Montoursville Passenger Railway Company
1897 - 1924
The Montoursville Passenger Railway Company, owned by the Tennis Construction Company of Philadelphia, opened in 1897. The line connected to the 3rd street line in Williamsport, and a passenger could travel from Montoursville to Market Square in Williamsport for ten cents. Cars ran every half hour, with the trip taking 30 minutes to compete. The same route would take roughly an hour to travel by horse and buggy.
In the borough of Montoursville, trolley tracks ran down broad street, as far as Walnut Street. Another line ran from Broad street to Montour Street, then north to Loyalsock Avenue and west for one block.
More about Starr Island Park:
Car 1 of the Montoursville Passenger Railway Company standing on East Third Street in Williamsport about the turn of the century. This was one on Montoursville’s original two cars.
The Montoursville Passenger Railway was made possible by the new electric light ordinance of 1894. The trolley received it's power from a plant located along the railroad at the south end of town.
On Tuesday April 26th 1904, one of the Montoursville Cars was being driven by a Williamsport Railway Crew, when it wrecked, seriously injuring the motorman.
In 1902, a series of increasingly daring robberies were occurring across central Pennsylvania. On October 2, the bandits came to Montoursville. Alem Bly was working the night shift in the trolley powerhouse, when 5 masked bandits broke down the door. Alem got to his gun and was able to kill one of the would be robbers, and wound two others, before running out a back door to the nearby furniture factory to sound the whistle for assistance. Alem had been shot twice himself, and the bullet in his hip would remain there for nine years, causing him constant pain and leaving him lame for the rest of his life. Read more here: https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2020/10/when-local-man-singlehandedly-fought.html
Trolley on the west end of the bridge, 1910
The 1904 Electric Railway Directory and Buyers' Manual tells us that the Montoursville Passenger Railway had 7 trolley cars.
A Light was placed at the Western End of the bridge in August 1914.
On September 4th 1920, Harold Leroy Boyer, the four year old son of Mr & Mrs. Sydney Boyer of Broad St in Montoursville was killed by a motor car. H.G. Eiswerth of Williamsport, the vehicles driver, was found innocent by a coroners jury. The jury findings say:
"We, the jury, find Broad street Montoursville in a very dangerous condition and recommend that the Montoursville Railway Company be compelled to remedy the condition by removing the stone piles from Broad street at once."
COUPLE FIRST AND LAST TO RIDE ON OLD CAR LINE
Passengers on the first trolley to run between Williamsport and Montoursville and also on the last one, Mr. and Mrs. T. F. Gahan, of 1151 East Third street, Williamsport, say that great changes has been wrought in the neighboring town and the route that the trolley followed. Twenty-seven years ago Mr. and Mrs. Gahan and their son made the trip on the car that opened the then new Montoursville Passenger Railway Company line. Montoursville road at that, time was not paved .there were few houses between the two towns, practically the only group of buildings being those at the lime kilns. Wishing to see the closing of the lines Mr, .and Mrs. Gahan inquired when the last car would be run. They were told that the time was not certain, but that if they wished to make the trip they would be notified. Several days ago at noon, while they were at the table eating dinner and celebrating Mr. Gahan's eightieth birthday anniversary, a call came saying that the last car would leave in a short time. Without finishing dinner, they hurried to the city line in time to make the trip. Everything had changed in the 27 years that elapsed they say. The dirt wagon road "that was" has changed into a first class reinforced concrete State highway. The farms and pastures along the route are now building lots and are covered with modern homes.. Kenmar formerly only farm land, is a suburban residence district, well populated. Instead of the occasional wagon that passed the car on the earlier day, dozens of automobiles whizzed past at a speed many times that of the wagon. The road at that time was not lined with poles carrying the electric light and telephone wires as it is now. The return trip was made by the bus of the Lycoming Auto Transportation Company whose machines have replaced the trolley. The new method of travel between the two towns is a great improvement over the old, they say. The time has been cut almost in half and the ride can be made in greater comfort and the schedule is much more convenient. The new lines does away with the necessity of changing cars at the city line.
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September 1897
August 1899
In September 1899, both the Montoursville Passenger Railway Company, and the Lewisburg, Milton and Watsontown Electric Railway had been purchased by the Railways Company General of Philadelphia Pa. It was thought that the two lines would be connected, forming a line from Williamsport to Lewisburg, but that did not ever occur.
August 1914
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