Pennsylvania Trolley Museum

The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, located at 1 Museum Road, Washington, Pennsylvania, is a museum dedicated to trolleys and includes several restored examples.

Overview

The museum was formed just before the Pittsburgh to Washington line was abandoned when several trolleys were moved to the site on their original tracks. According to their web site, the museum's mission is "to communicate the story of Pennsylvania's Trolley Era to a diverse audience through the preservation, interpretation, and use of its collection of electric railway and railroad equipment." To that end, the museum includes a collection of 45 refurbished trolleys. The museum owns a New Orleans streetcar, Pearly Thomas car #832, formerly used on various lines in New Orleans including the Desire line which is mentioned in the film "A Streetcar Named Desire" [ [http://www.pa-trolley.org/Roster/NOPSI832.htm PA Pennsylvania Trolley Museum web site] ] [ [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,835919-2,00.html Letter] from Tom E. Parkinson, President of the Pennsylvania Railway Museum Association to "Time Magazine"] based on the play by Tennessee Williams, although it is not the streetcar actually in the film (#922, still in service in New Orleans) [http://www-faculty.cs.uiuc.edu/~friedman/car453/Car453.htm] [http://www.pa-trolley.org/Roster/NOPSI832.htm] . Much of the museum's collection is housed in a $2 million "Trolley Display Building" which opened May 6, 2005. [Templeton, David. " [http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05135/503605.stm Old trolleys get new home] " from "Pittsburgh Post Gazette". May 15, 2005.] Visitors can take a short ride on a restored functioning trolley. A special ride during the Christmas season includes a visit from Santa Claus. In September 2004, the area surrounding the museum flooded in the wake of Hurricane Ivan. The floodwaters caused substantial damage to the museum which has since been repaired. [ [http://www.pa-trolley.org/Museum%20News/articles/trolley_fare_novdec_2005.htm Trolley Fare Nov-Dec 2005 ] ]

Events

The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum participates in the annual Washington County Fair by providing trolley rides from nearby parking lots to the fairgrounds. [Warco, Kathie O. " [http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Story/07_24fair_fun County fair planners promising 'Bushels of Fun' for eight days] " from the "Observer-Reporter". July 24, 2007]

The museum hosted the 2007 conference for the Association of Railway Museums. The conference was held on October 3-7, 2007, and was supported by a grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. [ [http://www.pa-trolley.org/TakeRide2.htm The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum ] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.pa-trolley.org/TakeRide2.htm Pennsylvania Trolley Museum]
* [http://www.railwaymuseums.org Association of Railway Museums]
* [http://www.portauthority.org Port Authority of Allegheny County]