FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 10, 2014
THE O’CONNELL ORGANIZATION DONATES TROLLEY CARS
BROOKLYN, NY, February 10, 2014 – This past weekend O’Connell Organization donated three trolley cars which were located on the company’s property adjacent to Fairway Market for a number of years. These trolley cars, along with a significant donation, were conveyed to the Branford Electric Railway Association (“BERA), which operates the Shore Line Trolley Museum in East Haven, CT, an organization founded in 1945 dedicated to the preservation of the trolley car.
For more than a year, since Hurricane Sandy, The O’Connell Organization has been working with the BERA in order to find a home for these trolley cars. Unfortunately, the salt water that flooded the Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook during Hurricane Sandy did considerable damage to these trolleys, limiting the potential of finding a suitable organization to undertake their rebuild. The list of issues that arose post-Sandy with respect to these trolley cars includes rust, rotting, missing doors, frozen gear cases, destroyed windows and glass, and motors which were immersed in salt water. The O’Connell Organization continues to hope that these trolley cars will serve a purpose somewhere and have donated them to the BERA for this very reason. Rather than let these historic trolleys continue to sit stagnant, building up rust and rot in Red Hook , the O’Connell Organization has passed them on to BERA, which has the ability to rebuild them or at the very least can facilitate a transfer to someone that will.
The trolley cars donated were…
EX-GREATER CLEVELAND TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY
PCC CAR 70
EX-METROPOLITAN BOSTON TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY
PCC CARS 3221 AND 3299
Additional information on the Branford Electric Railway Association can be found on their website www.bera.org.
The O’Connell Organization is a family owned and operated real estate development business based in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Its mission is to acquire, redevelop and manage property while preserving its historic value and utilizing its inherent attributes for the betterment of the community.
Contact Information:
The O’Connell Organization
175 Van Dyke Street, Suite 322A Brooklyn, NY 11231
(718) 624-0160
www.redhookwaterfront.com