Trolleyology: One Month and Counting

Join PTM staff, volunteers, members, and friends of the Museum for our Zoom series, Trolleyology! These programs feature Pennsylvania transit history topics, stories of our collection, and tales of the Trolley Era that you can experience from home. Registration is required but free of charge. Donations support our programming and are welcome and encouraged.

During high school student Dave Warner’s first visit to Pittsburgh in the spring of 1971, he learned that three of the remaining streetcar lines would be converted to buses later in the year. That knowledge was the impetus for walking and photographing all of the Route 44-Knoxville, images which are available to see on the previous Trolleyology video, Pittsburgh Streetcars – April 1971.

A fall teacher’s workshop closed school for two weekdays in October, and that gave Dave a timely opportunity to spend a day in Pittsburgh with the goal of photographing the portions of the 53-Carrick line which he hadn’t photographed in April, along with a few photos of the 49-Beltzhoover line which was the third of the lines on the chopping block. The day of photography included much more than a photo-filled half-day walking along Brownsville Road, such as middle-of the night rides to Library and night photography at the Tunnel Car House. The day of photography ended with an impressive parade of PCCs through Dormont, some on trackage which was replaced with a unique suburban light rail tunnel when the trolley lines remaining after 1971 were upgraded to light rail standards, rather than bustituted.

When: Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at 7 PM ET

A Zoom link will be sent to you in a confirmation email after registration. For those who have registered by 12 PM on the day of the program, a reminder email will also be sent with an easy-to-click link to join the Zoom.

If you do not receive a confirmation email with the Zoom link, please reach out to Kristen Fredriksen at kfred@patrolley.org.