Allentown – Reading Tram

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The Allentown - Reading tram was an interurban tram service in the US state of Pennsylvania . The route was 64 kilometers long. The train operated with 550 volts direct current.

On February 27, 1895, the Allentown and Kutztown Traction Company was founded to build an electric tram between their eponymous locations. However, the shareholders could not raise the financial means necessary for the construction, so that in 1898 the Allentown and Reading Electric Street Railway Company, founded on June 10 of that year, could take over the concession. They immediately began construction work for the 32-kilometer standard-gauge line. The first section from Allentown to Wescosville went into operation in November 1898. Since the electrical systems had not yet been completed, a small locomotive, which had been borrowed for the construction of the line, and older railroad cars were used. Electric operation was not opened until December 10, 1898, and the line was now driven to Griesemersville. The extension to Kutztown went into operation in 1901 at the latest.

On April 18, 1901, the Kutztown and Fleetwood Traction Company was formed to extend the route to Reading. Since one wanted to use an existing tram route between Temple and Reading, the railway was built in the gauge of this route of 1588 millimeters (Pennsylvania gauge). The Allentown & Reading leased the company and the two companies merged on July 10, 1902 to form the Allentown and Reading Traction Company . On October 12, 1902, the 23.5-kilometer broad gauge line from Kutztown to Temple was opened. From there to downtown Reading, the route of line 15 of the Reading tram was also used. In the urban area of ​​Kutztown, a three-rail track was laid between Kutztown Park and Normal School (now Kutztown University of Pennsylvania), so that both the railways from Allentown and Reading ran on this section. The depot for both routes was also located in Kutztown. The total travel time from Allentown to Reading, including the transfer in Kutztown, was two hours and 48 minutes.

The terminus in Allentown was at 7th Street and Hamilton Street. From there the route led out of the city through 7th Street and Walnut Street. At the city limits was Dorney Park, an amusement park that belonged to the tram company and which took care of numerous passengers on summer weekends. The park was sold in 1925 and still exists today. The normal-gauge line led through Wescosville, East Texas, Trexlertown and Monterey to Kutztown. The broad-gauge route begins here. It leads to Temple via Lyons, Fleetwood and Blandon.

In 1914, the company planned to relocate the standard-gauge line between Kutztown and Allentown via Topton, Mertztown and Shamrock in order to be able to use the Lehigh Valley Transit Company (LVT) line between Macungie and Allentown . However, the plan never came to fruition. Although lighter railcars bought second-hand in 1928 replaced the vehicle fleet and thus considerable costs could be saved, the route could no longer be operated economically, not least because of the necessary transfer in Kutztown. On November 1, 1929, traffic between East Texas and Kutztown ended. The vehicles of the standard gauge line were now stored and serviced in the LVT depot in Allentown. On November 25, 1930, the last tram ran between Temple and Kutztown. In 1934 the section from Allentown, Lehigh County Home to East Texas was closed and on March 27, 1936 the last section in Allentown. Buses took over the transport tasks.

literature

  • Benson W. Rohrbeck (1997): Pennsylvania's Street Railways West Chester PA: Traction Publications. Page 150.
  • Benson W. Rohrbeck (2007): Pennsylvania Street Railway Atlas West Chester PA: Ben Rohrbeck Traction Publications. Page 61.