Articles

The Saga of the Trolleys

POSTED ON JANUARY 2, 2022

This article was originally featured on the Facebook page of the Dallastown Area Historical Society. Content is inspired by or quoted from an article written by D. Miriam Smith for The Shopper about Dallastown’s Trolleys.

On March 2nd, 1901, a contract was made for the construction of the York and Dallastown Street Railway. The road to Dallastown, from York, a distance of 7 miles, was opened July 27, 1901.In the spring of 1902, the Red Lion and Windsor Street Railway was constructed from Dallastown, through Red Lion and to Windsor and the line from Windsor to Bittersville was completed by 1905.

Known as “Pigie Welch’s Curve” (near the original Mack’s Ice Cream parlor, between Dallastown and Spry). A motorman did not observe the signal light, which indicated that he should wait until the trolley coming from the opposite direction went through at the switch, which was for passing purposes, and as a result there was a head-on collision of the 2 trolleys that took the lives of 3 men- one from Yoe, (one from) Windsor and (one from) Red Lion.

The trolleys provided jobs for locals. One colorful character was James Brillhart. He was known to smoke his cigars – any kind he could get his hands on-and all along the line, especially in the cigar industry towns of Dallastown, Red Lion, and Windsor, he would ‘bum’ cigars from the companies- seconds, throw-outs, or whatever he could get, he would smoke. Dallastown stops were at “ Shenberger, Conway, Franklin St, School House, Lawson, Hotel (Walnut St), Gladfelter, Pleasant Ave, Park St, Winterstown Rd, and Warner’s ( Felton Rd).”

The trolleys traveled the back areas, away from the main highways from York to Dallastown. From there it traveled the Main Street, in Dallastown borough. In Red Lion the trolley line was located on West Broadway and made a left turn onto North Charles St to West High Street, right onto West High , continuing straight through on East High Street, and then onto the Main Street in Windsor, then Bittersville.

One of the trolleys going to Bittersville on this line was called “the Dallastown Flyer” because it “ was quite speedy”. When the line was abandoned, the track from Bittersville toward Windsor was the first portion to be removed by workmen and “gang crew”. After trolleys were discontinued, several people purchased the cars for summer cottages.

One car was purchased by Jesse Briggs of Red Lion and was used for the Briggs Diner located on West Broadway. He sold it to Norman Downs who used it as a summer place in Brogueville Hollow. Downs sold it after a few years to Harry Smeltzer who also used it as a “summer resort” in Brogueville Hollow.Contents of this article come directly from an article written by D. Miriam Smith for the Shopper.

This article was originally featured on the Facebook page of the Dallastown Area Historical Society. Content is inspired by or quoted from an article written by D. Miriam Smith for The Shopper. The content of this article has been published as originally written.