((PKG)) TROLLEY MUSEUM
((Banner: Expanding Horizons))
((Reporter/Camera: Jeff Swicord))
((Producer/Editor: Jacquelyn De Phillips))
((Map: Washington, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania))
((Main characters: 2 males))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
Welcome aboard!
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
When I was about four or five years old, family didn't have a
car.
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
All aboard!
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
So, just rode street cars. On Sundays, my dad would get a
pass. Only back then, it was seventy-five cents and you
could ride the entire system here in Pittsburgh. So, after
church, we would go out and we would just go ride trolleys.
((NATS))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
I was just fascinated with trolleys, fascinated with public
transportation. So, that's where it all started. Ended up
working for Port Authority here in Pittsburgh. I wanted to be
an operator on the light rail line. Did that for twenty-five
years. Retired from that and now I'm putting my time in
operating trolleys down here at the museum.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
We want people to learn the history and how the cities
develop because at one time, people spent their entire lives
within two miles of where they were born. They walked to
church. They walked to school. They walked to go
shopping. And transportation opened the world up to these
people. Now they could get out.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
This was the typical car that you rode in Pittsburgh through
the thirties and going into World War Two.
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
Every Thursday evening, my mom would go play bingo down
at the social hall. And my dad and I, we would walk her
down to the bingo. There was a little drugstore on the corner
and we’d go in and get an ice cream or coke or something.
Then we'd go stand outside and wait for one of these old
cars to come along. We would hop on the car and we would
ride back and forth all night long until bingo was over.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
This car's been completely rebuilt pretty much from the rails
up. It took a lot of work by a lot of the volunteers here and
we're very proud of the work that they do. Different types of
woods, they're hard woods. Pittsburgh was very fond of
cherry. The original rattan seats, these have all been rebuilt.
((NATS/ MUSIC))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
We've got over 50 cars on the property here. The way we
get the trolleys, it's all kind of ways. Sometimes, people
have old car bodies sitting on property. Some of the cars
that we have, people were actually living in them. They were
using them for hunting cabins. In one case, a chicken coop.
((NATS))
((Banner: Oldest car))
((Scott Becker, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
This car has always fascinated me because it's so old.
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
Yeah, but we don't really know what year it was built.
((Scott Becker, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
Yeah, we think it was 1875, thereabouts, as best we can tell.
But we know it was built in New York City by a company that
made omnibuses and carriages. And they built it and
shipped it out here to Pittsburgh.
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
Right, right. And people call these horse cars, but this
wasn't really a horse car, was it?
((Scott Becker, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
It was pulled by mules, two mules.
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
Yeah. And why did they use mules in Pittsburgh?
((Scott Becker, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
Well, first of all, you had a lot of hills. But the mules could
pull better and they were stronger. But also, they knew
when to stop. Horses, you could run for all day long,
whereas a mule, when it got tired, it finally stopped. So,
what I'm told is that they used the animals in four-hour shifts,
but the poor operator who was out front, he had to work a
twelve-hour shift. So, the animals had it better than the
operator.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
This is the shop. These cars, being old and being used,
require a lot of maintenance to keep them running. And you
can't run down to the auto parts store and buy parts for
them. The parts have to be made.
((NATS))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
Some of them are basket cases. Some of them, they come
off the truck, put them on the rails, put the pole up and we
can run them. The New Orleans Car was that way.
((NATS))
((Scott Becker, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
We have the world-famous streetcar named ‘Desire’ from
New Orleans.
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
It came up here from New Orleans on a railroad car. We off
loaded it, put it on the track. We were able to run it that
night. Other cars, a lot of the woodwork, all needs to be
replaced. They need complete restoration from the wheels
up.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
I think the future of electric trolleys, it's coming a long way.
((NATS))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
Back in the 50s, there was, ‘we need to get rid of the trolleys.
They tie traffic up. They're obsolete. We need to get rid of
them.’
((NATS))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
Well, by 1970, the trolleys were coming back.
((NATS))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
The electricity doesn't pollute. You can carry more people
on light rail cars than you can in buses. Now, there's over 30
cities in the United States that have trolleys or light rail cars.
So, I see it more and more. We're going full circle again. It's
really great.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Banner: Expanding Horizons))
((Reporter/Camera: Jeff Swicord))
((Producer/Editor: Jacquelyn De Phillips))
((Map: Washington, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania))
((Main characters: 2 males))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
Welcome aboard!
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
When I was about four or five years old, family didn't have a
car.
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
All aboard!
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
So, just rode street cars. On Sundays, my dad would get a
pass. Only back then, it was seventy-five cents and you
could ride the entire system here in Pittsburgh. So, after
church, we would go out and we would just go ride trolleys.
((NATS))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
I was just fascinated with trolleys, fascinated with public
transportation. So, that's where it all started. Ended up
working for Port Authority here in Pittsburgh. I wanted to be
an operator on the light rail line. Did that for twenty-five
years. Retired from that and now I'm putting my time in
operating trolleys down here at the museum.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
We want people to learn the history and how the cities
develop because at one time, people spent their entire lives
within two miles of where they were born. They walked to
church. They walked to school. They walked to go
shopping. And transportation opened the world up to these
people. Now they could get out.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
This was the typical car that you rode in Pittsburgh through
the thirties and going into World War Two.
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
Every Thursday evening, my mom would go play bingo down
at the social hall. And my dad and I, we would walk her
down to the bingo. There was a little drugstore on the corner
and we’d go in and get an ice cream or coke or something.
Then we'd go stand outside and wait for one of these old
cars to come along. We would hop on the car and we would
ride back and forth all night long until bingo was over.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
This car's been completely rebuilt pretty much from the rails
up. It took a lot of work by a lot of the volunteers here and
we're very proud of the work that they do. Different types of
woods, they're hard woods. Pittsburgh was very fond of
cherry. The original rattan seats, these have all been rebuilt.
((NATS/ MUSIC))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
We've got over 50 cars on the property here. The way we
get the trolleys, it's all kind of ways. Sometimes, people
have old car bodies sitting on property. Some of the cars
that we have, people were actually living in them. They were
using them for hunting cabins. In one case, a chicken coop.
((NATS))
((Banner: Oldest car))
((Scott Becker, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
This car has always fascinated me because it's so old.
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
Yeah, but we don't really know what year it was built.
((Scott Becker, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
Yeah, we think it was 1875, thereabouts, as best we can tell.
But we know it was built in New York City by a company that
made omnibuses and carriages. And they built it and
shipped it out here to Pittsburgh.
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
Right, right. And people call these horse cars, but this
wasn't really a horse car, was it?
((Scott Becker, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
It was pulled by mules, two mules.
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
Yeah. And why did they use mules in Pittsburgh?
((Scott Becker, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
Well, first of all, you had a lot of hills. But the mules could
pull better and they were stronger. But also, they knew
when to stop. Horses, you could run for all day long,
whereas a mule, when it got tired, it finally stopped. So,
what I'm told is that they used the animals in four-hour shifts,
but the poor operator who was out front, he had to work a
twelve-hour shift. So, the animals had it better than the
operator.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
This is the shop. These cars, being old and being used,
require a lot of maintenance to keep them running. And you
can't run down to the auto parts store and buy parts for
them. The parts have to be made.
((NATS))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
Some of them are basket cases. Some of them, they come
off the truck, put them on the rails, put the pole up and we
can run them. The New Orleans Car was that way.
((NATS))
((Scott Becker, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
We have the world-famous streetcar named ‘Desire’ from
New Orleans.
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
It came up here from New Orleans on a railroad car. We off
loaded it, put it on the track. We were able to run it that
night. Other cars, a lot of the woodwork, all needs to be
replaced. They need complete restoration from the wheels
up.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
I think the future of electric trolleys, it's coming a long way.
((NATS))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
Back in the 50s, there was, ‘we need to get rid of the trolleys.
They tie traffic up. They're obsolete. We need to get rid of
them.’
((NATS))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
Well, by 1970, the trolleys were coming back.
((NATS))
((Chris Golofski, President, Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum))
The electricity doesn't pollute. You can carry more people
on light rail cars than you can in buses. Now, there's over 30
cities in the United States that have trolleys or light rail cars.
So, I see it more and more. We're going full circle again. It's
really great.
((NATS/MUSIC))
