Pennsylvania Trolley Museum

Pennsylvania Trolley Museum 🏆 #1 Best Small Town Museum 2026, USA Today 10Best
🎉 Established in 1954, we're keeping the Trolley Era alive for generations to come.
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For old and young, we're tons of fun! The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum began in 1954 with three trolleys and a dream. Today, that dream is a reality. We now display a collection of nearly 50 cars with over a dozen in operating order, have over 150 regular volunteers, and receive over 30,000 visitors each year. With your support, we can continue to fulfill our mission to keep the Trolley Era alive for generations to come. More than a ride... it's an experience!

: To Philadelphia Transportation Company 8042 in service on Route 55's last weekend of operation. This streetcar was th...
06/18/2026

: To Philadelphia Transportation Company 8042 in service on Route 55's last weekend of operation.

This streetcar was the last one to operate on the York Road to Willow Grove line (Route 55) on September 8, 1940 and was chosen for preservation for this reason.

8042 didn’t make its way to our museum until 2005; but as of today, it is undergoing restoration to its 1953 appearance thanks to the support of our volunteers and members!

06/17/2026

3, 2, 1, blast off! 🚀 Join us this Saturday (6/20) for Trolleys in Space and learn all about space travel.

Test out our stomp rockets, make some space-themed crafts, and explore booths from our community partners including the Allegheny Observatory, the CMU Astronomy Club, and the Challenger Learning Center, Wheeling, WV!

This event is included with General Admission and is free for our Members. Learn more at patrolley.org/events.

We’re also excited to welcome Pittsburgh Space Command, Tripoli Pittsburgh, and Francis Graham from Kent State University and his exhibits on Moon Trains!

This , we’re highlighting one of the operational streetcars you might ride during a visit to the Pennsylvania Trolley M...
06/15/2026

This , we’re highlighting one of the operational streetcars you might ride during a visit to the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum: New Orleans Public Service 832.

Visitors and supporters frequently ask how and why our museum acquired this particular streetcar. The answer is that in December 1947, car 832 was featured in a Life Magazine article (when Tennessee Williams’ play “A Streetcar Named Desire” debuted on Broadway). Three years later, another magazine article identified 832 as the car regularly assigned to operation on the Desire line. With these facts in mind, our founders and first wave of volunteers grew interested in bringing car 832 to our museum; and they did just that in 1964.

Today, car 832 continues on in the same way as its sister cars still operating in New Orleans. Their fame makes 832 an even more valuable piece of history, which we are very proud to be able to display and operate!

Week One of STEAM Summer Camp is in the books - what a great week of Lego Camp! Don’t miss out on the summer of a lifet...
06/12/2026

Week One of STEAM Summer Camp is in the books - what a great week of Lego Camp! Don’t miss out on the summer of a lifetime for your kids - book a week of camp at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum! Visit our website for information.

Trolleys, trucks, tractors, and more await you at Anything on Wheels on June 27-28! Get up close with vehicles of all ki...
06/12/2026

Trolleys, trucks, tractors, and more await you at Anything on Wheels on June 27-28! Get up close with vehicles of all kinds and see our trolley parades.

Also that weekend (on Friday, 6/26 and Saturday, 6/27) is the West Penn Trolley Meet! Check out our rail-themed vendors and visiting model railway layouts.

Both events are included with General Admission, which means they're free for Members! Learn more (or register your vehicle) at patrolley.org/events

- June 11, 1960 - streetcars ran in Johnstown for the last time. Johnstown was one of the last small cities to abandon...
06/11/2026

- June 11, 1960 - streetcars ran in Johnstown for the last time. Johnstown was one of the last small cities to abandon trolley service in the United States. It was also the smallest city to acquire a fleet of PCC cars.

Many of the 1920s-era cars went directly to museums; Johnstown Traction Company 350 is currently on static display at our museum, and 311 and 355 are operational at the Rockhill Trolley Museum. However, none of the 17 PCCs were saved.

📸 Thank you to our friends at Rockhill for sharing these photos from the last days of streetcar service in Johnstown!

06/09/2026

Governor Shapiro gave us a shoutout at the American Alliance of Museums Conference. We agree with his recommendation!

We'd love to return the favor with a trolley ride.

Gov. Josh Shapiro, consider this your official invitation for you and your family to come see what makes the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum so special - we've got a seat waiting for you! 🚎

Office of the Governor of Pennsylvania

Today’s spotlight is about (arguably) the best trolley to ride during the summer: Rio de Janeiro 1758!Open trolley rid...
06/08/2026

Today’s spotlight is about (arguably) the best trolley to ride during the summer: Rio de Janeiro 1758!

Open trolley rides were once advertised as the perfect way to cool off in the summer. But as safety became more of an issue, open trolleys disappeared in most American cities in the late 1920s.

In Rio de Janiero, however, these cars continued running into the 1960s; and 1758 was saved when a dozen of them were brought to the United States by a group of trolley museums. It is the same Brill Narragansett design as the open cars operated by West Penn Railways in Westmoreland and Fayette Counties (although the West Penn open cars were wider and longer).

Today 1758 is one of the most beloved trolleys in our collection, and it continues to help its riders cool off on hot summer days (and sometimes on warm evenings, too!).

A single photograph can tell and preserve multiple stories in history. For example, this 1978 image features two leaders...
06/06/2026

A single photograph can tell and preserve multiple stories in history. For example, this 1978 image features two leaders who not only improved public transit, but also broke down barriers in public service.

That year in San Francisco, Harvey Milk (the City Supervisor) and Curtis E. Green (the General Manager of the Municipal Railway) worked together to promote Muni's "Fast Pass" - a monthly transit pass. While it may seem routine today, one-way fares were still the norm in 1978; so these two men were promoting and supporting a significant change to how people used public transit.

As we celebrate Pride this June, it's also worth remembering the broader legacy of these two men. Curtis E. Green was the first African American to serve as the top executive of a major city transportation agency in the United States; and Harvey Milk was the first openly gay man elected to public office in California.

Their work helped shape public transit in San Francisco, but their impact has extended beyond that. By breaking barriers in government and public service, they helped create opportunities for those who followed, and their legacy remains an important part of the city's history.

Join us on June 26-28 for a weekend filled with cars, trucks, trolleys, and more!đźš—At the West Penn Trolley Meet (Friday ...
06/05/2026

Join us on June 26-28 for a weekend filled with cars, trucks, trolleys, and more!đźš—

At the West Penn Trolley Meet (Friday 6/26-Saturday 6/27), shop from rail-themed vendors and see our trolley parades! During Anything on Wheels (Saturday 6/27-Sunday 6/28), see classic cars, special-use trucks, construction vehicles, and more.

Both events are included with General Admission, which means they're free for Members! Learn more (or register your vehicle) at patrolley.org/events.

Address

1 Electric Way
Washington, PA
15301

Opening Hours

Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+17242289256

Website

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