Passenger Trains > abandoned trolley graveyard of western PA

link to photos

Follow the above link to my images from the abandoned trolley/streetcar graveyard in western Pennsylvania a few weeks ago.

It amazes and astonishes me that places like this exist, and through the rust and decay the beauty and romance of a better vanished time can be found.
Mother Nature, as well as unfortunately vandalism and graffiti, has been hard on these machines, but glimpses of their former glory days are still evident.
A majority this 70+ piece collection of retired relics are from the tracks in Boston, Cincinnati, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Cleveland.

All photos taken on private property with full permission and consent of the owner.

​Enjoy,
Matthew

I posted on the Eastern board for the same link.

Can any of this be seen from I-80?  I seem to recall seeing old streetcars while driving on I-80 in recent years and wondered if this was the location?

I have been asked not to post address location information, and will honor that request.
But I will say its well off the beaten path, and not visible from I-80.
​Matthew

This looks like the same place:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXT8ru9IvdE

Here you go - not close to I-80 

Near Johnstown Pa in Windber Pa - BTW - Windber is the hometown of Johnny Weismuller and the founder "Rock and Roll" Alan Freed - The old PRR rail station in Windber is also nicely refurbished

I understand mfmalk wants to protect the owner of these trolleys by not publishing the location.  I only did this because he has been interviewed many times for articles like this and was featured in a story done by the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat

http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/windber-trolley-grave-yard

We can't save everything alot of stuff should go Steel Mill to melt down into New Steel.

There were a collection of PCC cars and other equipment that could be seen from I-80 in eastern Ohio. But I understand that they were cleaned up. If you look up Buckeye lake Ohio section of the New Dave's Railpix, there are some photos there.
If you are thinking about PCCs seen from I-80 in Pennsylvania, that may have been Brookville Equipment. Those ex-SEPTA cars were cleaned up and are no longer there.

railcity Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We can't save everything alot of stuff should go
> Steel Mill to melt down into New Steel.

Duly noted.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> railcity Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > We can't save everything alot of stuff should
> go
> > Steel Mill to melt down into New Steel.
>
> Duly noted.
​I agree to a point; however as I have answered the other post on the Eastern Board, there are streetcar (trolley) museums around the country that need parts for their own cars and I read one time recently that the T in Boston needs parts for the streetcars that they still have in operation.  The owner of this stuff should at least look into either selling or donating the parts, they the rest could be cut up for scrap.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

Why the calls to cut into scrap??

You would think we are back in WWII with a steel shortage.  That is how many antiques disappeared from the farms and garages of the United States back during WWII.  There was a call to gather any unused metal to use in the war effort.  Certainly undertandable.

I am probably like many others in that it is pretty darn cool to walk around abandoned sites or amongst equipment that is left in a barn, field, or industrial site and just take it in.   The owner can do what he wants with it, although I will agree that if there are salvagable parts that can be used by someone else, it would be great if accommodations could be made for that.  If he wants to let it rot in a field and it is unsalvagable, then let it be. 

As to the I-80 refernece -- I was in NW PA this weekend and did not see the cars I referenced in my post.  I figured since I only went as far east as Clarion, that perhaps I missed them.  Thanks for the replies that indicate the equipment I saw is gone. 

csxmonsubfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There were a collection of PCC cars and other
> equipment that could be seen from I-80 in eastern
> Ohio. But I understand that they were cleaned up.
> If you look up Buckeye lake Ohio section of the
> New Dave's Railpix, there are some photos there.
> If you are thinking about PCCs seen from I-80 in
> Pennsylvania, that may have been Brookville
> Equipment. Those ex-SEPTA cars were cleaned up and
> are no longer there.

I think you meant I-70, for the ones in Ohio, around mp 138. Buckeye Lake is in this area east of Columbus. They may be gone as I didn't see them the last time I went to Columbus.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/26/16 13:08 by 41bridge.

I wonder if Brookvile is aware of these?  Might still be parts that they can use in rebuilding or new builds.  They seem to do a  A1+  job.

Anyone wanting see nicely restored operating trolleys in Western Pennsylvania should go here

  There were some old Septa cars off the North side of I-80 near Brookville, PA but they disappeared a few years ago.


 P Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Can any of this be seen from I-80?  I seem to
> recall seeing old streetcars while driving on I-80
> in recent years and wondered if this was the
> location?

Doug Wetherhold
Macungie, PA

40.237127, -78.816400