Trolley Thursday 10/14/21 - Pittsburgh's Mount Washington Tunnel Disaster

Despite the 1910s being the "Golden Age" of street railway development and operation, where it seemed everyone and their mother had a streetcar line, it was still a very hazard-fraught period as the companies were still learning how to make their streetcars safer through trial and deadly error. After all, it was just last week where we learned that New York City's worst subway disaster basically gave us the "deadman" pedal as we know it as late as 1918. Unfortunately, that kind of technology could have also saved another runaway streetcar that went down in local infamy as one of the worst streetcar crashes in the Alleghenies. On today's Trolley Thursday, we peer into the annals of the Pittsburgh Railways as we look back on the 1917 Mount Washington Transit Tunnel Terror.

Trolley Thursday 9/24/20 - The Hershey Transit Company

If there's anything to take comfort in nowadays, it's a nice, creamy chocolate bar. There's plenty of brands to choose as well: if you're in the Bay Area, you go for the classic squares of Ghirardelli; if you're on a Swiss tram, you enjoy a fine Lindt truffle, and if you're in Pennsylvania, you grab a bar or a cup and hop on board Milton Hershey's very own trolley company! From 1903 to 1946, the Hershey Transit Company served employees and citizens alike in Hummelstown, Campbelltown, and every point inbetween, and it's still the only trolley company ever owned by a chocolate factory. On today's Trolley Thursday, let's unwrap the history and the nostalgia of the Hershey Transit Company

Trolley Tuesday 9/22/20 - The Pittsburgh Railways

Pittsburgh has always been an important industrial hub for both steel and freight in Pennsylvania, and the gateway west into Ohio and the rest of the country. Beyond the giant steel mills and coal mines, Pittsburgh was also home to one of the largest street railways in the state with the third largest fleet of PCC streetcars in America (a devilish 666 cars). However, events conspired to all but wipe out the system through an unstable ownership, multiple bankruptcies, and failed returns that retired some of the first revenue-earning PCCs in the country for normal light rail. The long and troubled history of the Pittsburgh Railways is a story that deserves to be remembered.

Trolley Thursday 9/17/20 - The Conestoga Traction Company

 Deep in Pennsylvania's Dutch Country, you wouldn't expect something as modern as an interurban system to intrude upon the otherwise peaceful, low-tech life of the Amish. However, even the Dutch country was not free of its own interurban system, and quite a large one at that. The Conestoga Traction Company may be forgotten now, but at one point it was one of the largest non-metropolitan systems in Pennsylvania, providing farmers and travelers with means to get from its center at Lancaster to the tiny farm towns such as Elizabethtown, Pequea, and even Strasburg. It even formed the basis for a notable comic and cartoon series! But all of that, and more, lies in today's Trolley Tuesday!

Trolley Tuesday 9/15/20 - Philadelphia & Western Railroad

The eastern United States may have been more densely-packed than the Midwest or western United States, but that doesn't exempt them from having some famous high speed lines. Far from glamorous, or far from any cities, these Appalachian interurbans helped connect the farmlands of Pennsylvania with the major city centers of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, providing new opportunities for workers and their families across the state. The most famous of these is the Philadelphia & Western Railroad, now referred to as the SEPTA Norris Town High Speed Line. This 102-year-old railroad rose from almost nothing to become one of the most unique and fastest railroads in America, and you'll find out why and more on today's Trolley Tuesday!

 

Trolley Thursday 9/10/20 - The Philadelphia Transportation Company

 On average, streetcars have a normal service life of twenty years before a major overhaul, with only minor servicing needed to keep them on the up-and-up. Even the most futuristic light rail vehicles can seem outdated in such a short amount of time. But what happens when the mid-century hits, automobile ownership rises, and National City Lines comes knocking on your doorstep? Find out how it affected the city of Brotherly Love, the Philadelphia Transport Company (PTC), and more, on today's (late) Trolley Thursday!

Trolley Tuesday 9/8/20 - The Brill Company and The Cars of the PRT

The cars of the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company (up until 1940) seemingly set the standard for what an American streetcar roster should look like, as their carbarns were packed with Peter Witts and PCC's, both ubiquitous streetcars of the United States. Their proximity to the J.G. Brill Company of Philadelphia, PA, also gave them unprecedented access to new car classes and prototypes that would have otherwise remained on the drawing board. On Today's (late) Trolley Tuesday, we'll take a brief glimpse at the Brill Car Company and its association with the city of Philadelphia.

Trolley Thursday 9/3/20 - The Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company

Welcome to a brand-new month of Twice-Weekly Trolley History content that we are dubbing "SEPTAmber". From now till the end of the month, we'll be looking at the wide, varied, and ongoing streetcar and interurban history of the state of Pennsylvania, from the ever-large Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and its constituent companies, to smaller operations like the Johnstown Traction Company, the Pittsburgh Railways, and an electric railway in Reading guaranteed "unsinkable". Today, we'll be looking at the City of Brotherly Love's rocky history as the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company, and all the trials and tribulations it endured until it was reorganized at the eve of World War II. Let's jump into it!