Evolution of the SCTC1

When the Southern California Traction Club was founding in 1995, they found out early that most Pacific Electric models were from Ed Suydam. These trolley poles were held on the cars with a nut under the roof and could not be removed without disassembling the car. They concluded that poles should be easily removable. During one of the early meetings of the club, it was noted that there were three styles of trolley poles and bases commonly used in HO scale traction. The poles used on the many Pacific Electric cars from Ed Suydam were the first style with which the club was very familiar. These poles (Exhibit 'D' in the below right photo) used a base with a threaded 2.0 mm shaft into which a nut was attached under the roof. This design forced the car to be disassembled to remove the trolley pole. The second style was the Bowser pole (Exhibit 'F' in the below right photo) originally designed by George Stock. This pole base used a 3/32" shaft which was also fastened under the roof of the car with a nut, again forcing the car to be disassembled to replace the trolley pole. Certain senior East Penn members such as the late Ed Torpey had designed brass tubing sleeves mounted in the roofs of their cars to allow the poles to be easily and removed but this system had to accommodate both the Bowser and Suydam poles so even though the Suydam poles were a little loose in those sleeves but they worked most of the time. When dewirements occurred, the problems of locating the errant trolley pole became common and they were sometimes launched far from the scene of the mishap. The third style (Exhibits 'A' and 'B' in the below left photo) shown was used by the older Fairfield, Model Tramway, and Soho streetcars. They used a trolley pole base with small 1mm pin base that swiveled freely in a brass turning that sat in the roof. There was also a hat shaped insulator (Exhibit 'E' in the below right photo) that sat in the roof to insulate the 'hot' pole for the normally grounded brass body. The SCTC decided that this was the preferable method for the clubs trolley poles and moved forward.

EVOLUTION OF THE SCTC1 BRASS TROLLEY POLE PIVOT BASE
When the Southern California Traction Club was founding in 1995, they found out early that most Pacific Electric models were from Ed Suydam. These trolley poles were held on the cars with a nut under the roof and could not be removed without disassembling the car. They concluded that poles should be easily removable. During one of the early meetings of the club, it was noted that there were three styles of trolley poles and bases commonly used in HO scale traction. The poles used on the many Pacific Electric cars from Ed Suydam were the first style with which the club was very familiar. These poles (Exhibit 'D' in the below right photo) used a base with a threaded 2.0 mm shaft into which a nut was attached under the roof. This design forced the car to be disassembled to remove the trolley pole. The second style was the Bowser pole (Exhibit 'F' in the below right photo) originally designed by George Stock. This pole base used a 3/32" shaft which was also fastened under the roof of the car with a nut, again forcing the car to be disassembled to replace the trolley pole. Certain senior East Penn members such as the late Ed Torpey had designed brass tubing sleeves mounted in the roofs of their cars to allow the poles to be easily and removed but this system had to accommodate both the Bowser and Suydam poles so even though the Suydam poles were a little loose in those sleeves but they worked most of the time. When dewirements occurred, the problems of locating the errant trolley pole became common and they were sometimes launched far from the scene of the mishap. The third style (Exhibits 'A' and 'B' in the below left photo) shown was used by the older Fairfield, Model Tramway, and Soho streetcars. They used a trolley pole base with small 1mm pin base that swiveled freely in a brass turning that sat in the roof. There was also a hat shaped insulator (Exhibit 'E' in the below right photo) that sat in the roof to insulate the 'hot' pole for the normally grounded brass body. The SCTC decided that this was the preferable method for the clubs trolley poles and moved forward.

The club was now presented with two problems. The first was how to get more of the brass turnings and insulators and how to convert the former Bowser and Suydam poles to the 1 mm pin base. Member Dave Garcia came up with the solution which is specifically detailed in the Trolleyville Schoolhouse, Lesson 2 in Room 1. He also located a machine shop to fabricate both SCTC1 and the SCTC2 insulators for Custom Traxx. The photo, above left, shows an original Soho pole with the brass base turning attached (Exhibit 'A'). The pole and the turning are also shown separated (Exhibit 'B'). It is this original 5.3mm/.21" brass hat shaped turning that would be initially replicated as SCTC1. That version of the SCTC1 was manufactured and available from Custom Traxx for about three years when it was realized that they were too short for some steeple cab locos and some of the then gaining popularity resin shells. The IHP Illinois Terminal PCC shell reviewed in the August 2009 issue of the Trolleyville Times would be come a good example of this. At that time the SCTC 1 was redesigned and lengthened to the 9.5mm/.375" length that it is today. The SCTC2, shown above right as (Exhibit 'E') was also manufactured by Custom Traxx and works with both versions of the the SCTC1, It is intended for metal cars, whose shells are grounded. They are also used when the holes in the roof are larger than that needed for the SCTC1.