The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Washington, PA featured a presentation last November 23, 2021, titled The Laurel Line – Scranton to Wilkes-Barre. Presented by George Gula, a trolley enthusiast and expert, the virtual presentation was part of the museum’s Trolleyology Series. The presentation is 2 hours long and packed with incredible information and photographs.
Video Description: At the turn of the 20th Century, the densely populated Lackawanna and Wyoming Valleys were major producers of anthracite coal. Developers decided to build a successful electric railway to connect the towns from Carbondale south to Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, but quickly changed their plans to build a railroad capable of handling heavy coal trains as well as an intense passenger service. Construction of the line, powered by a third rail, saddled it with an enormous debt it was never able to get out from under. This show, the second of two parts, is a color photo tour of the line from Scranton to Wilkes-Barre, as it existed in the early 1950’s. The majority of the marvelous photos were taken by the premier photographer Edward S. Miller. So come trackside to relive the final years of the line, but don’t step on the third rail!
You can view more of the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum series on Trolleyology on the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum You Tube Channel.
For a shorter 50 minute presentation by George Gula on the Laurel Line, watch Lackawanna Past Time: A Ride Along the Laurel Line.
Video Description: Join guest presenter George Gula for a photographic ride along the Laurel Line, the electric trolley system that carried passengers and freight through a now-vanished landscape of coal mining between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre from 1903 until 1952.
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum came to Chartiers Township, Washington County in February 1954 with three trolleys and a dream that was born in 1941. Today, that dream is a reality. PTM now boasts a collection of nearly 50 cars, over 600 members worldwide, 150 active volunteers, and over 30,000 visitors each year. With your support, we can fulfill our mission to keep the Trolley Era alive for generations to come.
Links:
Trolleyology: The Laurel Line – Scranton to Wilkes-Barre, Presented by George Gula
https://youtu.be/1FNTLLLCRiU
Pennsylvania Trolley Museum
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCorgneKcjk__WK6y0q99Gkg
Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, Washington, PA
https://pa-trolley.org/
Lackawanna Past Time: A Ride Along the Laurel Line
https://youtu.be/6kXeBDeuuCI
