The Electric City Trolley Museum is a collaborative effort involving many partners. Together they have created a premier electric railway museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania. In 1887, Scranton was Pennsylvania’s first city with a successful pioneer trolley line and became known as “The Electric City.” The museum collection provides a highly representative picture of the electric railway history of eastern Pennsylvania, from the Philadelphia region to Northeast Pennsylvania.

The museum was created by the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority. Lackawanna County manages the museum day-to-day. The facility itself, located on the Steamtown National Historic Site, is on long-term lease from the National Park Service. The trolleys operate over tracks owned by both Steamtown and the Lackawanna County Rail Authority, including a portion of the historic Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley “Laurel Line” third-rail interurban right-of-way.

In addition to the vintage trolleys on display, the museum features the following:

• A late 19th century mill building has been resplendently restored as the museum's interpretive center.
  

  

• Trolleys Exposed, an intriguing under-the-skin view of a restored trolley.
  

  

• Interactive displays, where visitors will actually generate electricity and learn how this energy form is harnessed to serve transportation needs.
  

  

• A 50-seat theatre and other fascinating displays present the history of the extensive trolley and interurban network that, at one time, allowed residents of Northeast Pennsylvania the opportunity to travel up to 75 miles on electric trolleys.
  

  

• The Electric City, a hands-on interactive kids exhibit, that puts children in the operator’s (driver's) seat of a recreated open-style trolley car as they view a model trolley in operation on a suspended track. Young visitors and their parents will also have the opportunity to build their own anthracite region communities on a 24 foot-long platform that represents the Lackawanna Valley and beyond - complete with historic trolley lines.
  

  

  

• Trolley Model Display, a showcase of trolley models in various scales. Featured is a 1/2 scale model of the Museum's PRT #2282 crafted by James H. Richards. Various additional models donated by James Wert, John Nevin III and others are also displayed.
  

  

• Trolley Company Stock Certificates, a display of stock certificates and documents from various trolley companies and suppliers to the traction industry from the collection of David Biles, ECTMA curator.
  

  

• The Story of the Third Rail, a comprehensive display of everything pertaining to the third rail system of traction current distribution has been created by Warren Speegle from his personal collection of artifacts.
  

  

  

  The highlight of the display is a section of 3rd rail and original insulator from the Laurel Line.
  

  

  In addition to items from the Laurel Line; the Wilkes-Barre and Hazelton, Philadelphia and Western, New York Central Railroad, New York City, Philadelphia and Boston Rapid Transit Lines are also represented.
  

  

  Also included are mine railway equipment items.
  

  

  As well as signals and signal equipment and relays.
  

  

  Rounding out the display are three vintage street lights, originally arc lights, converted to incandescent bulbs by the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company and used to light the yards surrounding tne carbarns.
  

  

Trolley Excursion

Follow the path of the famed Laurel Line electric interurban railroad.

On operating days (Thursday through Sunday) trips are scheduled at 10:30 AM, 12:00 Noon, 1:30 PM and 3:00 PM.

Trolley operation resumed May 1 for the 2009 season.

Please call the Museum at (570) 963-6590 during regular business hours and speak to one of the staff personnel for the latest information or to make reservations for groups.

During the operating season, the trolley excursion will depart from the main passenger platform of the Steamtown National Historic Site. Trips are scheduled at 10:30 AM, 12:00 Noon, 1:30 PM and 3:00 PM. Please note that tickets for the trolley excursion are sold at the Trolley Museum building and are not available on the car. The trolley excursion boarding area is between the Trolley Museum building and the main Steamtown facilities. The scenic route follows a portion of the former Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley (Laurel Line) Railroad right-of-way as it parallels Roaring Brook and makes stops at the Historic Iron Furnaces and continues through the Crown Avenue Tunnel – at 4747 feet long, one of the longest interurban tunnels ever built. An additional extension to the Lackawanna County Stadium at Montage was completed July 14, 2006. Please click here for a map of the route. Please click here for fare and rate information.

For the 2009 Season the trolley will run to the following Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees games at PNC field:

• Car No. 76, built by J.G. Brill in 1926 for the Philadelphia and West Chester Traction Co., later Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Co., on the initial test run of the excursion line, November 21st, 2000 at the Historic Iron Furnace station in downtown Scranton.



• Car No. 76, at the loading platform at the Steamtown National Historic Site in downtown Scranton, PA. ECTMA Member's Day, June 16, 2001.



• Car No. 76, at the substation manufactured by Kinetics Industries, Inc. This 500 Kilowatt rectifier unit converts high potential three phase alternating current supplied from Pennsylvania Power & Light (PP&L) to nominal 600 Volts direct current to power the trolley cars.



• Bridge over Roaring Brook, Edward W. Torpey photo.



• North Tunnel Portal, taken from car No. 76, Edward W. Torpey photo.



• View inside the Crown Avenue tunnel, Edward W. Torpey photo.

Museum Receives Scranton Railways Destination Sign

The Museum has received the donation of an original Scranton Railways Destination Sign and Box from Mr. & Mrs. Donald Cahoon Jr. of Scranton. The photo below was taken at the official acceptance ceremony at the Museum on January 23, 2004. With Mr. Cahoon (seated) are (left to right) David Biles, ECTMA member and C.J. Van Depoele Library and Archives Curator; David Gairo, ECTMA President; Barbara Colangelo, Lackawanna County Director of Historical Facilities and Robert C. Cordaro, Lackawanna County Commissioner.

Museum Second Anniversary

As part of the Museum's Second Aniversary Celebration in 2001, author Debra Brill, great-great-granddaughter of John George Brill signed copies of her recent book, "History of the J. G. Brill Company" published by the Indiana University Press at the Museum on Saturday, October 27th, 2001. In addition, there was a question and answer session with the author, a musical performance by the Friendly City Chrous and a birthday cake celebration for the Museum. Saturday, October 27th 2001 was also the formal dedication and opening of the Charles J. Van Depoele Library and Archives at the Museum.

Electric City's "TROLLEY THROUGH TIME"

"Electric City's TROLLEY THROUGH TIME," is a living history production by Keith Williams that dramatizes the intriguing events surrounding the birth of electric traction in November of 1886. The production company uses song, the Trolley Museum's many displays and an actual trolley excursion ride, to draw the attendees into the story with actors portraying inventor Charles Van Depoele and prominent and ordinary citizens of Scranton. The production opened Saturday, June 23rd, 2001 and continued every Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 PM through Sunday, August 26th, 2001.

Museum Hours & Directions:

The trolley museum is open seven days a week (Wednesday through Sunday only - during the Winter months January, February and March) from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, except Christmas, New Years and Thanksgiving Day. The entrance is at Cliff Street, on the grounds of the Steamtown National Historic Site in downtown Scranton, Pa. (off Exit 185 of Interstate 81). Follow the signs to Steamtown and you can’t miss us! Phone: (570) 963-6590.

Click on a link below to connect with associated sites for more visitor information:

Lackawanna County
Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority
Northeast Pennsylvania Convention & Visitors Bureau
Steamtown National Historic Site