In 1960, the\u00a0Budd Company<\/a>\u00a0built 270 M-3 cars for the Philadelphia Transportation Company, which was acquired by SEPTA in 1968. The fleet represented some of the first fully stainless steel metros in the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n In lieu of air conditioning, the cars were equipped with ventilation fans. Featuring\u00a0distinctive\u00a0humps on the roof for the blowers, the models were nicknamed \u201cAlmond Joys\u201d for their resemblance to the popular candy bar.<\/p>\n \nThe lightweight, corrosion-resistant construction allowed the fleet to remain operational for nearly 40 years, which at the time was a major achievement for transit longevity. Its design was emulated by the New York City Subway and other neighboring transit systems, said Marc Glucksman, a member of the museum.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cWhat it really represents is Philly\u2019s investment in modern, stainless steel cars,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you compare this to what you have today, the current cars don\u2019t last nearly as long as this.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nA majority of the M-3 fleet was scrapped by the transit authority after their discontinuation, but two cars were donated to the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Washington County and the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.\n<\/p>\n \nMark Wolodarsky, president of the New York museum, was involved in the 1999 donation to the Maine museum, where it sat in storage for nearly 27 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n Recognizing its historical significance and potential for public use, he began working with officials in Maine to re-locate the railcar to Kingston, New York, in June 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mark Wolodarsky, president of the Trolley Museum of New York, spent nearly three years finalizing the transfer of a rare SEPTA subway car from the 1960s.<\/p>\n Securing the proper permits, purchasing the correct equipment and finding the space to house the 55-foot long, 26-ton vehicle took nearly three years. For a year, it sat in a storage facility in Vermont. Then on March 28<\/a>,\u00a0the trolley museum welcomed the railcar \u2014 its first artifact from the Philadelphia area.<\/p>\n For its age, Car #618 remains in good condition,\u00a0Glucksman said, and\u00a0its wall advertisements and cushioned seating is a moment in time from the mid-1990s.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"SEPTA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Mark_W._TMNY.width-704.png\")
Provided Image\/Marc Glucksman<\/p>\n