Rockhill Trolley Museum
The Rockhill Trolley Museum is located at 430 Meadow Street, Rockhill Furnace, Pennsylvania, 19 miles (31 km) north of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and 11 miles (18 km) south of US 22, the William Penn Highway.
Founded in 1960,[1] the museum collects and restores traction equipment (trolley, interurban and transit cars). 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.
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]
"Railways to Yesterday Inc." is the corporate name of the organization, and for some years the museum operated under the name directly, until a desire to acknowledge and enhance its relationship with its hometown and help provide mutual promotional support resulted in its new operating name.
The museum season runs from Memorial Day weekend through October and is open additionally for special events during the holiday season, such as Polar Bear Express[4] and Santa's Trolley.[5]
The East Broad Top Railroad is across the street from the museum. The two organizations are not formally affiliated, and tickets are not cross-honored.[6] However, both organizations share volunteers and labor expertise between them. The railroad has not operated public excursions since December 2011 and has operated no excursions since October 2013.
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[7] |
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 | Tram | Valley Railways, west of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | Jackson and Sharp Company | 1895 | Inoperable | |
61 | Tram | Philadelphia Suburban | Brill | 1925 | Inoperable | Center door |
107 | Snow sweeper | Scranton Transit | Chicago and Joliet Electric Railway | 1910 | Operating | Steeple-cab |
162 | Tram | Philadelphia and Western | Brill | 1927 | Inoperable | High-speed interurban car |
163 | Tram | 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 | 1922 | Operating | First car of the museum. |
315 | Tram | Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad | G. C. Kuhlman Car Company | 1909 | Operating | Wooden interurban car |
355 | Tram | 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. |
1875 | Tram | Rio de Janeiro Tramways | Brill | 1912 | Operating | Only operating open car in Pennsylvania. |
2743 | PCC streetcar | Philadelphia Transportation Company, later SEPTA | St. Louis Car Company | 1947 | Operating | Originally broad 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 | General Electric Transportation Systems | 1942 | Operating | Originally owned by United States Navy |
M-100 | Speeder | United States Navy | Kalamazoo Manufacturing | 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 2 "Johnstown #311 | Rockhill Trolley Museum". rockhilltrolley.org. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
- ↑ "New Jersey Transit PCC Car #6 | Rockhill Trolley Museum". rockhilltrolley.org. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
- ↑ "Iowa Terminal Railroad Snow Sweeper #3 | Rockhill Trolley Museum". rockhilltrolley.org. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
- ↑ "Polar Bear Express | Rockhill Trolley Museum". rockhilltrolley.org. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
- ↑ "Santa's Trolley | Rockhill Trolley Museum". rockhilltrolley.org. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
- ↑ http://www.rockhilltrolley.org/visitors_guide/ebtrr
- ↑ http://www.rockhilltrolley.org/sites/default/files/docs/IT-3_CT-09_Press-Release.pdf
External links
Coordinates: 40°14′27″N 77°53′54.5″W / 40.24083°N 77.898472°W