Pennsylvania Trolley Museum

Johnstown Traction Company 350


Following 're-trucking' 350 was moved to the PTM shop in June of 2004 prior to the move to the TDB	At Main and Franklin, 1950s (Karl Then photo)

Car Number	350	Car Builder	St. Louis Car Company
Year Built	1926	Year Acquired	1959
Type	DE City	Seats	44
Length	41'5"	Width	7'0"
Height	11'4"	Weight	38,700 lbs (19.4 tons)
Motors	Westiinghouse 510a2	Status	Trolley Display Building Exhibit

Johnstown is a medium-sized city whose economy relied heavily on the steel industry until its collapse in the late 1950s. The nature of that business, with its large number of employees changing shifts three times daily was a ready-made market for the Johnstown Traction Company (JTC), who found it profitable to maintain streetcar operations long after most cities had gone over to buses. JTC even purchased streamlined PCC cars in 1947, the smallest U.S. city to do so.

By 1959, steel was suffering and the transit company was reducing its scope accordingly. A number of these mid-1920s cars became surplus, and 350 was brought to the Museum in the fall of 1959 (JTC's last streetcar ran the following year, in June 1960).

Car 350 is a perfect "time warp," as it remains in virtually the same condition as it was in its last days of service in Johnstown. The car is currently on display at the Trolley Display Building. In June of 2004 it was placed on wheel sets (trucks) from Pittsburgh for the trip to the newly built TDB. Plans for the future are to re-gauge the original trucks so that the car may operate on the museum's demonstration railway.

Click on the thumbnails below for larger photos (will open in new window):


		Morrellville, May 1958 (Krambles-Peterson Archive)	350 on display at the TDB


350 moving from barn to be staged for transport to PTM, September 1959	350 ready to be loaded onto a trailer for transport to PTM, September 1959	350 being loaded onto a trailer for transport to PTM, September 1959	350 being unloaded at PTM, September 1959

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