Pennsylvania Trolley Museum acquires car once used in coal communities
Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum
A trolley car recently donated to the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum when it was at Knoebels Amusement Resort outside Elysburg
Brad Hundt/Observer-Reporter
A vintage 1906 trolley car recently acquired by the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum is awaiting restoration.
The vintage 1906 trolley car that is being stored near the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum had an interesting life.
And a longer, and perhaps more interesting, afterlife.
When it was new, the trolley that was built by the Shamokin & Mount Carmel Electric Railway Co. was used in the coal communities in Northumberland County in the northeastern part of the state. One of the purposes of the semi-convertible streetcar was to ferry miners to and from their jobs when shifts changed.
After a little more than 30 years, though, the trolley car was taken out of commission, just as so many others were throughout the 20th century. Rather than being scrapped, though, it found new life at the Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg. Throughout its 85 years at the park, it was used by a woodcarver and also for storage.
To make way for a new ride, the resort has donated the car to the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum outside Washington. It arrived last week and it will be refurbished to illustrate the second life that the cars sometimes had after they were taken off the streets. Eventually, once missing mechanical equipment and running gear are located and the money is available, the car will be restored to the way it was a century ago. The museum hopes to have the trolley car on display sometime next year.
“It’s in remarkable shape for its age,” said Scott Becker, executive director of the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum. He pointed out that the museum has six cars in its collection that were later used for some other purpose, and that it’s likely that none of them would be around today if they had not been turned into something else. In fact, the sink and the toilet from the days the car was at the amusement park are still intact.
“The important thing for us right now is it’s safe and inside,” Becker said.
In a news release, Knoebels Amusement Resort co-owner Rick Knoebel said, “We’ve loved having the trolley in our park for guests to enjoy in a variety of ways for over 80 years. We’re sad to see this rich piece of history leave Knoebels, but we know it will be in great hands with the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum.”
Becker said it was to the credit of Knoebels that they wanted to see it preserved.
“They had a lot of pride to keep it going,” he explained. “I give them a lot of credit for that.”