| Perley A. Thomas |
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| 1874 births | |
| thomas, perley a. | |
| 1958 deaths | |
| american entrepreneurs | |
| public transport | |
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He attended night courses at Case Institute Of Technology , and learned Technical Drawing , design skills, and structural engineering. As the streetcar manufacturers transitioned from wooden to steel construction, his expertise allowed him to accept a better offer with Southern Car Company in High Point, North Carolina , where he became chief Engineer , and he and his wife moved south in 1910 . Thomas became chief engineer, draftsman and designer for the company, using both his mechanical skills and his experience as a skilled woodworker. After he was laid off there when the company folded in 1916, he was persuaded to undertake a contract to renovate streetcars for the Southern Public Utilities Company of Charlotte, North Carolina , using Southern's former facilities and many of its employees. The following year, he organized Perley A. Thomas Car Works , which became famous for its streetcars. Perley A. Thomas streetcars were renowned for their expert craftsmanship and solid construction, and operated in many large North American cities, including ''. Late in the 20th century, local employees carefully restored the cars, which operate on a Heritage Streetcar System . As he had noted and taken advantage of the transition from wooden to steel streetcars, he also recognized the transition from streetcars to Bus es which North America was undergoing in the 1930s. Thomas guided his company through a transition to bus manufacturing in 1936. The Perley A. Thomas Car Works was later reorganized as , a worldwide automotive manufacturer. Perley A. Thomas was inducted into the North Carolina Transportation Hall of Fame in 2004. EXTERNAL LINKS
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