By Aaron Isaacs, HRA editor
It might surprise people to know that streetcars are the most common type of active rail vehicle restoration. There are currently 89 electric cars being restored. 21 of the streetcar projects began with stripped carbodies, the proverbial “chicken coops”. It’s a major challenge starting with nothing but a shell, especially given the shortage of power trucks and electrical gear.
| State/Province | Museum | Electric Car | Status |
| AB | Edmonton Radial Railway | Saskatoon sweeper 200 | |
| AR | Fort Smith Trolley Museum | Vera Cruz open car 9 | |
| BC | West Coast Railway Association | BC Electric steeplecab 960 | |
| BC | Fraser Valley Heritage Rail Society | BC Electric interurban 1231 | |
| CA | Western Railway Museum | Sacramento Northern Birney 62 | |
| CA | Western Railway Museum | Key System 271 | |
| CA | Orange Empire Railway Museum | Pacific Electric “Blimp” 418 | |
| CA | Orange Empire Railway Museum | Pacific Electric steeplecab 1624 | |
| CA | Orange Empire Railway Museum | Los Angeles streetcar 665 | |
| CA | Orange Empire Railway Museum | San Diego PCC 508 | |
| CA | San Francisco Muni | Porto 189 | |
| CA | San Francisco Muni | Johnstown 351 | |
| CA | San Francisco Muni | Market Street Railway 798 | |
| CA | San Francisco Muni | New Orleans 913 | |
| CA | San Francisco Muni | Muni 130 | |
| CA | Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources | Oakland horsecar 2 | |
| CO | Pikes Peak Trolley Museum | Birney 135 | |
| CO | Friends of the 04 Trolley | Denver Tramways interurban .04 | |
| CT | Connecticut Trolley Museum | Connecticut Company 3001 | |
| CT | Connecticut Trolley Museum | Brooklyn Rapid Transit 169 | |
| CT | Connecticut Trolley Museum | Northern Ohio Traction parlor Northern | Starting with stripped carbody |
| CT | Shore Line Trolley Museum | Johnstown 356 | |
| CT | Shore Line Trolley Museum | Third Avenue 830 | Cosmetic restoration |
| CT | Shore Line Trolley Museum | Transport of New Jersey trailer 4584 | Starting with stripped carbody |
| CT | Shore Line Trolley Museum | Interborough Rapid Transit 3662 | |
| IA | Iowa Railway Historical Society | Iowa Traction locomotive 53 | |
| IL | Fox River Trolley Museum | CTA L car 4451 | |
| IL | Illinois Railway Museum | CTA L car 4146 | |
| IL | Illinois Railway Museum | Chicago Aurora & Elgin 453 | |
| IL | Illinois Railway Museum | Kansas City PCC 755 | |
| IL | Illinois Railway Museum | Fox River 306 | |
| IL | Illinois Railway Museum | Cleveland PCC 4223 | |
| IL | Illinois Railway Museum | Michigan Electric 28 | Starting with stripped carbody |
| IL | Illinois Railway Museum | North Shore Line Electroliner | |
| IL | Illinois Railway Museum | Shaker Heights Rapid Transit 18 | |
| IN | Hoosier Heartland Trolley | Union Traction 429 | Starting with stripped carbody |
| IN | Bob Harris | Chicago, Lake Shore & South Bend 73 | Starting with stripped carbody |
| MB | Winnipeg Railway Museum | Winnipeg 356 | Starting with stripped carbody |
| MD | Baltimore Streetcar Museum | Baltimore PCC 7303 | |
| MD | Baltimore Streetcar Museum | Baltimore sweeper C-145 | Almost complete |
| MD | Baltimore Streetcar Museum | Baltimore open car 1164 | |
| MD | Baltimore Streetcar Museum | Newark PCC 26 | |
| MD | National Capital Trolley Museum | Capital Traction 27 | |
| ME | Seashore Trolley Museum | Bay State 4175 | Starting with stripped carbody |
| ME | Seashore Trolley Museum | Boston Elevated 6131 | |
| ME | Seashore Trolley Museum | Cleveland trailer 2365 | Starting with stripped carbody |
| ME | Seashore Trolley Museum | Eastern Massachusetts 4387 | |
| ME | Seashore Trolley Museum | Lexington & Boston 41 | Starting with stripped carbody |
| ME | Seashore Trolley Museum | New Jersey Transit PCC 5 | |
| ME | Seashore Trolley Museum | Philadelphia 6618 | |
| ME | Seashore Trolley Museum | Rochester 1213 | Starting with stripped carbody |
| ME | Seashore Trolley Museum | Toronto 2890 | |
| ME | Seashore Trolley Museum | Portland-Lewiston 14 Narcissus | Starting with stripped carbody |
| ME | Seashore Trolley Museum | Lehigh Valley Transit high speed 1030 | |
| MN | Minnesota Streetcar Museum | TCRT 1239 | Previously restored from stripped carbody. New trucks being fabricated. |
| MO | Museum of Transport | Kansas City Birney 1533 | Body partially crushed in tunnel collapse |
| NY | New York Museum of Transportation | Philadelphia sweeper C-125 | |
| NY | New York Museum of Transportation | Philadelphia & Western 161 | |
| NY | New York Museum of Transportation | New Jersey Transit PCC 7 | |
| NY | Jamestown Street Railway | Jamestown 93 | Starting with stripped carbody |
| NY | Rochester & Genessee Valley Railroad Museum | Rochester Subway 60 | |
| OH | Northern Ohio Railway Museum | Shaker Heights 303 | |
| OH | Ohio Railway Museum | Columbus 703 | |
| ON | Halton County Radial Railway | London & Port Stanley interurban 4 | |
| ON | Halton County Radial Railway | London & Port Stanley locomotive L-2 | |
| ON | Halton County Radial Railway | Toronto 416 | Starting with stripped carbody |
| ON | Halton County Radial Railway | Lake Erie & Northern 797 | |
| ON | Halton County Radial Railway | Toronto sweeper S-37 | |
| ON | Ottawa Streetcar 696 Restoration | Ottawa Streetcar 696 | Starting with stripped carbody |
| PA | Electric City Trolley Museum | Scranton 324 | Starting with stripped carbody |
| PA | Electric City Trolley Museum | Scranton 505 | Complete car, but badly deteriorated |
| PA | Electric City Trolley Museum | Third Avenue Ry. 651 | Starting with stripped carbody |
| PA | Electric City Trolley Museum | Philadelphia 5205 | |
| PA | Hershey Derry Township Historical Society | Hershey 7 | Starting with stripped carbody |
| PA | Pennsylvania Trolley Museum | Philadelphia 8042 | |
| PA | Pennsylvania Trolley Museum | Pittsburgh PCC 1138 | |
| PA | Pennsylvania Trolley Museum | Shaker Heights PCC 94 | Cosmetic restoration |
| PA | Pennsylvania Trolley Museum | Monongahela West Penn interurban 250 | Cosmetic restoration |
| PA | Pennsylvania Trolley Museum | Monongahela Class B locomotive 3000 | |
| PA | Pennsylvania Trolley Museum | Red Arrow center door streetcar 73 | |
| PA | Rockhill Trolley Museum | Chicago Aurora & Elgin 315 | |
| PA | Anthracite Traction | Wilkes Barre 790 | Starting with stripped carbody |
| PA | Newtown Railroad Museum | Red Arrow PCC | Cosmetic restoration |
| VA | Hampton History Museum | Hampton & Newport News 390 | Starting with stripped carbody |
| WA | Northwest Railway Museum | Puget Sound Electric 523 | Starting with stripped carbody |
| WI | East Troy Electric Railroad | South Shore 6 | |
| WI | East Troy Electric Railroad | North Shore 761 |