JAHA seeking help restoring rare 1920s Johnstown streetcar
Jun. 10—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — For years, Johnstown Traction Co. Car No. 362 criss-crossed the city underneath overhead wires, carrying passengers to and from busy business districts.
Soon, it will be on the move again — but only because its storage site has been sold to a new owner.
Johnstown Area Heritage Association President Richard Burkert has less than a year to find a new home to store the 1926-era car — but he's hoping that there may be local interest to get it back on display in Johnstown.
Given its years of wear and tear, the car needs plenty of work, Burkert said.
But it's worth saving, he added.
"What we need is help," Burkert said. "Right now, we'd love to find people willing to get involved in rehabilitating Car 362 so we can keep the Traction Company's memory alive."
A century ago, Johnstown Traction Co.'s familiar orange-colored electrified cars were the predominant way of travel for commuters across Greater Johnstown and to destinations such as Luna Park. The private company — a predecessor of the public Cambria County Transit Authority — and its partners built the motors and rails in Johnstown, and its system outlasted most of its peers across the country.
When the last car was taken out of service in 1960, crowds of nostalgic streetcar fans flocked to Johnstown to see it buzz by.
According to JAHA records, the car is likely one of just eight still in existence. Two are back in use at the Rockhill Trolley Museum, which is running them during a special event this weekend alongside its Huntingdon County exhibit space.
Another 1926-era streetcar, Car No. 350, is on display at the Washington, Pa.-based Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, documents show, while others are stored or preserved in California and Connecticut.
JAHA acquired its car from an Illinois museum more than a decade ago, Burkert said.
The heritage group envisioned developing a project that would have restored the car and put it back into use on a a short line that could have carried travelers from one Johnstown tourist destination to another, he said.
The idea never gained traction. The nonprofit's resources are limited — and with a list of major projects in development, such as the current Johnstown Flood Museum and Johnstown Train Station renovations — the trolley project took a back seat, Burkert said.
At this point, Burkert said he'd be satisfied to see the trolley restored as a static display piece, but for that to happen, JAHA needs help, he added.
"There's probably not one person or group with the entire background to restore the trolley — but if you look at it (in pieces), I'm certain there are people with the skill and resources to help us get it done," Burkert said.
Among its list of needs, the deteriorating car's body needs sheet metal work, while its benches need reupholstered, for example.
"We know what it takes to repair it," Burkert said, "What we need is people or local groups willing to volunteer their time and skill to help make it happen."
Ed Metka, a longtime streetcar collector who stored the trolley for years in Windber, is also confident it can be restored as a museum piece.
"It would be great for them to find a way to restore that car and keep it in Johnstown," said Metka, who recently sold the property where the trolley is kept. "I hope it works out."
To contact JAHA, call 814-539-1889 or email the organization at info@jaha.org.
