History That Connects Us
A day at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museums is a full sensory experience, from the ring of the bell to the hum and shake of the trolley as it rides down the tracks. Our Museum brings a unique experience to visitors of all generations, connecting us all to the past. From the moment they arrive, our visitors enter a world of timeless memories, historic innovations, and interactive discoveries.
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That’s a wrap on our 2025 Santa Trolley operations! Jolly old Saint Nicholas is now headed home to finish preparing for Christmas day. Our staff and volunteers are celebrating with our annual holiday party - complete with festive trolley rides!
Didn’t make it to Santa Trolley? Come visit during our upcoming winter operating hours on Thursdays - Sundays (just remember: we’re closed on Christmas and on New Year’s Day!). #VisitWashingtonPA #HappyHolidays #MerryChristmas #museum
STEAM Summer Camp registration is now open! We`re hosting seven weeks of summer camps for children ages 6 - 14 this upcoming summer. Give a gift that lasts all summer long this holiday season. For more information and to register, please visit our website.
https://pa-trolley.org/education/summer-camps/
#ThrowbackThursday: To a snowy day of transit service in the Pittsburgh area! This particular photo shows a PCC on the Carnegie route, passing below one of the Pennsylvania Railroad’s underpasses on an overcast winter day in the early 1960s.
Note that if an automobile also wanted to cross under this overpass, it would have to wait for the streetcar to clear the turn. These days we often hear people lament the loss of streetcars; but at the time, public transit received its fair share of complaints, particularly from the drivers traversing Pittsburgh’s narrower streets. #history #transit #trolley #streetcar #pittsburgh
Santa Trolley is ALMOST SOLD OUT! If you planned to meet with him this holiday season, now is the time to purchase tickets and reserve your seat. Ticket holders will:
🎅 Meet with Santa Claus and chat with him aboard one of our beautiful streetcars.
🎄 Be able to explore the full Trolley Museum, including our exhibits and decorated Display Building.
🚂 See and enjoy our classic train display.
🧱 Visit @steelcitylug’s LEGO display table (which has an optional scavenger hunt!).
🍪 Enjoy complimentary hot chocolate and cookies.
Coffee and baked goods are also available for purchase in our Trolley Display Building.
Santa flies home after this weekend, so don’t miss this final chance to meet with him! #VisitWashingtonPA #Santa #Holidays #museum
This #MuseumMonday, rather than focusing on a specific part of our collection, we thought we’d spotlight what it took to keep our operations on track this weekend!
Staff and volunteers monitored the weather last week and knew a winter storm warning was coming. Many of us opted to spend Saturday night in Washington so that we could spring into action and work to clear the tracks and parking lot on Sunday morning. In addition to removing the snow itself, we needed to clear out the track switches, make sure the signals were working, and generally make sure the line was functional and traversable. Thanks to hours of hard work, we were able to open on time yesterday morning!
Thank you to the staff and volunteers who made this possible (waking up as early as 5:00 AM to do it!), and to the visitors who braved this weekend’s chilly temperatures - we hope you enjoyed your visit with Santa and your festive trolley ride through the snowy countryside! #VisitWashingtonPA #WinterWonderland
This Holiday Season, give the gift that keeps on giving - a yearlong membership at Pennsylvania Trolley Museum! Membership includes museum admission on regular operating days, discounts on programs and events, access to exclusive experiences, and so much more! Visit patrolley.org/support and be a part of History that connects us.
Education
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum provides unique, exciting, and fun educational opportunities for students, educators, and life-long learners! Our museum is dedicated to sharing stories, insight, and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) themed opportunities and experiences that will bring the trolley era to life. Check out our Education page to learn about field trip opportunities, Scout workshops, summer camps, and more!
History
Take a ride into the past at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum where the trolley era is alive and well. The Museum uses daily tours, interactive exhibits, multidimensional programming, and special events throughout the year to transport visitors back in time. Our history and STEAM exhibits tell the stories of the people, places, and things that made the trolley era such an exciting and unique time to be alive!
Collection
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum is focused on preserving and restoring our collection of antique streetcars. The Museum was founded in 1953 and has continued to conserve, preserve, and restore cars through a mostly volunteer effort. Today, we house a collection of 50 streetcars, many of which are operational and used for daily rides. Visit our Collection page to learn more about all of our different trolleys!