast-bonding glue on the under-achieving screw and hold it in place. This solution has worked just fine.
This car was made with realism, not neck-breaking bumper-to-bumper Lionel postwar trolley action in mind. What you sacrifice in frame detail by the conversion is more than made up for by the fact that the car looks terrific and the motor rig runs like a champ.
I now have a dandy runner for my O gauge interurban lines, and I’ll be checking both new trolley releases by Corgi – and the Bowser website – to keep the cars rolling along.
Price: $55.95 (three-rail, AC), unpowered Corgi Birney trolley car ($39.95)
Pros: Motorizes an otherwise static, but great-looking car; easy installation
Cons: Loss of Corgi interior detail pieces, loose screw on our sample
Motor rig made in the United States by Bowser; trolley made in the People’s Republic of China by Corgi
I just completed this project and the conversion is very easy and simple and the Corgi Birney looks and runs GREAT on my layout. I give Bowser a 5 star rating for this. Also Corgi does an excellent job making this trolley. This conversion is much easier than the Corgi PCC-Bowser conversion.