Perley A. Thomas Car Works

Perley A. Thomas Car Works, Inc.
Company type	Private
Industry	Streetcar and bus manufacturing
Predecessor	Southern Car Works
Founded	1916 in High Point, North Carolina, U.S.
Founder	Perley A. Thomas
Defunct	1970s
Fate	Renamed Thomas Built Buses, Inc. in 1972
Headquarters	High Point, United States
Area served	United States, international urban transit networks
Key people	Perley A. Thomas (founder and president)
Products	Streetcars, trolley coaches, transit buses, school bus bodies
Number of employees	125 (circa 1923)
Parent	Freightliner Trucks (subsidiary of Daimler AG since 1998)

Perley A. Thomas Car Works, Inc. was a U.S.-based manufacturer of streetcars, with its headquarters located in High Point, North Carolina. Established in 1916 by engineer and businessman Perley A. Thomas following the dissolution of Southern Car Works, the firm concentrated on both the construction and refurbishment of streetcars.

As the Great Depression accelerated the transition in American public transportation from streetcars to motorized buses, Thomas Car Works shifted its focus to bus production by the mid-1930s, emphasizing the manufacture of school bus bodies. After World War II, it emerged as a prominent school bus body producer nationwide, adopting the name Thomas Built Buses, Inc. in 1972.

Currently, Thomas Built Buses continues to operate out of High Point and functions as a subsidiary of Freightliner Trucks, part of Daimler AG since 1998, demonstrating considerable expansion and strategic integration within the transportation sector.

1910s

Perley A. Thomas began his career with Southern Car Company in High Point in 1910 as an engineer and designer. By 1915, Southern Car had started shifting from wooden to fully steel vehicle bodies but faced competitive challenges that resulted in its closure early in 1916. Drawing on his woodworking skills and High Point’s established furniture industry, Thomas initially produced household furniture before securing a contract during the summer of 1916 to refurbish streetcars for Charlotte’s Southern Public Utilities Company.

Within one month of obtaining this contract, Thomas officially launched Perley A. Thomas Car Works, employing 30 former Southern Car workers and purchasing its equipment with a $6,000 loan. Operating out of a repurposed ice plant in High Point, the company expanded its refurbishment projects during 1917 to include contracts in Winston-Salem and Alabama.

In 1918, the firm began manufacturing new streetcars featuring wooden or steel bodies—with steel quickly becoming predominant—and acquired a 30-acre site near High Point to build a larger production facility. This growth allowed the company to carry out manufacturing and renovation simultaneously; that year it produced 25 streetcars, marking its entrance into original construction alongside its ongoing refurbishment services.

1920s

Throughout the 1920s, Thomas Car Works grew into one of America’s largest producers of electric streetcars. In 1921, it secured its most substantial order from NOPSI (New Orleans Public Service Inc.), amounting to 173 streetcars between 1921 and 1924 as NOPSI standardized its fleet. These steel-bodied 800-900-series streetcars were double-ended with dual operator controls and trolley poles. Since Thomas could not complete the entire order independently, it subcontracted part of the work to Philadelphia-based rival J. G. Brill Company, which used Thomas’s design.

A fire in September 1922 devastated the High Point factory, causing $225,000 in damages and destroying 14 streetcars under construction. Perley Thomas obtained $100,000 from NOPSI to purchase parts for completing 55 streetcars; by late 1923, an additional order for 25 cars had been fulfilled. Ultimately, Thomas manufactured 98 of the total 173 ordered cars (excluding those lost in the fire). The rebuilt facility featured three tracks with nine stations allowing nine cars to be worked on concurrently. Supported by a workforce of 125 employees, production reached seven streetcars per week.

In 1926, Thomas received a major contract from Detroit United Railroad for 100 streetcars—the longest ever produced by the company at —with deliveries continuing through 1929.

1930s

During the 1930s, Thomas Car Works underwent a pivotal transformation as streetcar demand waned. After completing its final streetcar order in 1930—four units for Mobile, Alabama—the company redirected its efforts toward road vehicle manufacturing. No new vehicles were produced in 1931 and 1932; instead, the focus shifted to maintenance, refurbishing, and automotive finishing services. In 1933, Thomas introduced its inaugural trolley coach, an electric bus equipped with trolley poles.

As rail transit steadily lost ground to more adaptable motor buses, Thomas constructed its first transit bus in 1934 for Duke Power, which had succeeded the company's original client.

In 1936, Thomas submitted a bid to manufacture school bus bodies for North Carolina. Although awarded a contract for 500 units, material shortages restricted output to 200 units, prompting a shared contract arrangement with Hackney Brothers. The project was completed profitably within five months. The following year, Thomas resumed competing for North Carolina school bus contracts, establishing a durable foothold in this sector.

Post World War II

In 1940, Perley A. Thomas retired from active management at age 65 but continued serving as president and design advisor. During World War II, Thomas Car Works shifted production from buses to manufacturing bodies for the GMC CCKW 2½-ton 6x6 military truck and also refurbished streetcars to maintain operations. After the war, the company concentrated exclusively on school bus manufacturing, launching the "Saf-T-Liner" line in 1957.

Perley Thomas passed away in 1958 at age 84, having provided strategic guidance as a design consultant during his retirement years. By 1972, under third-generation family leadership, the company reorganized as Thomas Built Buses, Inc., formally aligning its corporate identity with its primary focus nearly forty years after discontinuing streetcar production.

Operators

Between 1918 and 1930, Perley A. Thomas Car Works produced over 400 streetcars that served major urban transit networks throughout the United States and internationally. Prominent markets included Philadelphia, Washington D.C., New York City, Chicago, New Orleans, Charlotte, Detroit, Miami, as well as locations like San Juan and Havana. This extensive output positioned Thomas as a key manufacturer of urban transit vehicles in the early twentieth century.

Usage in New Orleans

As of 2019, the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority continues to operate 35 Perley Thomas 900-series streetcars nearly one hundred years after their initial construction in 1923–24. These vintage cars run on the St. Charles Streetcar Line, recognized as the longest continuously operating streetcar route worldwide. Notably, all 35 survived Hurricane Katrina in 2005 without damage, while most replica streetcars required significant restoration and were out of service until 2009. The original Thomas cars maintain their classic olive green paint scheme; replicas are predominantly bright red, though some are painted olive green to provide ADA-compliant service on the St. Charles line.

To support ongoing operations, the RTA established an internal parts manufacturing facility capable of producing full replicas of Thomas streetcars to ensure a reliable supply of replacement components. This workshop also developed ADA-accessible replica cars for the Canal Street and Riverfront lines featuring air conditioning and modern accessibility enhancements.

Preservation

Outside of their operational roles in New Orleans, four Thomas streetcars have been safeguarded by leading railway museums across the United States, contributing to efforts in heritage and historical conservation. In San Francisco, two additional streetcars are currently being refurbished for heritage purposes, while two other decommissioned vehicles remain non-functional under the ownership of the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority.

Significant preserved units include:

Connecticut Trolley Museum (NOPSI Car #836)
Seashore Trolley Museum (NOPSI Car #966)
Pennsylvania Trolley Museum (NOPSI #832)
Shore Line Trolley Museum (NOPSI #850)

Within the San Francisco Municipal Railway, cars #913 and #952 are maintained, with #952 on lease since 1998 and #913 purchased in 2005; both are presently undergoing restoration aimed at returning them to active service.

Moreover, the Hagerstown and Frederick Railway Suburban Coach 150, constructed in 1918 and incorporated into H&F’s fleet in 1923, has been restored and donated by a private collector. It is now preserved inside the Myersville Public Library in Maryland. This example underscores the ongoing dedication to preserving historic transit vehicles as part of wider heritage preservation programs.

In popular culture

The acclaimed Tennessee Williams play and its film adaptation, A Streetcar Named Desire, is set in New Orleans, Louisiana circa 1947. It prominently features Perley A. Thomas streetcars operating on the Desire line, illustrating the historical influence of the company within that market.

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