The Scranton Railway Company built and operated electric trolleys in and around Scranton, Pennsylvania, from 1896 until 1954. The company was formed to consolidate various trolley companies in Scranton and Lackawanna County. At its peak, the company had city lines in Scranton and Dunmore and suburban lines north to Forest City and south to Duryea and

Pittston Pittston is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The city gained prominence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as an active anthracite coal ...

. Its last trolley ran in 1954.

History

In 1900, it carried 10.5 million passengers.SCRANTON: BEING AN ILLUSTRATED AND DESCRIPTIVE BOOKLET OF THE CITY OF SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A.
"The Scranton Railway Company", Scranton Board of Trade, 1912 In 1902, it operated more than 100 cars. In 1905, the railway was purchased by American Railways Company, a holding company that also owned the

Altoona and Logan Valley Electric Railway Altoona, a variant of "Altona", may refer to: Places * Altoona, Alabama * Altoona, Florida *Altoona, Iowa * Altoona, Kansas * Altoona, Ohio *Altoona, Pennsylvania *Altoona, Washington *Altoona, Wisconsin Altoona is a city in Eau Claire County, W ...

, the People's Railway, the Springfield Railway Company, and other electric railways. In 1907, the railway owned 47.63 miles of track, and operated over 81.55 miles of track. In 1910, it operated five steam locomotives. In 1912, it carried 24 million passengers. A promotional book produced by the city's Board of Trade touted the "Gateway to the Clouds", a 12-mile, 54-minute ride from downtown Scranton that rose 1,200 feet to the resort area of Lake Moosic. This route traveled over the leased Scranton, Dunmore, and Moosic Lake Railroad. In the 1920s, ridership began to decline. Long suburban lines were cut back as buses began to appear. In 1923, the Scranton Railway Company asked for and received approval from the local Public Service Commission to abandon its service from Scranton to Pittston. In 1925, it abandoned service from Old Forge to Duryea, where there was a connection to Wilkes-Barre. From 1925-28, the company was owned by

National Public Service Corporation National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

, which was soon taken over by Chicago businessman

Samuel Insull Samuel Insull (November 11, 1859 – July 16, 1938) was a British-born American business magnate. He was an innovator and investor based in Chicago who greatly contributed to create an integrated electrical infrastructure in the United States ...

's Middle West Utilities Co. Insull's Chicago-based business empire collapsed in 1932, whereupon the company passed to the Municipal Service Co. In 1934, the Scranton Railway was reorganized as Scranton Transit Company. Its last trolley car ran in 1954, its lines replaced by buses.Electric City Trolley Station and Museum celebrates 125th anniversary of first successful streetcar line
/ref> Scranton Transit ceased all bus operations on Nov. 15, 1971. It was succeeded in 1972 by the

County of Lackawanna Transit System The County of Lackawanna Transit System (COLTS) is the operator of public transport for the city of Scranton urban area and its surrounding area of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. It began operations in 1972, largely using routes established by p ...

Footnotes

References

* {{Pennsylvania railroads Scranton, Pennsylvania Defunct Pennsylvania railroads Interurban railways in Pennsylvania Railway companies established in 1896 Railway companies disestablished in 1954 1896 establishments in Pennsylvania American companies established in 1896 1954 disestablishments in Pennsylvania American companies disestablished in 1954