Pennsylvania Trolley Museum facts for kids
Philadelphia and West Chester Traction Car 78 waits to pick up passengers at the museum
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| Established | 1953 |
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| Location | 1 Electric Way, Washington, Pennsylvania |
| Type | Railway museum |
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum is a fun place in Washington, Pennsylvania. It's all about old streetcars and trolleys! The museum works to keep these historic vehicles running and in good shape. Most of the trolleys are from Pennsylvania. But you can also find cool examples from places like Toledo, New Orleans, and even a special open-sided car from Brazil. Many of these trolleys have been carefully fixed up so they can run again.
Other unique trolleys are on display in a huge building. Some are waiting to be fixed, while others don't fit the museum's special track size. You can see a "Brilliner" car, which was a competitor to the famous PCC streetcar. There are also old locomotives and even a horse-drawn car from the very early days of Pittsburgh's public transportation.
Contents
History of the Trolley Museum
How the Museum Started
The idea for the museum began in 1949. A group of people who loved electric railways bought a small Pittsburgh trolley, M-1. They also got two other trolleys, numbers 3756 and 832. These trolleys were kept safe until 1954 by Pittsburgh Railways.
In 1953, the trolley line from Pittsburgh to Washington closed down. The new Pittsburgh Electric Railway Club bought about 2,000 feet (610 meters) of this old track. It was located north of Washington in Chartiers Township. On February 7, 1954, the three trolleys were driven to the museum site. This was the first time trolleys were operated at a museum in Pennsylvania! In the months that followed, more of the old trolley line was taken apart. Trolley #4393, which is now at the museum, took the last passengers back to Pittsburgh.
The Arden Trolley Museum officially opened to the public in June 1963. Before that, a lot of work was done. They fixed up trolleys, built a power station, and created a special building for the cars.
Keeping Trolleys Alive
The museum's main goal is to share the story of Pennsylvania's "Trolley Era." They do this by saving, explaining, and using their collection of electric railway vehicles.
Amazing Trolley Collection
The museum has a collection of 51 street and electric railway vehicles. They are all in different stages of repair. One special trolley is New Orleans streetcar #832. It was built in 1923. This car was used on various lines in New Orleans, including the famous Desire line. This line became well-known because of the play A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. When the play first opened, Car #832 was even featured in Life magazine in 1947.
In 2023, the "Terrible Trolley" was added to the museum. This trolley celebrates the success of Pittsburgh's professional football team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Former PCC #1713 was painted in the team's black and gold colors.
Expanding the Tracks
The museum's first operating line was a half-mile section of the old Pittsburgh Railways line. This line used to connect to Pittsburgh. The Richfol shelter at Car House No. 1 came from an old trolley stop in Canonsburg.
The museum's track was later made longer. It now goes north along the old Pennsylvania Railroad branch to the Arden Mines. Between 1979 and 1995, museum volunteers built a new track. This added about 1 mile (1.6 km) to the line. It allowed new stations to open at the County Fairground and Arden Mines. A loop track was built at Arden Mines, which made it easier to operate the trolleys. In 2004, the original museum track was also extended. Another loop was built, called the McClane School Loop. This allows single-ended trolleys to run continuously.
Flood and New Buildings
In September 2004, the area around the museum flooded because of Hurricane Ivan. The floodwaters caused a lot of damage, but the museum has since been repaired.
A large 28,000 square foot (2,600 sq m) Trolley Display Building opened in May 2005. This building lets the museum show about 30 trolleys from their collection. It also keeps these historic trolleys safe from bad weather. Tracks connecting to this building opened in 2008.
In November 2023, a new Welcome & Education Center opened. This new building has interactive exhibits, a theater, meeting rooms, restrooms, and a gift shop. It's located a half-mile from the old Visitor Center.
Fun Events at the Museum
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum takes part in the yearly Washington County Fair. They offer trolley rides from nearby parking lots to the fairgrounds.
During the Christmas season, there's a special ride where you can visit Santa Claus. After the Santa Special became popular, the museum added events for Easter (the Bunny Trolley) and a fall event called the Pumpkin Patch Trolley.
The museum was even featured in a 1984 episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. In the show, host Fred Rogers rode and even operated Philadelphia streetcar #5326!
The museum also hosted a big meeting for the Association of Railway Museums in 2007. This conference was held from October 3–7, 2007.
