Classic Kodachrome Monday #55

Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:

This Week:

What: End of the Line

Why: It offers a great look at a scene that has vastly changed, while almost unintentionally tells an interesting story, as just a few months prior, the median strip seen in the backdrop had carried streetcars on this line, and had just been cut back to this point as of June.        

When: September of 1958, according to the mount.  

Where: Philadelphia, PA. This image is taken at the Cheltenham and Ogontz "City Line" Loop of the #6 streetcar line of the Philadelphia Transit Company.  The line had only recently been cut back to this point, having run further out in the distance to Willow Grove. The remaining segment of the line served as a short but heavy feeder route to the Broad Street Subway line running into Center City Philadelphia, and managed to hang on as a streetcar line until 1986, when it was changed to a bus line.  The #6 remains a busy route for the SEPTA system today.  

Who: Streetcar 2126 led a long career in the City of Brotherly Love.  Built in 1948, it was rebuilt by SEPTA in 1982, and continued to serve until 1990, when its front end was damaged.  It was sold to MUNI in San Francisco as a parts car to help keep a number of its brethren alive and well on the F-Market Street Streetcar line.        

How (much): A $6.00 pickup on ebay, taken by Clark Frasier, a well known transit photographer.  Definitely a welcome addition to the collection.