HIGH POINT, N.C. — Six Thomas Built Buses employees recently began restoring a streetcar manufactured by the company — then named Perley A. Thomas Car Works — in 1923.

“Streetcar 918,” which is one of 73 vehicles of its kind, is slated to go on exhibit at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in early 2010, with Thomas Built providing the funds necessary for the three-year renovation project.

The streetcar will join a working 1940 school bus that Thomas Built donated to the museum last summer.

“It’s an honor for Thomas Built vehicles to be showcased for the roles they’ve played in transportation history,” said John O’Leary, company president and CEO. “We are thankful to have employees with such a sense of community spirit and history and Thomas is proud to support them in preserving this treasured piece of history.”

Founded in 1916, Perley A. Thomas Car Works manufactured streetcars and trolley buses before transitioning to school buses in 1936.

The North Carolina Transportation Museum features an authentic train depot, antique automobiles and a 37-bay roundhouse that houses 25 locomotives, rail cars and other exhibits.