Altoona and Logan Valley Electric Railway

The Altoona and Logan Valley Electric Railway was a streetcar and interurban company serving Altoona, Pennsylvania and its environs. It was built to an odd broad gauge of 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm).[1][2][3][4]

Horsecar service in Altoona began on July 4, 1882 under the City Passenger Railway Company of Altoona. The motive power was chenged to electric in 1891, and the Altoona and Logan Valley Electric Railway was established.[5] A new line to Hollidaysburg opened in 1983,[1] and the company additionally built a trolley park at Lakemont Park to generate traffic.[3] The Bellwood line opened the following year and was extended to Tyrone in 1902.[1] The constituent companies which built the lines were consolidated under the name of the Altoona and Logan Valley Electric Railway in 1903.[6] The company operated the city railway system,[7] with the Tyrone line operated with interurban equipment.[1]

In 1905, the railway was purchased by American Railways Company, a holding company that also owned the Scranton Railway, the People's Railway, the Springfield Railway Company, and other electric railways.[8][9][a]

Tyrone service ended on April 1, 1938, with pieces of the final trolley dismantled by riders as souvineers.[12] The Hollidaysburg streetcar finally ceased service on August 7, 1954.[13] Bus service was initially slated to cease on March 31, 1957, though an order from the state's Public Utility Commission delayed this.[14] The public Altoona and Logan Valley Bus Authority was formed to take over mass transit operations in the area (later known as Altoona Metro Transit).[5]

Notes

  1. ^ The ARC also owned various electric utility companies through a 1901 merger with the Electric Company of America.[10] In 1906, the Electric Company became the American Gas and Electric Company, which would be renamed American Electric Power in 1958.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Hilton & Due 1960, pp. 301–302.
  2. ^ McGraw Electric Railway Directory. McGraw-Hill Company. August 1920. p. 143 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b "The Altoona & Logan Valley Electric Railway" (PDF). Street Railway Journal. X (3): 156–157. March 1894. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  4. ^ "Streetcar Fans On Visit To Altoona". Altoona Tribune. Altoona, Pennsylvania. May 24, 1954. p. 6}. Retrieved March 16, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b "The History of AMTRAN". Amtran. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  6. ^ "American Railways". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. October 31, 1903. p. 15. Retrieved March 16, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Follett, Alan, ed. (March 15, 1984). "Electric Railways of Western Pennsylvania" (PDF). The Timetable Collector. No. 25. National Association of Timetable Collectors. p. 13. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  8. ^ "Eighth Annual Report of the American Railways Company" (PDF). The Street Railway Journal. 30: 531. October 5, 1907.
  9. ^ Hilton & Due 1960, p. 200.
  10. ^ "TRACTION AND LIGHTING COMBINE; Merger of American Railways Company and Electric Company of America". The New York Times. May 14, 1901.
  11. ^ "History of AEP". www.aep.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
  12. ^ "Souvineer Seekers Ride Last Car". Altoona Tribune. Altoona, Pennsylvania. April 2, 1938. p. 20. Retrieved March 16, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Schmid, Walter W. (August 9, 1954). "Street Cars Make Final Journey". Altoona Tribune. Altoona, Pennsylvania. pp. 1, 6, 12. Retrieved March 16, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "To Told Hearings On Transportation In Blair District". Connellsville, Pennsylvania. The Daily Courier. April 1, 1957. p. 13. Retrieved March 16, 2026.

Bibliography

Further reading

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