Using evocative photographs from private collections, Philadelphia Trolleys: From Survival to Revivalcarries readers on a nostalgic trip through nearly 50 years of transportation history, starting with the takeover of local transit service from the private sector by Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). Sporting a rainbow of paint schemes in the 1970s, Philadelphia's fleet of streamlined 1940s trolley cars brought a welcome splash of color to gritty city streets. But more than a coat of paint was needed for America's largest surviving streetcar network, and SEPTA faced tough choices about how much to keep as aging vehicles and infrastructure desperately required renewal or replacement. Long-lived Presidents' Conference Committee (PCC) streamliners were retired, and SEPTA invested in Kawasaki light rail vehicles, which are still serving Philadelphia commuters 35 years later. Many SEPTA PCC cars found new homes, from Maine to San Francisco--and, more recently, on SEPTA's own revived Girard Avenue line. The story comes full circle as SEPTA officials once again gear up to select a new generation of Philadelphia trolleys.
Trolleys of Pennsylvania is a photographic essay covering trolley car systems in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania had more operating trolley companies than any other state in the United States. Fairmount Park in Philadelphia was the first park in the world to have a trolley car line located entirely within the park. Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was the smallest city in the United States to place in service new modern Presidents' Conference Committee cars. Until Philadelphia's Route 62 (Darby-Yeadon) was combined with Route 13 in 1971, Route 62 was the shortest trolley car line in the United States. This book provides an insight into a variety of trolley car lines that have contributed to Trolleys of Pennsylvania.
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