What's happening @ PTM: Trolley Street Construction

Trolley Street construction gets underway

Saturday December 21

December 21 the volunteer line crew of Kevin Zebley, Laura Wells, Armand Latour and Larry Lovejoy kicked the construction of into high gear setting poles at Enterprise Wye, named for the one time stop on Washington interurban line at that approximate location. The stop served the Enterprise mine near this location on the far side of the Pennsylvania railroad track. That got me thinking about how things changed in this area over the years, both with the construction of the Washington interurban and the Museum.

The Enterprise Mine site occupied the valley behind the Washington Country Club. Along about 1963 it was in the path of Interstate 79 and was largely obliterated with the construction of the highway. The Penn Pilot website (pennpilot.psu.edu) provides a 1939 aerial view of the area shown here. I excerpted a section of this photo for this page and marked it up with photoshop to illustrate locations. Note what looks like a railroad yard on the photo south of the PRR right of way. This was buried when I-79 was built. If you are driving on I 79 northbound today look for the remains of the spoil pile and a small cemetary that occupy the valley behind the Country Club. The new housing plan being built on the opposite hillside is called Bradford Run so I’m guessing is the name of stream, which starts up by Bob Evans and Eat’n Park.

In the photos you see then and now from widely different sources. If it looks to you that Chartiers Creek was moved you are right! They moved this watercourse a great deal along this section for construction of I-79. From the Meadowlands to the Houston interchange the stream was completely relocated to flow on the west side of the highway, eliminating the need for 4 or 5 bridges.

In the mid-70s Chartiers Creek was moved some more to make way for expansion at Dynamet that allowed space for construction of their rolling mill. Governor Thornburg came in for the ribbon cutting of Dynamet’s new buildings in 1977 and Bob Brown gave him a ride on 3756. The original Dynamet building was built earlier in the 70s about the time the county extended Museum Road back to the south side of the railroad.

Museum Road was the brainchild of Lou Redman (Badge#13), luckiest break the organization ever had! Anyway here's the legend. When the road was originally cut through around 1961 Art Schwartz stood in front of the bulldozer as they reached our tracks and negotiated with them to wait until the track was prepped. When the road was open Lou had the sign made. When it arrived he commandeered John Bagiensky and they set it up out at the corner of N. Main. He did the same when the road was constructed from the other end to Reliance and John B. commandeered me to help put it up. I have a photo of that somewhere too.

Later (probably in 1963) they built a sign board directing people into the museum while Mac and Jon McGrew spearheaded the painting of Union RR boxcar 177 orange and lettered it and ARDEN TROLLEY MUSEUM and included the hours right there on the side. They produced a 4x8 plywood sign for next to North Main and also lettered the front of the carbarn. The box car was used for parts storage for many years until being scrapped in 2006 or so...gotta look that up.

Looking south toward I-79. See you the Museum end of line (1467 & 1 WP) in 1968 before Superior Valve Building, Reliance and Museum Road east now Reliance Drive. Enterprise is to the left (east) in the photo. The "Tony Andy" land was between the original end of track and Enterprise. Bill Fronczek negotiated for years to get right-of-way through this parcel. After purchase of the original East Site land plans were started for a new visitor center at that location. This was around 1986.