Introducing: Trolleyology!
Join PTM staff, volunteers, and members for our new Zoom series, Trolleyology! These programs will feature Pennsylvania transit history topics and tales of our collection that you can experience from home. Registration is required but free of charge. Donations are welcome and encouraged. Limited space is available!
For the best experience, we recommend downloading Zoom in advance.
Schedule:
Our next round of Trolleyology programs begins September 22:
A Look Back at the Trolleys of Irwin
Tuesday, September 22, 2020, 7:00 PM
Presented by Andy Blenko
REGISTER HERE
In the first half of the 20th century, trolleys brought tremendous growth and change to the Borough of Irwin and its surrounding towns in Westmoreland County. This program looks at how the town was served by trolleys and rise and fall of those trolley companies.
A Ride to Charleroi
Tuesday, September 29, 2020, 7:00 PM
Presented by George Gula
REGISTER HERE
Join PTM Volunteer George Gula for a virtual interurban ride from Pittsburgh through Charleroi south to Roscoe. The scenic Charleroi line featured a number of bridges, followed today’s Routes 51, 88, and 837, and connected the big city with small towns in Allegheny and Washington County until its abandonment in 1953.
Small Town Trolley Along the Allegheny River
Wednesday, October 7, 2020, 7:00 PM
Presented by Dennis Cramer
REGISTER HERE
Armstrong County, Pennsylvania was home to 2 separate trolley lines during the first third of the twentieth century. This program will focus on one of them. The Kittanning & Leechburg Railways Company, a small rural line ran for 10 miles in the middle of Armstrong County from 1899 to 1936 that became part of the West Penn Railways System in 1911. The focus will be on the communities of Kittanning and Ford City along with a look at Lenape Park, an amusement park owned by the railways company.
Johnstown – Last of the Small-Town Trolleys: 60th Anniversary of the Last Day
Tuesday, October 13, 2020, 7:00 PM
Presented by Jim Graebner
REGISTER HERE
Were it not for the sharp climb of the Pittsburgh Railways Company’s Fineview line, the Johnstown Traction Company’s Morrellville line’s steep grade at its outer end would certainly have been more well-known. As it is, the system is fondly remembered as the “last of the small-town trolleys” and will be the subject of this October Trolleyology presentation.
Previous Programs:
These programs may be available for outreach presentations. If your club, organization, or group is interested in a digital program, please email assistant@patrolley.org.
Wexford: Station, Post Office, Deli, and Back Again
Tuesday, May 26, 2:00 pm
The Wexford Station served the Pittsburgh, Harmony, Butler & New Castle Railway (“The Harmony Route”) from 1908 until the last trolley ran in 1931. After its life as a passenger and freight station, the building was purchased, moved, and used as a post office, antique shop, and most recently, a deli.
Join Executive Director Scott Becker for a Trolleyology talk about Wexford Station, the route it served, its relocation to the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, and its reopening in 2016.
When Bad Things Happen to Good Trolleys
Wednesday, June 3, 6:30 pm
Whenever a trolley left the car barn for its day’s work, trouble was never far behind. In this presentation, volunteer George Gula shares a collection of derailments, collisions, floods, snow and ice incidents and all the other things that made the motorman wish he had stayed home and the trolley wish it had stayed in the depot.
Allegheny Valley Route
Tuesday, June 9, 2:30 pm
The lower Allegheny Valley, just north of Pittsburgh, hosted three streetcar lines in the early 20th Century, each of them part of a different corporate structure. The Allegheny Valley (West Penn), Tarentum, Breckenridge & Butler and Route 78 of Pittsburgh Railways served the heavily industrialized area along the lower Allegheny River valley.
This presentation, based upon the book Allegheny Valley Trolleys, will be presented by Dennis Cramer, one of the authors and former Chief Instructor of Operator Training at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum.
On the Warpath! Pennsylvania’s Trolleys during WWII
Tuesday, June 16, 6:30 pm
Transit systems were considered vital war industries, yet it was difficult to keep the trolleys running during the war.
Labor shortages, equipment shortages, and a strike involving an army takeover of at least one Pennsylvania property were only some of the issues faced by those running public transit in Pennsylvania. Join volunteer George Gula to see how it was accomplished during WWII.