THE DINING CAR!

    FRIDAY, JULY 7TH., 2017
       THE DINING CAR!

  My wife, grandson, and I paid a visit
to the Electric City Trolley Museum in
Scranton Thursday. It's truly a treasure
right in our own backyard!
    We've been there before a number of
times. We've toured the museum and
taken the trolley excursion, a really
great ride that includes a mile long
tunnel! Tunnels are always fun!
     But on our Thursday trip we also
had a chance to visit the Restoration
Shed located at PNC Field in Moosic.
     And that's where I saw it! Car #
324! You didn't get meals on trolley
cars. But, in a sense, you could call it
a "Dining Car."
       You see Car # 324 once rode the
rails in the city of Scranton. Back in
1941 it was stripped of its motor and
wheels and sold off.
       Eventually it was turned into a
diner in the community of Gouldsboro,
not far from the city. But as the diner
grew walls were built around the old
street car and most people never knew
there was a trolley inside!
        Back in 2000 the restaurant came
down and the body of Car # 324 was
acquired by the Trolley Museum. It
looked, quite frankly, like a wooden
skeleton!
        Imagine my surprise when I saw
the trolley in the restoration shop,
looking just like it did when it was
brand new in Scranton back in the day!
        There's still a lot of work to be
done. It doesn't run yet. But in a year
or so the folks at the museum hope to
have Car #324 running back in the
city that was once it's home. It's the
only know surviving Scranton Trolley
car! All the other trollies at the museum
originally ran in Philadelphia.
          Hats off to the restoration crew
for a job so far well done!
          Visit the museum, take the
excursion and, given a chance, check
out the trolley that became a diner and
will soon be an operating trolley again!
           Hope we all get to ride it and
that all your NEWS is good!
        

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