Girl Scout & BSA Merit Badge Workshops Returning This Summer!

Updated May 2022

The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum is excited to announce the return of merit badge workshops this summer! These merit badge workshops follow curriculum created by both the Boy Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts of the USA organizations. Merit badge workshops are open to any youth of the appropriate age. Admission to the museum is included with the purchase of any merit badge workshop. Merit badge workshops are taught by certified merit badge counselors.

Questions? Please let us know by sending an email to our Manager of STEAM and Education Programs, at education@patrolley.org.

Summer 2022 Merit Badge Workshop Dates
All merit badge workshops are $20 per scout and $10 per chaperone. Please note that no physical merit badges or patches will be handed out. BSA Scouts are responsible for bringing their own Blue Cards. 

Friday, July 8^th
BSA Environmental Science (Eagle Scout)
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM

This merit badge workshop is open to any youth in grades 6^th – 12^th grade and is designed to help BSA scouts meet requirements for the Environmental Science merit badge. We will be covering requirements 1, 2, 3.a, 3.b, 3.c, 3.d, 3.f, 3.g, 3.h, 5, and 6.

Scouts are responsible for the following pre-requisites: 3.e, 4 Requirement 3.e requires scouts to do research on an endangered species and write a 100-word report or visit a site that features a project to improve the habitat of a threatened or endangered species. Requirement 4 involves choosing two outdoor study areas and carrying out observations. If participants do not complete these requirements ahead of time, Scouts must follow up with the counselors before a signed blue card will be issued.

Environmental Science Merit Badge Requirements
Environmental Science Merit Badge Workbook 

REGISTER FOR BSA ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE HERE

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Wednesday, August 3^rd
BSA Railroading
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM

This merit badge workshop is open to any youth in grades 6^th – 12^th grade and is designed to help BSA scouts meet requirements for the Railroading merit badge. We will be covering ALL requirements for this merit badge! While there are no pre-requisites, we strongly encourage participating Scouts to review the Railroading Merit Badge Requirements and workbook prior to the workshop. Requirements 8b parts 1 and 2 will be fulfilled by visiting the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum. Scouts must bring a camera (phone is fine) or drawing materials.

Railroading Merit Badge Requirements
Railroading Merit Badge Workbook

REGISTER FOR BSA RAILROADING HERE

BSA Signs, Signals, and Codes
1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

This merit badge workshop is open to any youth in grades 6^th – 12^th grade and is designed to help BSA scouts meet requirements for the Signs, Signals, and Codes merit badge. We will be covering requirements 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10.

Scouts are responsible for the following pre-requisites: 7. Requirement 7 has the Scout laying out at least a 1-mile trail for a patrol or troop to follow that includes at least six different trail signs and markers. Scouts can write a short report about completing the requirement and should include pictures showing each trail sign and marker used for counselor approval. If participants do not complete these requirements ahead of time, Scouts must follow up with the counselors before a signed blue card will be issued.

Signs, Signals, and Codes Badge Requirements
Signs, Signals, and Codes Merit Badge Workbook

REGISTER FOR BSA SIGNS, SIGNALS, AND CODES HERE

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Wednesday. August 10^th
Engineers In The Making!
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM

This merit badge workshop is open to any youth in 1^st – 5^th grade. We will be meeting all requirements for the following badges:

• Webelos Engineering
• Brownie Race Car Design Challenge
• Junior Balloon Car Design Challenge

Scouts participating in this workshop will study real-life engineers, use the Engineer Design Process, design blueprints, then investigate potential and kinetic energy to design and race vehicles!

REGISTER FOR ENGINEERS IN THE MAKING HERE

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BSA Mail-In Merit Badge Programs

PTM is happy to offer the services of our merit badge counselors to local BSA scouts! Any BSA scout who has completed all the requirements for the following badges can mail in their completed work and a blue card filled out with their information and we will be happy to sign off on the completed requirements.

• Reading
• Scholarship

Previous BSA Merit Badge Programs

We have offered the following merit badge workshops in the past and are hopeful to offer them again in the future.

• BSA Personal Management
• Financial Literacy (for Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors)
• BSA Electricity
• BSA Railroading

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Is your Scout troop looking to complete service hours or a community service project? Interested in completing an Eagle Scout or Gold Award project? Please email us at education@patrolley.org.

Interested in being a counselor or helping out with the Scouting programs at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum? Please contact the Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@patrolley.org!

If you are not already on our Scout email communications list and would like to be, please let us know by sending an email to our Manager of STEAM and Education Programs, at education@patrolley.org. This email list will be the first to know when we announce dates and merit badge workshops.

The Garbage Trolley
By PTM Volunteer Bram Bailey

Well, we have the Bunny Trolley, the Pumpkin Trolley and the Santa Trolley, but by far the lesser known of our trolleys is the Garbage Trolley.  For the last three years I have come down to the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, during the Spring Clean-up, to run what I fondly call “The Garbage Trolley.”  Over the winter our right of way collects a lot of trash.  Just as we clean up our rolling stock and facilities for the upcoming operating season it is necessary to police the trash along the right of way.

As everyone who knows me can attest, I am an unapologetic PCC fan.  Whenever I get the opportunity to operate one, I jump at the chance.   One of the best days I ever had at PTM was during the County Fair when we were short of operators, and I got to run 1711 for a full shift all by myself.  Of course, I am a firm believer that since the PCC was designed as a one person car, a PCC needs a conductor as much as a fish needs a bicycle. Running the Garbage Trolley gives me an opportunity to operate a PCC all by myself and at the same time do a service for the museum.  In years past the dubious distinction of Garbage Trolley, or GT for those who prefer acronyms, has gone to 1711 and 14.  This year the honor went to 2711.

When I arrived at PTM the morning of March 21^st, I backed 2711 out of the Founders Car House, performed the walk around inspection, then did the line check.  I have always enjoyed the line check.  Just a leisurely ride over the railway early in the morning looking for any imperfections and enjoying a cup of coffee while you are at it.  During the line check I was also scoping out the magnitude of the trash that needed to be collected.  It was going to be a busy day for me.

With the line check complete, I got out some trash bags, put on some rubber gloves and headed up the valley towards Arden.  There was a lot to collect at the Main Street Crossing and Fairgrounds, but the valley was relatively free of trash.  Once I crossed back over Main Street, I cleaned up the section from there to Richfol filling most of the first trash bag.  I took a lunch break then headed outbound towards the East Campus.  That area was a bit of a challenge, and it took the best part of the afternoon to finish it.  Once I was done, I took one last lap around the railway and picked up stuff I missed on the first pass.

To add some fun to Garbage Duty, I decided to pay attention to what I was collecting and make it sort of a “Washington County Litter Bug Survey” on what were the most popular items.  Here are the results:

• Coke beat out Pepsi by a ratio of 2:1.
• The beer of choice turned out to be Miller Lite.
• The abundance of Slim Jim wrappers proved them to be the favorite snack in our informal survey.
• McDonalds beat out Burger King by about a quarter pound or so.
• Marlboro was the cigarette of choice.
• The Smokeless Tobacco award went to Skoal Classic Wintergreen (the only entry in that category).
• The most numerous award goes out to the ubiquitous water bottle, proving that the Washington County Litter Bugs are a well hydrated bunch.

Some weird and humorous stuff I encountered:

1. What looked, from a distance, like a nasty old Steelers hat and some snow, turned out to be a stuffed Steelers football. It was opened up with the cotton stuffing all over the place.  It looked like the local bird population had been using it for nesting material.  What they left behind was not pretty.
2. Down by the pond, I found an unopened package of Hostess Cupcakes. They had been there for a while.  The Sun’s UV rays did a job on them making them appear as toxic waste.
3. I also found a Tangerine in pristine condition, that was left behind by a fisherman, recently because it had not yet started to rot.
4. The Sun’s UV rays have no effect on Mylar balloons. They may not hold their helium for long, but they will live on forever in the weeds along our right of way.
5. People took the “disposable” part of the Disposable Face Mask very seriously disposing of them all over our right of way. An unpleasant part of my job was to remove this lasting tribute to the Corona Virus pandemic.
6. At the Main Street crossing, I found a nasty old ripped up work glove with only a thumb and one finger left…you guessed it, that sucker was giving me the finger until I picked it up.

When I got home, I was relating to my wife that I had an enjoyable day on the Garbage Trolley.  I certainly got my exercise, according to my smart phone, I got in 12,867 steps that day.  Yes, I will volunteer to do it again next year.