Lewistown & Reedsville Car 23 was built in 1914 by the J. G. Brill Company in Philadelphia for service on a system consisting of approximately 12 miles of track between Lewistown, Burnham, Yeagertown, and Reedsville that first operated in 1900. Car 23 ran until November 25, 1933 when trolley operations in Lewistown were abandoned in favor of bus service.
Lewistown & Reedsville Car #23 Car No. 23Stored, pending future restoration | Previous Owner: Lewistown & Reedsville Electric Railway Previous Location: Lewistown, PA | Car Type: City & Suburban Car Car Style: Centerdoor | Builder: Brill Year Built: 1914 |
The car then began a second career as a summer home near Lewistown until 2002 when it was acquired by Wendell Dillinger, president of the Middletown and Hummelstown Railroad in Middletown, PA, where he had hoped to restore it.
Lewistown & Reedsville Car #23 as a summer home near Lewistown
Unfortunately, Mr. Dillinger was unable to restore the car before he passed away.
Following his death, the car was made available by the Middletown and Hummelstown Railroad to the Rockhill Trolley Museum. Rockhill Furnace, where the trolley museum is located, is less than 35 miles away from Lewistown.
The car will need extensive restoration to return to operation. While this sounds like a daunting task, the museum has already accomplished this type of restoration with York Railways car 163, which was also used as a summer home before being restored to an operating trolley.
Lewistown & Reedsville Car #23 and York Railways #162 and #163 Outside Carbarn 2
Car 163 is a testament that it is possible to restore an old trolley missing all its mechanical and electrical components and interior fittings back to an operating car.
A restoration fund for Lewistown car 23 has been established. Details can be found at rockhilltrolley.org/contribute/donate-funds.