This is an old Suydam model of a PE work car. When PE changed from wheels to shoes for overhead pickup, there was a lot of friction created with the wire. Their solution was this wire greasing car.
The middle pole was for power. The ones at the ends had a tube below the shoe that held a stick of grease which was pushed pneumatically agains the wire as the car ran.
The middle pole was for power. The ones at the ends had a tube below the shoe that held a stick of grease which was pushed pneumatically agains the wire as the car ran.