Newville in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Newville Trolley
Photographed by Don Morfe, May 30, 2015
1. Newville Trolley Marker
Inscription.
Newville Trolley. . In September of 1910 the Cumberland Railway Co. began trolley service between Newville and Carlisle. The cars left Newville and Carlisle every hour on the hour from 6:00 a.m. to midnight. Each trolley carried a motorman and a conductor whose duties included taking care of packages, firing the stove in winter and collecting fares. From Newville the fare was five cents to Goodyear, ten cents to Plainfield, fifteen cents to Meadowbrook and twenty cents to Carlisle.
With the advent of cheap hydro-electric power in the 1800s trolleys, which were powered by electricity, could offer lower fares than railroads, and for short trips this method of travel became popular in the Cumberland Valley.
Because this line was a latecomer to the scene and automobiles were becoming popular, it failed to attract sufficient riders to keep it profitable. Even the trolley park east of Newville with its picnic grounds could not forestall the inevitable and the last trolley ran on Sunday October 31, 1920. The tracks were removed in 1921.
(Inscription below the photo in the upper center) , L-R John Koch, H.B. (Ping) Koser, Bruce Bowman
(Inscription below the photo in the lower right) , Trolley in front of the J.S. Elliott home on Big Spring Avenue. The building housing the Elliott Coffee Company is shown behind the house.
In September of 1910 the Cumberland Railway Co. began trolley service between Newville and Carlisle. The cars left Newville and Carlisle every hour on the hour from 6:00 a.m. to midnight. Each trolley carried a motorman and a conductor whose duties included taking care of packages, firing the stove in winter and collecting fares. From Newville the fare was five cents to Goodyear, ten cents to Plainfield, fifteen cents to Meadowbrook and twenty cents to Carlisle.
With the advent of cheap hydro-electric power in the 1800s trolleys, which were powered by electricity, could offer lower fares than railroads, and for short trips this method of travel became popular in the Cumberland Valley.
Because this line was a latecomer to the scene and automobiles were becoming popular, it failed to attract sufficient riders to keep it profitable. Even the trolley park east of Newville with its picnic grounds could not forestall the inevitable and the last trolley ran on Sunday October 31, 1920. The tracks were removed in 1921.
(Inscription below the photo in the upper center) L-R John Koch, H.B. (Ping) Koser, Bruce Bowman
(Inscription below the photo in the lower right) Trolley in front of the J.S. Elliott home on Big Spring Avenue. The building housing the Elliott Coffee Company is shown behind the house.
Topics.
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This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1910.
Location. 40° 10.146′ N, 77° 24.054′ W. Marker is in Newville, Pennsylvania, in Cumberland County. It is on West Big Spring Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Newville PA 17241, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Pennsylvania and in Greater Harrisburg. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on June 3, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 657 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on June 3, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
