Johnstown Traction 311, the Rockhill Trolley Museum's first acquisition in its collection.

The Rockhill Trolley Museum is a museum and heritage railway in Rockhill Furnace, Pennsylvania that collects and restores trolley, interurban, and transit cars. Founded in 1960, the museum operates what has been historically referred to as the Shade Gap Electric Railway to demonstrate the operable pieces in its collection. "Shade Gap" refers to the name of a branch of the East Broad Top Railroad, from whom the museum leases it property.[1]

The first car acquired by the museum in 1960 is Johnstown Traction #311.[1] Recent acquisitions include Public Service Coordinated Transport (later New Jersey Transit), Newark, NJ Presidents' Conference Committee (PCC) Car #6[2] and Iowa Terminal Railroad Snow Sweeper #3.[3]

The museum formerly operated under its corporate name, Railways to Yesterday. It changed to its current name to acknowledge and enhance its relationship with, and provide mutual promotional support to, its hometown.

The museum is open from May through October and for special holiday events. For the latter—including Easter, Pumpkin Festival in October, and Christmas in Coal Country—the museum partners with the East Broad Top Railroad and Coal Company, which is across the street. While the two organizations are not formally affiliated and do not cross-honor tickets, the railroad sells tickets for the combined events with the trolley museum, and the two organizations share volunteers and labor expertise.[4]

Roster

Number Type Heritage Builder Date Condition Notes
3 Snow sweeper Emery, Iowa McGuire-Cummings Manufacturing Company 1911 Operating Acquired in a trade wherein the National Capital Trolley Museum received Snow Sweeper #09 from the museum[5]
6 PCC streetcar Public Service Coordinated Transport, later New Jersey Transit St. Louis Car Company 1949 Operating Originally Twin City Rapid Transit car #325
10 Snowplow Philadelphia and Western Railroad Wason Manufacturing Company 1915 Operating Retired 1988, last operating trolley snowplow in the United States outside of a museum.
12 Streetcar Valley Railways, west of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Jackson and Sharp Company 1895 Inoperable
61 Streetcar Philadelphia Suburban Brill 1925 Inoperable Center door
107 Snow sweeper Scranton Transit Chicago and Joliet Electric Railway 1910 Operating Steeplecab
162 Streetcar Philadelphia and Western Brill 1927 Inoperable High-speed interurban car
163 Streetcar York Railways Brill 1924 Operating Rare curved-sides car
172 Tram CCFP/STCP (Porto, Portugal) CCFP 1929 Operating Semi-convertible (open/closed) car.
205 Tram Philadelphia and Western Brill 1931 Operating Only operating Brill bullet, originally 3rd rail powered
249 Tram CCFP/STCP Brill 1904 Operating Semi-convertible.
311 Streetcar Johnstown Traction Company Wason Manufacturing Company 1922 Operating First car of the museum.
315 Streetcar Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad G. C. Kuhlman Car Company 1909 Operating Wooden interurban car
355 Streetcar Johnstown Traction Company St. Louis Car Company 1926 Operating
402 Box motor Philadelphia and Western Detroit United Railway 1920 Operating Double-ended
710 Tram Harrisburg Railways Brill 1913 Inoperable Semi-convertible.
1009 Rapid transit car Delaware River Port Authority Bridge-line car Brill 1936 Inoperable Sold to Philadelphia Broad Street Subway for $10,000 following the formation of the PATCO Speedline in 1968.
1019 Siemens–Duewag U2 San Diego Trolley Duewag 1982 Operating Only operating articulated car from San Diego, California on the East Coast. Most modern vehicle in collection.
1875 Tram Rio de Janeiro Tramways Brill 1912 Operating
2743 PCC streetcar Philadelphia Transportation Company, later SEPTA St. Louis Car Company 1947 Operating Originally Pennsylvania trolley gauge
19137 Caboose Pennsylvania Railroad 1900s Not used N-5 steel
C-64 Freight flat CCFP/STCP CCFP 1933 Operating Now used as a track maintenance. car
D-39 Tower car SEPTA Philadelphia Rapid Transit 1908 not Operating Overhead wire maintenance car.
M-25 GE 25-ton switcher Adtranz GE Transportation 1942 Operating Originally owned by United States Navy
M-100 Railroad speeder United States Navy Kalamazoo Manufacturing Company 1945 Operating Petrol engine
X-4 Cherry picker car Rockhill Trolley Museum 1998 Operating
X-39 Caboose Central of Georgia Railway Not used Wooden
BT-1 Boom truck Curry Supply Company GMC 1981 Operating
Liberty Liner

Independence Hall

Electroliner Philadelphia Suburban St. Louis Car Company 1941 Operating Originally Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad No. 803-804
Ballast car Rockhill Trolley Museum 1999 In use
Railroad tie nipper Rockhill Trolley Museum 2000 In use

References

  1. ^ a b "Johnstown #311 | Rockhill Trolley Museum". rockhilltrolley.org. 25 February 2011. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
  2. ^ "New Jersey Transit PCC Car #6 | Rockhill Trolley Museum". rockhilltrolley.org. 13 April 2011. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
  3. ^ "Iowa Terminal Railroad Snow Sweeper #3 | Rockhill Trolley Museum". rockhilltrolley.org. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
  4. ^ "More about The East Broad Top Railroad | Rockhill Trolley Museum". Archived from the original on 2012-07-07.
  5. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-27. Retrieved 2013-04-05.((cite web)): CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

External links

40°14′27″N 77°53′54.5″W / 40.24083°N 77.898472°W / 40.24083; -77.898472

Streetcar museums in North America
Categories