Mar. 18—March 18, 1948

Groundbreaking held for Trane PlantMore than 150 businessmen and supporters of the Scranton Plan boarded the Laurel Line "Prosperity Special" to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Trane Co. plant on the Minooka-Greenwood line.

At the ceremony, Scranton Chamber of Commerce President Martin Kennedy said, "We are all mighty proud to have the Trane Co. located here. Let us hope that in a few years when we come down here, we will see the Trane plant perhaps three times its original size."

The 70,000-square-foot factory, which Trane would use to produce convector radiators, would be built by Scranton Lackawanna Industrial Building Co. The estimated cost of construction was $300,000.

Following the groundbreaking, the guests were also given the opportunity to tour the Harris Hub Bed and Spring plant located near the site of the soon-to-be constructed Trane plant.

Before the ceremony, the special train dropped the guests off at the General Electric Plant for lunch and a quick tour of the facility.

The factory was up and running by September.

Hotel Casey will undergo renovationsJoseph Casey, president of the Hotel Casey, announced a $500,000 modernization plan for the downtown Scranton hotel.

The plan called for updating the hotel service facilities located in the basement of the building, increasing room for receiving and storing merchandise, food and supplies, renovating staff restrooms and facilities and constructing a new coat checkroom in the basement.

The hotel's kitchen and bakery would also be updated with new stainless steel equipment and tiled floors and walls.

The hotel's 400 guest rooms would be refurbished with new carpeting, draperies, furniture and lighting. Twenty-six guest rooms would be completely renovated to accommodate full bathrooms.

The modernization plan was scheduled to begin on March 22.

At the movies

"The Voice of the Turtle" at the Strand, "Treasure of Sierra Madre" at the Comerford, "The Song of Bernadette" at the Riviera, "Second Chance" at the Capitol, "Key Witness" at the State and "Singapore" at the West Side.

Brian Fulton, library manager, oversees The Times-Tribune's expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history. Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com or 570-348-9140.

Brian Fulton, library manager, oversees The Times-Tribune's expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history. Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com or 570-348-9140.