Tower Cars are used for construction and maintenance of the overhead power collection system used by electric railroads and streetcar companies. The cars carried tools, reels of wire, and spare parts. Linemen worked on the overhead by the use of insulated towers built into the car.
Los Angeles Railway 9350 was constructed in 1907 by the LARy, entering service on December 23, 1907. The car was in continual service through several ownership changes, including Los Angles Transit Lines in 1945 and the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority in 1958. Special tower trucks made tower cars obsolete in areas where the railway ran in the street. 9350 was the last tower car in service and was retained for use on private right-of-way until 1962 when it was placed into storage at the LAMTA south Park Shops. 9350 was rescued by the Orange Empire Trolley Museum in 1963. Streetcar service in Los Angeles ended altogether in March of 1963.
9350 has been restored to it’s LATL ‘Fruit Salad’ livery and is still used for line work at the Southern California Railway Museum.
