The stench of diesel wafts through the air of the industrial centre of the Pocono Mountains. Diesel locomotives transit through carrying hundreds of cars of assorted goods and commodities, they idle and stink. But not all of the trains in Scranton ran on diesel, it’s electric trolleys that were ripped up in 1954 used to be powered by a coal-fired power plant.
You can learn all about the history of the city’s trolley system in its Trolley Museum, which offers rides for a small fee during summer. If you’re cheap, you can head to Steamtown National Historic Site for education on railway technology and history for free. There’s also a mine museum of the world’s oldest continuously anthracite mine, where the power plant got cola to power the trolleys of yesteryear.
