16
LOOKING BACK
FALL 2006
1932
2006
Trolley Barn When not in use, cars were stored in a trolley barn. Millersville had two barns along Frederick Street, one of which still survives and is used for storage by the University.
“ When it would snow, the car would sometimes lose traction and they had to wait for someone to come and clear the snow off the tracks.” to a Conestoga trolley for the ride to Lancaster and, finally, Millersville. It was a long trip. In the winter, snow made the trip even worse. “When it would snow, the car would sometimes lose traction and they had to wait for someone to come and clear the snow off the tracks,” the 95-year-old Kreider remembered. Another frequent problem, especially early on, was electrical malfunctions due to uneven flows of power through the lines, which left cars stalled. A trolley ride from Lebanon to Manheim might have been faster for Kreider, except that such a line did not exist. The trolley tracks ended outside of the borough – Conestoga could not get permission to cross the railroad south of town
- H. Guy Kreider ’29 and come into Manheim, so getting off there posed immense problems. “You had to find your own way from there to Lebanon,” Kreider said. “It was difficult to get from one place to the other.” But while the trolleys carried students to school, they could also be used to take students away. This was especially true under the administration of college president Landis Tanger, who literally rode students out of town on a rail. “He was a very strict disciplinarian,” Lines recalled. “And if you broke a rule and it was serious enough, your trunk was on the 6 o’clock trolley from Millersville to Lancaster.” Of course, college students being college students, the trolleys were also the
target of pranksters, especially where ever there was a hill, such as near the intersection of Frederick and George streets. “The kids used to put lard or grease on the track,” Lines said with a chuckle. “The cars would spin their wheels, and then they’d have to get sand to sprinkle on the rails. Finally, the trolleys began carrying a sandbox on board. That was part of your initiation when you were a freshman.” Another prank was to throw a rope over the arm extending from the car to the overhead power line, and pull it down. This stopped the car dead. “The conductor had to get out of the car and put the pole back up,” Lines said. Then there was the trick of placing fireworks on the tracks where the cars would roll over them, causing them to explode between the wheels and the rail. Around 1934 Conestoga Traction went bankrupt, thus ending trolley service. The company reorganized as Conestoga Transportation Company, and began operating buses, which were faster, more expensive to ride – fares rose to 25 cents – and less fun. And the trolleys rolled into history. Larry Alexander ’84 is a journalist and columnist for the Intelligencer Journal in Lancaster. He is also the author of the New York Times bestseller, Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters, the Man Who Led the Band of Brothers. The trolley line between Lancaster and Millersville passed through heavily wooded areas.
