The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum is a museum in Washington , Pennsylvania , dedicated to the operation and preservation of streetcars and trolleys . The museum primarily contains historic trolleys from Pennsylvania, but its collection includes examples from nearby Toledo , New Orleans , and even an open-sided car from Brazil . Many have been painstakingly restored to operating condition. Other unique cars either awaiting restoration or that are incompatible with the 5' 2-1/2" Pennsylvania trolley gauge track are on display in a massive trolley display building. Notable examples of static display include a J.G. Brill “Brilliner” car (which had been introduced as a competitor to the PCC streetcar ), locomotives, and a horse car from the early days of Pittsburgh’s public transit systems.
51-618: The origin of the museum can be traced to a group of electric railway enthusiasts who in 1949 acquired Pittsburgh Railways Company M-1, a small four-wheel Pittsburgh trolley. It and Pittsburgh Railways Company 3756 (a single-end low-floor car) and West Penn Railways Company 832 were stored for the group until 1954 in Ingram Car House by Pittsburgh Railways . In 1953, the Pittsburgh Railways Interurban line from Pittsburgh to Washington had been abandoned and
102-541: A 1984 episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood , where host Fred Rogers takes a ride on and operates Philadelphia streetcar #5326. The museum hosted the 2007 conference for the Association of Railway Museums . The conference was held on October 3–7, 2007, and was supported by a grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission . Pittsburgh Railways Pittsburgh Railways
153-422: A 6-road outdoor yard. While containing fewer tracks than yards like Craft Avenue, the length of the tracks allowed storage of many more cars per road, especially outdoors. Tunnel served lines 23, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42 and 43 (later the 42/38), 44, 46 (later 49), 48, and later the 47 and 53 lines to Carrick, and the final North Side lines 6/14 and 21. It also shared storage duties for the two Interurban lines with
204-675: A former carbarn in Rankin used only for dead storage of retired cars. A large (16 track) facility with several administration buildings at Craft Avenue and Forbes Avenue in Oakland . It served routes 50, 64, 66, 67, 68, 69, 75 and 81. Craft Avenue assumed storage duties for East End facilities that were closed such as Homewood, Herron Hill and Highland Park, as well as Carrick on the South Side; thus it eventually also served routes such as 22, 71, 73, 76, 77/54, 87 and 88. Craft Avenue ceased to be
255-602: A gift shop. The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum participates in the annual Washington County Fair by providing trolley rides from nearby parking lots to the fairgrounds. A special ride during the Christmas season includes a visit from Santa Claus . Following the advent of the Santa Special, the museum has added events for Easter (Bunny Trolley) and a fall-season Pumpkin Patch Trolley . The museum appeared in
306-664: A half-million youth in the U.S. and 40 other nations participate. The televised Pony League World Series held annually in August at Washington's Lew Hays Pony Field attracts teenage teams from around the world. Washington County is home of the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum . The county is known for the Meadowcroft Rock Shelter at Meadowcroft Village , which are one of the best preserved and oldest Pre-Clovis Native American dwellings in
357-443: A manufacturer and distributor of professional fire and burglar alarms and other security systems. On February 3, 2000, Pittway was acquired by Honeywell . Double deck cars were used by PRC between 1913 and 1924, a rarity for such cars in the U.S. Conventional single-deck stock formed the majority of the fleet. PRC operated 666 PCCs on 68 routes; the second-largest fleet of new cars (after Chicago ), starting with number 100,
408-455: A plurality of 68,164 registered voters, compared to 56,044 registered Democrats , 13,943 registered non-affiliated voters, and 3,995 voters registered to other parties . Chart of Voter Registration Washington County is administered by a three-member publicly elected commission. Each commissioner serves in four-year terms. Elections occur in the odd-numbered years that precede U.S. presidential elections. All three Commissioners are chosen in
459-571: A streetcar facility on January 28, 1967 when all East End lines were converted to bus. The site is now occupied by the Magee-Womens Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center . Glenwood Car Barn served the 55, 56, 57, 58, 65 and 98 routes and housed approximately 54 cars. Homewood car barn was begun in 1900 and grew to be one of the two largest installations of Pittsburgh Railways, with 110 cars housed there. Also
510-659: Is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , United States. As of the 2020 census , the population was 209,349. Its county seat is Washington . The county is part of the Greater Pittsburgh region of the state. The county is home to Washington County Airport , three miles (4.8 km) southwest of Washington. The county was created on March 28, 1781, from part of Westmoreland County . The city and county were both named after American Revolutionary War leader George Washington , who eventually became
561-643: Is water. Washington County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission , and it is identified as part of "Greater Appalachia" by Colin Woodard in his book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America . The flag of Washington County, Pennsylvania consists of a light blue background with the county's seal in the middle. The seal consists of
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#1732773220779612-546: The Blue Line – Library , and in 2020 was renamed the Silver Line - Library. The Washington line was cut back to the county boundary at Drake in August 1953 and eventually became the 36 Shannon-Drake . This in turn became the southern portion of 42 South Hills Village (excluding the new link from Dorchester to South Hills Village , which was built in 1984). The final portion of the interurban from Dorchester to Drake
663-736: The Perley Thomas Company (High Point, North Carolina) in 1923. This car was formerly used on various lines in New Orleans, including the Desire line , which had been made famous in the play by Tennessee Williams : A Streetcar Named Desire . When the play opened on Broadway, Car #832 appeared in an article in the December 15, 1947, issue of Life magazine. Added in 2023 was the Terrible Trolley that celebrated
714-902: The Point Bridge was closed to traffic, although 30 1000- and 1100-series PCCs made surplus by the conversion were scrapped there. The property was sold to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh ; the barn proper was converted in 1968 to the Church of the Ascension, while the yard office was converted to classrooms, parish offices and a parish hall . Keating car house was built in 1921. It served routes 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15 and 21. The remaining trolley routes from Manchester car house (6, 13, 14, 18 and 19) were moved to Keating in 1959. The final North Side trolleys (6/14 and 21) were transferred to South Hills Car House in 1965 and
765-691: The 100 was converted to instruction car M-11. Because replacement parts were no longer available, cars 1784 (originally 1603, and subsequently renumbered 1976) and 1779 were rebuilt in 1976 and 1977 respectively, with LRV -style flat fronts. In 1981 PATransit constructed cars 4000–4013 on new frames that utilized a mix of new parts and components salvaged from retired 1700-series cars. The last four PCCs were finally retired on September 4, 1999, having been replaced by Siemens SD-400 Light Rail Vehicles. A number of Pittsburgh streetcars have been preserved. Pittsburgh Railways operated 68 streetcar routes. A notable, unnumbered, tripper (unscheduled extra) service
816-697: The 41D Brookline becoming the 39 Brookline. Many of the streetcar routes have been remembered in the route names of many Port Authority buses (e.g. 71 series). 1895 to 1905 was a time of consolidation for the numerous street railways serving Pittsburgh. On July 24, 1895 the Consolidated Traction Company (CTC) was chartered and the following year acquired the Central Traction Company, Citizens Traction Company, Duquesne Traction Company and Pittsburgh Traction Company and converted them to electric operation. On July 27, 1896
867-504: The 62nd St. Sharpsburg Bridge was closed. The Tunnel (also referred to as South Hills) car barn, located along Curtis and Jasper Streets next to South Hills Junction and the south portal of the South Hills Tunnel , was the car storage facility for many, and eventually all, South Side lines, and one of the most important such facilities on the entire system. It consisted of a 4-road brick shed with administrative offices, plus
918-686: The Charleroi interurban line began in 1895 in Monongahela City , with the construction of a small street railway by the Monongahela City Street Railway Company. In 1900 the line was extended north to Riverview and in 1901 extended south to Black Diamond Mine. Here it turned inland, south along Black Dam Hollow (the former roadbed is now known as Trolley Lane). It met the northern end of the newly constructed (1899) Charleroi & West Side Street Railway at
969-766: The Duquesne-McKeesport area resulted in the replacement of trolley services with buses on September 21, 1958. The replacement of the Point Bridge with the Fort Pitt Bridge precipitated the abandonment of many routes to the West End, all on June 21, 1959. PRC was engaged in ongoing litigation over the failure of the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission to provide streetcar tracks on the new bridge. In
1020-606: The Richfol Stop, which had been located at the north end of Canonsburg on the Pittsburgh Railways Interurban line from Pittsburgh to Washington. The museum line was extended north along the track bed of the abandoned Pennsylvania Railroad branch to the Arden Mines. Between 1979 and 1995, museum volunteers constructed a new track (5' 2-1/2" gauge) along this right of way to a location near
1071-753: The United Traction Company (UTC) was chartered and absorbed the Second Avenue Traction Company, which had been running electric cars since 1890. The Southern Traction Company (STC) acquired the lease of the West End Traction Company on October 1, 1900. Pittsburgh Railway Company (PRC) was formed on January 1, 1902, when STC acquired operating rights over CTC and UTC. The new company operated 1,100 trolleys on 400 miles (640 km) of track, with 178.7 million passengers and revenues of $ 6.7 million on
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#17327732207791122-660: The barns in Charleroi and in Tylerdale (Washington). As the nucleus of the surviving PAT trolley lines, Tunnel barn survived into the mid-1980s, when it was demolished after being replaced by the current PAT storage and maintenance facility at the end of the South Hills Village branch off the Drake line. The West Park car barn in McKees Rocks was a large facility with two barns and several outdoor sidings. It
1173-506: The collection on display, it keeps the historic trolleys undercover and out of the elements. Tracks connecting to the Trolley Display Building were opened in 2008. In November 2023, the new Welcome & Education Center opened to the public on Electric Way, a half-mile from the old Visitor Center and car barns on Museum Road. The new facility is home to interactive exhibits, theater space and meeting rooms, restrooms, and
1224-558: The country. The county has 21 covered bridges still standing. The Whiskey Rebellion culminated in Washington. The home of David Bradford , one of the rebellion leaders, is located in Washington and is a national landmark. Just a couple blocks away is the F. Julius LeMoyne House , which serves as the headquarters of the Washington County Historical Society. Washington County is the home of
1275-919: The county courthouse, a covered bridge, an Indigenous American, and an early settler. This montage has the words "Historical Washington County" and "1781" inside a circle. Washington County has a humid continental climate ( Köppen Dfb ), with warm summers and cold, snowy winters. Precipitation is highest in the summer months, with an annual average of 38.87 in (987 mm). Snow usually falls between November and April, with an average of 37.8 in (96 cm). The Democratic Party has been historically dominant in county-level politics and national politics between 1932 and 2004, only voting Republican for president in Richard Nixon's 1972 landslide victory over George McGovern. However, like much of Appalachian coal country , Washington has trended strongly Republican in recent years. In 2000, Democrat Al Gore won 53% of
1326-557: The destination, e.g. Shannon-Washington . Inbound cars were signed simply Pittsburgh . Pittsburgh Railways inherited many different car barns from the companies that formed it, many of which were closed during the final years prior to take over by the Port Authority. At the time of the PA takeover on February 28, 1964, only Craft Avenue, Keating and Tunnel (South Hills) remained as streetcar facilities, together with Homewood Shops, and
1377-533: The early twentieth century. PRC faced constant pressure from the city to improve equipment and services. Workers walked out when a pay raise was rejected. On July 26, 1936, PRC took delivery of PCC streetcar No. 100 from the St. Louis Car Company . It was placed in revenue service in August 1936, the first revenue earning PCC in the world. Large scale abandonments of lines began in the late 1950s, usually associated with highway or bridge work. Highway improvements in
1428-506: The end the company was allowed to abandon 27 miles (43 km) of street track in situ and was awarded $ 300,000 as compensation. The litigation marked the beginning of significant abandonments: 90 percent of the network was dismantled over the next decade. PRC Interurban Division ran an interurban trolley system linking Pittsburgh with towns in Washington County such as Washington , Charleroi and Roscoe . The origins of
1479-596: The facility became the bus-only Ross Garage. Millvale car barn was built on the site of the Graff, Bennett Mill which burnt down in 1900. It catered for services 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. The car barn at 48th and Plummer Street in Lawrenceville served the 94 Aspinwall, 95 Butler Street, and 96 East Liberty via Morningside services. It replaced the Butler Street Cable and Horse car barn at 47th and Butler. It
1530-638: The first crematory in the United States. In 1981, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission installed a historical marker noting the historic importance of the county. Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities , boroughs , townships , and, in at most two cases, towns . The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Washington County: Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by
1581-527: The first PCC to enter revenue service. The company took delivery of car 1600 in 1945, which was the prototype for the over 1,800 post-War “all-electric” PCCs built in North America. Cars 1700–1724, which were delivered in 1948, were equipped with special features for use on the interurban lines to Washington and Charleroi. These included B-3 trucks and a roof-mounted sealed-beam headlight. (Cars 1615–19 and 1644–48 were similarly modified in 1948.) In 1950
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1632-559: The first President of the United States. The town of Charleroi got its name from the Belgian city of Charleroi . There lived many Belgian immigrants in the Monongahela area at the end of the 19th century, some of whom were glass makers. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 861 square miles (2,230 km ), of which 857 square miles (2,220 km ) is land and 3.9 square miles (10 km ) (0.5%)
1683-530: The former coal mining town. This added 1 mile (1.6 km) to the track and allowed stations to be opened at the County Fairground and Arden Mines, where a loop track was constructed, simplifying the operation of cars. In 2004, the original museum track was extended along the original interurban route to a point near North Main Street and Country Club Road. At this site another loop (McClane School Loop)
1734-518: The interurban line was dismantled back to the Drake stop in Upper St. Clair. Pittsburgh Railways Company #4393 (now in the museum's collection) returned riders to Pittsburgh, becoming the last revenue passenger service on the line. The Arden Trolley Museum opened to the public in June 1963 following a period of restoration and construction of a power station and carbarn. The museum's website states that
1785-399: The mission is "... to communicate the story of Pennsylvania's Trolley Era to a diverse audience through the preservation, interpretation, and use of its collection of electric railway and railroad equipment." To that end, the museum includes a collection of 51 street and electric railway vehicles in various conditions. Featured in the museum collection is New Orleans streetcar #832, built by
1836-637: The newly formed Pittsburgh Electric Railway Club bought 2,000 feet (610 m) of the line north of Washington in Chartiers Township next to the former County Home trolley stop. On February 7, 1954, the three trolleys stored in Pittsburgh were run to the museum site under their power. On the founding day, the operation of the cars was enjoyed by supporters, making this the first trolley museum operation in Pennsylvania. In subsequent months
1887-536: The now-disused Lock number 4 in North Charleroi . The Charleroi interurban line was cut back to the Allegheny County border at Library (Simmons loop) in June 1953 It continued to operate until the 1980s as 35 Shannon-Library and became the southern portion of 47L Library via Overbrook when Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs) replaced trolleys. The trolley loop was removed in 2004. In 2010 this line became
1938-540: The same election, and voters may vote for no more than two of the candidates. By state law, the commission must have a minority party guaranteeing a political split on the commission. The Commissioners are responsible for the management of the fiscal and administrative functions of the county. Maggi was the Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district against Republican incumbent Tim Murphy in 2012. Maggi lost to Murphy and earned only 36 percent of
1989-497: The shops remained in use until January 1967 when all East End lines were closed. The large site is now used for a mixture of residential and commercial premises, with the last remaining railway buildings converted first to a skating rink and then in 1997 to a bowling alley and entertainment venue called the Homewood Coliseum. Since 2000 the complex has also housed The Trolley Station Oral History Center . Ingram carbarn
2040-437: The site of PRC's heavy repair shops, it covered four blocks from 7100 to 7400 on the south side of Frankstown Avenue, bordered by North Lang Avenue to the west, Felicia Way to the south and Braddock to the east. On May 18, 1955 Barn No. 2 was destroyed by fire along with all of the equipment within it, which included PCC trolleys 1026, 1051, 1155, 1220, 1281, 1294,1600,1648, 1682,1701,1725. Homewood car barn closed in 1960, though
2091-514: The successes of Pittsburgh's professional football team, the Pittsburgh Steelers . Former PCC #1713 will be painted in the team's black and gold colors. The original museum operating line consisted of a one-half-mile section of the abandoned Pittsburgh Railways' Washington interurban line, which until 1953 connected to Pittsburgh via the route that still serves sections of Bethel Park. The Richfol shelter at Car House No. 1 came from
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2142-422: The vote and Republican George W. Bush won 44%. In 2004, Democrat John Kerry received 50.14% of the vote and Bush received 49.57% a difference of 552 votes. In 2008, Republican John McCain won 51% to Democrat Barack Obama 's 46% and each of the three state row office winners carried Washington County. As of January 8, 2024, there are 142,146 registered voters in Washington county. Registered Republicans have
2193-628: The vote. Irey Vaughan was the Republican candidate for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district and lost to the late Democratic incumbent John Murtha in the 2006 election. On November 7, 2023, Nick Sherman and Lawrence Maggi were reelected as county commissioners. Electra Janis won her first term as county commissioner. Pony League baseball was founded in Washington County in 1951 for 13 and 14 year old boys and its headquarters are located here. As of 2016, more than
2244-405: The year. PRC had over 20 car barns in the city as well as power stations. 1918 was the company's peak year, operating 99 trolley routes over 606 miles (975 km) of track. The lease and operate business model proved hard to support and the company declared bankruptcy twice, first in 1918 lasting for 6 years and then again in 1938, this time lasting until January 1, 1951. Company costs rose in
2295-440: Was bounded by Third Street to the north, Chartiers Avenue to the south and Rox Street to the east. It closed in 1931, but remained a storage facility for scrap trolley parts. The building was demolished in 1951. 5 Generation Bakers now occupies the southern part of the site with a bakery and a retail outlet in a former supermarket building, with new housing to the north. Washington County, Pennsylvania Washington County
2346-456: Was closed in the summer of 1954, with services 94 Aspinwall and 95 Butler Street routes being assigned to Manchester Car House until June 1959. They then transferred to Keating Car House until replaced by bus routes on November 13, 1960. Service 96 East Liberty was transferred first to Bunker Hill car barn then Homewood Car House until June, 1960. It was then transferred to Craft Avenue car house, also being replaced by buses on November 13, 1960 when
2397-492: Was constructed, making possible the continuous operation of single-ended trolleys. In September 2004, the area surrounding the museum flooded in the wake of Hurricane Ivan . The floodwaters caused substantial damage to the museum; it has since been repaired. The 28,000 sq. ft. Trolley Display Building opened to the public in May 2005, allowing the museum to display approximately 30 cars from their collection. Besides putting more of
2448-451: Was one of the predecessors of Pittsburgh Regional Transit . It had 666 PCC cars, the third largest fleet in North America (after Toronto (745) and Chicago (683)). It had 68 streetcar routes, of which only three (until April 5, 2010, the 42 series, the 47 series, and 52 ) are used by the Port Authority as light rail routes. With the Port Authority's Transit Development Plan, many route names will be changed to its original, such as
2499-442: Was renamed 47 Drake , finally closing in 1999 and bringing to an end PCC Streetcar operation in Pittsburgh. The company acquired G. Barr & Co., a manufacturer of aerosol cans, in 1962, and bought Alarm Device Manufacturing Company (Ademco) in 1963. It received $ 16.558 million for the sale of the streetcar system to the Port Authority in 1964. In 1967, it was renamed to Pittway Corporation . Later, Pittway became best known as
2550-728: Was signed Stadium - Forbes Field , for Pitt Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers football games and Pirates baseball games. Pitt Stadium and Forbes Field were convenient to the lines on Fifth Avenue and Forbes Avenue , both two-way streets during the trolley era. This service, which probably last ran in fall 1966, was no longer possible after the East End lines closed in January 1967. The Interurban lines did not use route numbers. Outbound interurban cars were signed for their outbound destination, namely Charleroi , Roscoe or Washington ; some PCC rollsigns instead prefixed Shannon - to
2601-480: Was the main storage facility in the West End. Located on Berry Street in Ingram Borough on routes 30 and 31, it also served routes 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and 34. It consisted of a 4-road brick shed housing 20 cars, an 8-road open yard capable of holding about 120 cars, and a brick administration building. Ingram ceased as an active facility after June 21, 1959 when all the West End lines were abandoned after
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