Old Easton Road Trollies

Hi everyone. New to the site, been lurking for years. Sort of a rail buff. Love trains, used to ride the Reading from Hatboro to Reading Terminal, then ride the Broad St and Market St El for hours. My grandparents once put me on the old Rt 6 on Ogontz Ave. to Willow Grove. Ran down the median on Limekiln Pike to near where Cheltenham High stands, where it crossed and ran into the woods. The old crossing signals were blue. Parents met me across from Willow Grove Park Once hopped a slow moving freight on the old Trenton Cutoff and ended up in Norristown. My old man was PISSED!

Does anyone have info on the old Easton Road trolley lines that used to run from Willow Grove to Doylestown, then to Easton? I have found old bridge abutments near Harrow, but that has been years ago.

I know there was a cutoff to Hatboro. It branched off near the current turnpike interchange, ran along Hatboro Ave to Moreboro Rd. and down to Horsham Rd. You still can't drive through between the two, that is the Hatboro/Upper Moreland line. The line then ran up York Rd and turned left into the parking lot and returned to York Rd. There was a power plant there, the building still stands (214 or 216 S. York Rd.

Appreciate any links to articles, old photos, etc.

for a start, check out https://www.facebook.com/6trolley/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Stevek wrote:for a start, check out https://www.facebook.com/6trolley/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks, had seen that, and the youtube of 6 coming out of Willow Grove to Ogontz Ave. I've scouted out some of the old ROW, and the exterior of the old power house on Church Rd.

The Route 6 also ran down the median of Tyson Avenue from Jenkintown Road to Easton Road, then along the northern edge of Tyson from Easton Road to Edge Hill Road. If you check out the Tyson Avenue bridge over Susquehanna Road, they actually built abutments when the bridge was replaced for what would have been the trolley bridge if it still existed. There is also a small building ( seen in the photo below ) at the corner of Easton and Tyson which was adjacent to the loop at that intersection and still in existence as a snack stand.

You might find some information here. My go-to place for Philly trolley info:

http://www.phillytrolley.org/

Jon

Found an article about the Easton Rd trolley in Edison, PA

http://www.richoliver.us/eao/scumblers/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I also found a photo of remaining tracks in Edison, near 611 and Edison Rd. I think it was on nycsubway.org. Oh well, more time browsing the 'net.

Found it!! Looks like the rails came down Edison Rd, and then across Neshaminy Creek, onto Old Easton Rd. Overhead looks like rails on both sides of the creek, and some in a parking lot.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ediso ... 75.1293383" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I have the linen Real Estate maps used to make blueprints for the lines from Willow Grove to Hatboro and Doylestown. (I also have most of the Media, Middletown, Aston & Chester lines, but not the Chester Short Line.) They show the mostly single track in excruciating detail. Can someone help me scan them for posting on the Internet?

Here's the 1923 PRT map of it's Bucks County trolleys:

http://www.phillytrolley.org/1923map/19 ... ap_z2.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Link is to photo of postcard showing old trolley line in Plumsteadville, with present day photo.

https://twitter.com/plumsteadvillev/sta ... 6072006656" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Plumsteadville is North of Doylestown on the Philadelphia & Easton / Doylestown & Easton line. It started on back streets near Doylestown train station and shared some of Main St. (Easton Rd.) near the courthouse with PRT and Pennsylvania - New Jersey Rwys. / Bucks Co. Traction. After the Easton Rd. trolleys stopped in 1926, Philadelphia Rural Transit ran a bus line between Philadelphia & Easton. Note that the names of the trolley companies changed over the years.

JimBoylan wrote:Plumsteadville is North of Doylestown on the Philadelphia & Easton / Doylestown & Easton line. It started on back streets near Doylestown train station and shared some of Main St. (Easton Rd.) near the courthouse with PRT and Pennsylvania - New Jersey Rwys. / Bucks Co. Traction. After the Easton Rd. trolleys stopped in 1926, Philadelphia Rural Transit ran a bus line between Philadelphia & Easton. Note that the names of the trolley companies changed over the years.

Correct. I'm from the area originally. I know there are some old bridge abutments along 611 north of Ottsville, and I remember some old tracks near Harrow, when we used to camp at Haycock Mtn, before Lake Nockamixon. Found a photo of an old derailment north of Kintnersville, trolley hanging off over the road.

I saw that grade crossing in the concrete of Old Easton Rd. in 1969, but I can't find it any more. From the angle, it was obvious that the trolley had run on the other side of the ditches from the turnpike, like in the Plumsteadville photo, not right at the edge of the paving.