Electric City Trolley Museum in Scranton, PA

[Otto Vondrak]

What's the chance of them ever getting wire from the Steamtown platform over to the Trolley Museum? It seems like such a waste to have the rails heading over there, but not being able to depart from the museum.

-otto-

[JhnZ33]

What's the chance of them ever getting wire from the Steamtown platform over to the Trolley Museum? It seems like such a waste to have the rails heading over there, but not being able to depart from the museum.

-otto-

I don't think there's a straight shot out of the Museum. The trolley would have do a reversing move through a couple switches to get onto the main track. Probably would add too much time to the excursion lowering the amount of daily trips. Just a guess.

Check out the track arrangement and you'll see what I mean:



JP

[Montclaire]

They most likely only use the bigger car for the games because tourism is light during the week. I take a walk through the yards on my lunch break on a regular basis, and sometimes I have seen the car leave with only 2-3 people on board. If they were seeing more demand, I'm sure they would use the second car on a frequent basis.

[Red Arrow Fan]

I went to Electric City (for the first time) on Saturday. What a great concentration of all things railroad!

45 years after first seeing them, I finally got to ride on a Red Arrow center-door trolley. They did a nice job on the restoration.

Some other sbservations:

The 80-series Brill MU was in the shop (still from last fall?) getting some truck work, so I didn't see that.

There's a Brilliner rotting away on a flatcar in the yard. It had been painted a dark-pink primer. The roof boards have rotted away, allowing for even more weather damage (what a shame they don't put a tarp over it).

There's a P&W Bullet car sitting outside the museum, still in SEPTA red/white/blue livery (and unpowered, since there's no 3rd-rail there).

The older P&W cars pictured earlier in this thread (401, 46) haven't moved off their spots (nor has the old PRT trolley, except the rollsign has been switched).


No time to visit Steamtown - that will be on the next trip.

[chuchubob]

There's a P&W Bullet car sitting outside the museum, still in SEPTA red/white/blue livery (and unpowered, since there's no 3rd-rail there).

206

[Montclaire]

If a couple guys want to chip in on tarps and bungee cords, and we can get permission, I'll meet you down the yard and help cover the pink brill. I can get a hold of someone at the Scranton Times as well, maybe spur a little public interest. I think the car might actually be property of the ECTM? In that case, it's under county guidance.

As for ECTMs two operable cars, 76 is up and running again after a bad motor stalled tours last week. Car 80 has been down for some time now; they pulled the motors to be rebuilt, and the job was botched, so they have been sent out a second time.

[Montclaire]

Since we're on the subject, what would be the next logical step for expansion of the line? There was talk about two years ago of extending a line into the downtown, but after a change of county administration, this idea was lost in the shuffle. Car 5205 has been undergoing a restoration funded by a PennDOt grant, how far along they are I do not know. It only makes sense that with another operational trolley that they have two lines in service as well.

The only new branch that would make sense to me would be a line up to Nay Aug, possibly through the University of Scranton campus, maybe right up the now closed section of Linden St.; this would give an actual destination and make the line more convenient to a host of visitors, including U students. A plan such as this would also be attractive from a cooperative government standpoint, as it would involve county, city, and community interaction in order to achieve the desired goal.

I believe the museum did receive around 250k in funding recently, and a motorman I spoke with speculated that the funds would probably be spent on maintenance, and 'to build a connection to the new terminal,' a point of all things (modern) transportation set to be built off of Lackawanna Avenue. This is good news; if they can secure a spot in the new transportation hub, it will be that much easier to expand the line into the future.

Thoughts?

[mikeexplorer]

Too bad they couldn't extend the line up the mountain to the pavilion area for concerts. That would provide a heck of a lot of riders and take some traffic off Montage Mtn Rd.

Mike

[Montclaire]

Mike, that would actually slow things down. I imagine they would have to run the tracks right up the center lane, and they already use the center for concert traffic. How much would a single car even be able to hold, fifty riders at most? Then you have to consider the beating the cars would take, bringing all the roudy and drunken people back down the mountain.
Even if they only used it for the water park, who wants kids getting on dripping wet?

[mikeexplorer]

Running the tracks up the road would be impractical for the reason you stated. The ex-Erie tracks do run past Montage Mtn rd but the problem is the topography.

[Montclaire]

Mike, how about the tracks that run along the riverfront? They also just about go right through the proposed area for the new terminal hub. With development of the riverfront into a recreation area in the next few years, it might be ideal; easy access, little to no traffic to contend with, possibly a picnic area or similar space. Is that line still actively used?

[mikeexplorer]

Mike, how about the tracks that run along the riverfront? They also just about go right through the proposed area for the new terminal hub. With development of the riverfront into a recreation area in the next few years, it might be ideal; easy access, little to no traffic to contend with, possibly a picnic area or similar space. Is that line still actively used?

I am not sure what you mean by the "riverfront" If your talking about the tracks around Montage Mtn rd then I am guessing you are referring to Rocky Glen Pond where the old L&WV tracks ran (now gone) but nearby the ex-Erie tracks are still intact and the ECTM excursion uses the ex-Erie tracks up to Montage Mtn rd. my photoset of that is here.

http://nepaview.piczo.com/?g=13728069&cr=4

I think you are talking about something else though, please explain, I might have already photographed the area.

Mike

[Montclaire]

Mike, I'm talking about right next to the museum building. There is a set of tracks that come out of the yard and cross Lackawanna Ave, and then follow along Mifflin Ave. If you go to MSN maps or something like that you can see it.

[walt]

Just a comment on #76 and #80--- #76, as one of the Center Door Cars, was not nearly as comfortably appointed as #80- a Brill Lightweight Car. (and the old series designation---80 series cars--- was derived from that car's number) In actuality, the Center Door Cars were the least comfortable cars on the P&WCT/Red Arrow system-- until the WWII acquisition of the three ex- PRT Hog Island Cars. #76 and her sisters were designed to carry as many passengers as possible. The earlier interurbans and the later cars ( the Lightweights, Brilliners & St. Louis Cars) were all more comfortably appointed than the Center Door Cars.

[Montclaire]

Do the lightweight cars have MU controls? In addition to number 80, ECTM also has a sister car, number 85, but in what condition I do not know. The Laurel Line usually ran cars in tandem, and I suppose there may be a point when ridership may demand more seating. Car 80 is still out for truck work, and I have never had the opportunity to ride it, so I can't compare it to car 76.

While the ECTM has cars similar to what was originally run on the Laurel Line, they are much larger and I have to assume harder to operate. Car 46 is probably pretty close to what the model would have been, and is really much closer in size and appearance to a motorized train car than a trolley. I also have to figure they weigh a decent amount more.

As such, it only makes sense that ECTM should restore car 85, assuming it and car 80 can be run in tandem. If anyone has pictures of ECTM cars, especially the ones in hiding, please post.