Daycation: Pennsylvania Trolley Museum offers glimpse into transportation past

Apr. 2—Have a trolley good time taking a Daycation Destination trip into the transportation past at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Washington, Pa.

The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum is a nonprofit educational organization sharing trolley-era history and depends on its hundreds of uber-dedicated volunteers for public operations and maintenance of the more than 50 trolleys in use and on display in the museum's inventory.

The museum opened in 1954 with three trolleys.

Today's collection has grown to include 52 cars, and the museum welcomes more than 38,000 visitors annually.

West Virginia University industrial engineering freshman Josue Lopez drives an hour each way to volunteer part time as a trolley operator. When he showed up for his initial volunteer workshop, he noticed one of the trolleys in the museum collection hails from New Orleans.

"My aunt lived in New Orleans when she first moved to the U.S., and she always mentioned that streetcar. It's sentimental," Lopez said. "I FaceTimed my aunt to show her the car when I first arrived here. I love that New Orleans car. I love the idea of volunteering here. It's great to be a part of history for my personal fulfillment and for the public that visits here to learn about street cars."

The New Orleans Public Service 832 on display was once featured in a Life Magazine story. It was delivered to the museum in 1964. The car was built in 1922 and seats 52 passengers. It was restored in 1998.

Brett Freithaler, a 10-year volunteer, is thrilled to have wide open spaces at the new museum space.

Open year-round, the museum moved in November into a new, larger museum located at One Electric Way, just down the street from its former location. The move was made possible by a successful fundraising campaign that garnered more than $17 million.

The Welcome and Education Center offers 21,000 square feet of new, interactive galleries and exhibits, a dedicated classroom and event rooms.

"This has greatly expanded the visitor experience," Freithaler said. "The old building had two cars and a 12-minute video, and we had to transport guests to the trolley barn. Now, visitors aren't on a schedule and can enjoy it self-guided — and with a day pass they can ride the trolleys as many times as they like."

Visitors can ride two trolleys that run on two different lines, with the longer route at about 2 miles.

Guests are encouraged to ask questions of the conductors and volunteers. Admission includes trolley rides, a guided tour, exhibits and video presentation, free parking and access to a picnic area.

Guests can raise the trolley pole to power the car just as a real operator would at The Trolley Simulator, one of numerous interactive experiences. Peruse the Trolley Display Building and Car Barn and plan on spending at least two hours for a visit.

The oldest car in the collection is the Pittsburgh 101, a horse car from the 1870s. Horse cars were used in Pittsburgh from 1859 until 1923.

Trolleys eventually fell out of favor in Pittsburgh, and bus lines began to replace trolley routes in the 1960s. The Port Authority bus system is still in operation. In Pittsburgh, streetcars were in operation until 1999.

The museum has more than 140 volunteers, some of whom started in the 1960s, according to Kristen Fredriksen, manager of public programs and outreach.

"They put in more than 30,000 hours at the museum. They love sharing, and it's so great when people share what they're excited about with others. We couldn't do this without our volunteers. The talent of these volunteers is incredible," she said. "It's so nice to have so much space. We have 25 trolleys open and a lot of them operate. Every time you come to the museum, you may get to ride a different trolley."

Volunteer Boulevard is a fully brick-paved street with 33,000 hand-laid bricks that allow the trolleys to operate in both directions.

Married volunteers Wayne and Nancy Young recently operated a trolley together for a small group. The couple are in their 18th year of volunteering and drive more than 100 miles round trip to add their conductor contributions to the museum.

"It's fun and we love the camaraderie. The kids want to know what makes the trolley go so we show them how to plug a trolley in," Wayne Young said.

Volunteers are recognized at an annual Volunteer Reception Dinner. They logged more than 27,700 service hours in 2022.

Nicholas Tonarelli, 11, of Peters Township learned firsthand about the electricity required to operate the trolleys after a tutorial from the Youngs.

"This is my first trolley ride. I learned that the ads on the side, on the inside, of the cars were a way for the trolleys to make money," Nicholas said.

The Youngs recalled that folks dressed in their Sunday best to ride the trolley.

"It wasn't this casual look like now," Nancy Young said.

Visitors are invited to take a selfie with the trolley featured in an episode of "Mr. Rogers Neighborhood" that chronicled Fred Rogers' visit to the museum.

The museum is looking forward to the upcoming debut of the Terrible Trolley, a Steelers-themed car, to join the collection. Acquired in May, the Terrible Trolley was built in 1949 by the St. Louis Car Co. and ran on Pittsburgh Railway's Washington and Charleroi interurban lines.

In 1980, it was repainted to commemorate the four Steelers' Super Bowl Championships during the 1970s.

Dining destination down the road

Hungry museum visitors often show up at the nearby eatery Countryside Deli, in business since 2014.

Owned and operated by father-son duo Dan and Corey DiGiovanni, the deli at 935 Henderson Ave. in Washington offers dine-in and takeout and serves beer and wine.

The chicken keeps folks coming back, Dan DiGiovanni said.

"It's prepared with a special hand-breading process and is broasted and cooked in a pressure cooker," he said.

Mac and cheese, pierogies, Reubens, hot sausage, mashed potatoes, meatloaf Mondays and a year-round Friday fish fry are popular. The restaurant is closed on Sundays.

"It's all homemade here. We are the lunch spot," Corey DiGiovanni said. "We want people to step back in time (visiting the museum) and experience great food and good customer service and hearty, comfort foods."

Joyce Hanz is a TribLive reporter covering the Alle-Kiski Valley. A native of Charleston, S.C., she graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com