The Rockhill Trolley Museum is a museum and heritage railway in Rockhill Furnace, Pennsylvania that collects and restores trolley, interurban, and transit cars. Founded in 1960, the museum operates what has been historically referred to as the Shade Gap Electric Railway to demonstrate the operable pieces in its collection. "Shade Gap" refers to the name of a branch of the East Broad Top Railroad, from whom the museum leases it property.[1]
The first car acquired by the museum in 1960 is Johnstown Traction #311.[1] Recent acquisitions include Public Service Coordinated Transport (later New Jersey Transit), Newark, NJ Presidents' Conference Committee (PCC) Car #6[2] and Iowa Terminal Railroad Snow Sweeper #3.[3]
The museum formerly operated under its corporate name, Railways to Yesterday. It changed to its current name to acknowledge and enhance its relationship with, and provide mutual promotional support to, its hometown.
The museum is open from May through October and for special holiday events. For the latter—including Easter, Pumpkin Festival in October, and Christmas in Coal Country—the museum partners with the East Broad Top Railroad and Coal Company, which is across the street. While the two organizations are not formally affiliated and do not cross-honor tickets, the railroad sells tickets for the combined events with the trolley museum, and the two organizations share volunteers and labor expertise.[4]
| Number | Type | Heritage | Builder | Date | Condition | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Snow sweeper | Emery, Iowa | McGuire-Cummings Manufacturing Company | 1911 | Operating | Acquired in a trade wherein the National Capital Trolley Museum received Snow Sweeper #09 from the museum[5] |
| 6 | PCC streetcar | Public Service Coordinated Transport, later New Jersey Transit | St. Louis Car Company | 1949 | Operating | Originally Twin City Rapid Transit car #325 |
| 10 | Snowplow | Philadelphia and Western Railroad | Wason Manufacturing Company | 1915 | Operating | Retired 1988, last operating trolley snowplow in the United States outside of a museum. |
| 12 | Streetcar | Valley Railways, west of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | Jackson and Sharp Company | 1895 | Inoperable | |
| 61 | Streetcar | Philadelphia Suburban | Brill | 1925 | Inoperable | Center door |
| 107 | Snow sweeper | Scranton Transit | Chicago and Joliet Electric Railway | 1910 | Operating | Steeplecab |
| 162 | Streetcar | Philadelphia and Western | Brill | 1927 | Inoperable | High-speed interurban car |
| 163 | Streetcar | York Railways | Brill | 1924 | Operating | Rare curved-sides car |
| 172 | Tram | CCFP/STCP (Porto, Portugal) | CCFP | 1929 | Operating | Semi-convertible (open/closed) car. |
| 205 | Tram | Philadelphia and Western | Brill | 1931 | Operating | Only operating Brill bullet, originally 3rd rail powered |
| 249 | Tram | CCFP/STCP | Brill | 1904 | Operating | Semi-convertible. |
| 311 | Streetcar | Johnstown Traction Company | Wason Manufacturing Company | 1922 | Operating | First car of the museum. |
| 315 | Streetcar | Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad | G. C. Kuhlman Car Company | 1909 | Operating | Wooden interurban car |
| 355 | Streetcar | Johnstown Traction Company | St. Louis Car Company | 1926 | Operating | |
| 402 | Box motor | Philadelphia and Western | Detroit United Railway | 1920 | Operating | Double-ended |
| 710 | Tram | Harrisburg Railways | Brill | 1913 | Inoperable | Semi-convertible. |
| 1009 | Rapid transit car | Delaware River Port Authority Bridge-line car | Brill | 1936 | Inoperable | Sold to Philadelphia Broad Street Subway for $10,000 following the formation of the PATCO Speedline in 1968. |
| 1019 | Siemens–Duewag U2 | San Diego Trolley | Duewag | 1982 | Operating | Only operating articulated car from San Diego, California on the East Coast. Most modern vehicle in collection. |
| 1875 | Tram | Rio de Janeiro Tramways | Brill | 1912 | Operating | |
| 2743 | PCC streetcar | Philadelphia Transportation Company, later SEPTA | St. Louis Car Company | 1947 | Operating | Originally Pennsylvania trolley gauge |
| 19137 | Caboose | Pennsylvania Railroad | 1900s | Not used | N-5 steel | |
| C-64 | Freight flat | CCFP/STCP | CCFP | 1933 | Operating | Now used as a track maintenance. car |
| D-39 | Tower car | SEPTA | Philadelphia Rapid Transit | 1908 | not Operating | Overhead wire maintenance car. |
| M-25 | GE 25-ton switcher | Adtranz | GE Transportation | 1942 | Operating | Originally owned by United States Navy |
| M-100 | Railroad speeder | United States Navy | Kalamazoo Manufacturing Company | 1945 | Operating | Petrol engine |
| X-4 | Cherry picker car | Rockhill Trolley Museum | 1998 | Operating | ||
| X-39 | Caboose | Central of Georgia Railway | Not used | Wooden | ||
| BT-1 | Boom truck | Curry Supply Company | GMC | 1981 | Operating | |
| Liberty LinerIndependence Hall | Electroliner | Philadelphia Suburban | St. Louis Car Company | 1941 | Operating | Originally Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad No. 803-804 |
| Ballast car | Rockhill Trolley Museum | 1999 | In use | |||
| Railroad tie nipper | Rockhill Trolley Museum | 2000 | In use | |||