Lake Shore Electric Coach 149 was part of a series of 20 similarly designed cars built by the Niles Car Company from 1905 to 1907. The cars incorporated then-new multiple-unit controls which allowed a single motorman to operate several cars as a train, an important plus for the busy Lake Shore Electric. At delivery all the cars were nearly identical with a seating capacity of 52 at nearly 51 feet in length.
By 1923 the line found itself in need of cars with a higher seating capacity to handle the increasing traffic on its profitable Lorain-Cleveland service. Car 149 went into the company shops and was lengthened to 60 feet, allowing the addition of 12 more seats. Car 143 also got this same modification. The higher capacity cars were frequently used in “School Bus” service in Elyria. In the case of 149, this shop surgery weakened the cars structure, allowing it to twist and bend as it ran down the track at speed. In honor of the car’s new operating characteristics it was given the nickname “Flexible Flyer,” the name of a popular kids sled in the trolley era which was steered by twisting its runners to the left or right. The car remained in service until the abandonment of the Lake Shore Electric in 1938.
Like many interurban cars, 149 was stripped of her trucks and electrical gear to be sold as scrap. The body became a shed on a farm. Eventually the body was recued from shed duty and moved to a property in Delta, Ohio. Here a private collector built several hundred feet of track, procured trucks originally under a 1920s era Chicago EL car and began restoration efforts. Another car located here was completed and made to run on this mini interurban railway and towed 149 back and forth. With the passing of the private collector, the 149 was donated to a nearby town for display. After a few years the town realized they were not able to properly take car of the car. The Museum acquired the car in 2004 and moved it to the museum that year.
| Builder | Niles Car Company |
| Type | Interurban Car |
| Description | Single End Double Truck Railroad Roof Wood Coach |
| Year Built | 1907 |
| Retired | 1938 |
| Acquired | 2004 |
| Seats | 64 |
| Length | 60′ |
| Width | 8′ 7″ |
| Height | 12′ 11″ |
| Weight | 82,700 |
| Trucks | Baldwin 7830 |
| Motors | (2) WH567, 165hp |
| Control | |
| Brakes | |
| Compressor |