Johnstown Traction Company

Johnstown Traction Company (JTC) was a public transit system in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, United States. For most of its existence it was primarily a street-railway system, but in later years also operated rubber-tired vehicles. JTC operated trolley (tram) service in Johnstown from February 23, 1910 to June 11, 1960. Johnstown was one of the last small cities to abandon trolley service in the United States.[1] Many of the 1920s-era cars went directly to museums; however, none of the 17 more modern PCC streetcars was saved. Efforts to sell the 16 then-surviving PCC cars intact were unsuccessful, and in 1962 they were cut up, but with many of their components being salvaged for sale to the Brussels, Belgium tram system,[2] reused in the last series of single PCC trams (7156-7171), which ran from 1970 until February 2010.

JTC's system also included electric trolley buses, the first route of which was opened on November 20, 1951.[3] Trolley bus service continued until 1967, the last day of electric service being November 11, 1967.[3] The transit system was then bus-only, but retained the name Johnstown Traction Company (in which "traction" is a reference to electric vehicle propulsion). In 1976, the private JTC would become the CamTran public transit system.

Contents

Surviving JTC cars

See also

References

  1. ^ Middleton, William D. (1967). The Time of the Trolley, p. 190. Milwaukee: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 0-89024-013-2.
  2. ^ Schneider, Fred W.; Carlson, Stephen P. (1983). PCC From Coast To Coast. Glendale, CA (US): Interurban Press. p. 104. ISBN 0-916374-57-2. 
  3. ^ a b Sebree, Mac; and Ward, Paul (1974). The Trolley Coach in North America, pp. 155–158. Los Angeles: Interurbans. LCCN 74-20367.

External links