Johnstown Traction Company
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA former public transit operator in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, best known for its streetcars, trolleybuses, and later motor-bus services.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Johnstown Traction Company was a public transit operator serving Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and the surrounding local market. Although its name remained associated with electric traction for most of its history, the system ultimately operated several forms of urban transportation: conventional streetcars, electric trolleybuses, and motor buses. Its streetcar operation began on February 23, 1910, and continued until June 11, 1960, making Johnstown one of the last small American cities to abandon trolley service. The company later continued operating transit with rubber-tired vehicles, while retaining the Johnstown Traction Company name even after electric service had ended. The system was notable for adopting several vehicle types that were more commonly associated with larger transit properties. It operated streetcars from the 1920s, introduced trolleybus service in the postwar period, and became the smallest city to acquire PCC streetcars. It also introduced trackless trolleys relatively late compared with many larger American transit systems. The first trolleybus route opened on November 20, 1951. Electric trolleybus service lasted beyond the end of streetcar operations, with the final day of electric operation taking place on November 11, 1967. Johnstown's PCC fleet consisted of 17 cars. None was preserved as a complete vehicle. Attempts to sell the 16 cars still surviving in 1962 did not succeed, and the cars were subsequently scrapped. Some of their components were recovered and sold to the Brussels tram system in Belgium. Those parts were reused in Brussels's final series of single PCC trams, numbered 7156 through 7171, which operated from 1970 until February 2010. This created an unusual technical link between a defunct Pennsylvania transit system and a later European tram fleet. A number of earlier Johnstown cars did survive in preservation. Vehicles associated with the company are held by institutions including the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, Market Street Railway in San Francisco, Rockhill Trolley Museum, Shore Line Trolley Museum, Trolley Museum of New York, and the Johnstown Area Heritage Association. These preserved vehicles provide the principal surviving material record of the company's electric railway era. After trolleybus operations ended, the transit system relied exclusively on motor buses but continued using the Johnstown Traction Company name. In 1976, the privately operated system was replaced by CamTran, a public transit organization serving the Johnstown area. The company is therefore best understood as a historical local transit brand rather than a current transportation operator.
History
Johnstown Traction Company served as the principal local public transit system in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Its documented streetcar era began on February 23, 1910. For most of the company's existence, the system was centered on electric street railway operation, using conventional trolley cars to provide urban transportation within the Johnstown area. The company became notable for the variety and timing of its rolling stock. It retained some cars dating from the 1920s, and a number of these vehicles later entered museum collections. Johnstown was also the smallest city to obtain PCC streetcars, a standardized modern streetcar design developed in North America. The company acquired 17 PCC cars, but none survived intact. Sixteen cars were still present when efforts to sell them as a group failed in 1962. They were then scrapped, although components were salvaged rather than discarded entirely. The recovered PCC parts were sold to the Brussels tram system in Belgium. Brussels incorporated them into its final series of single PCC trams, numbered 7156–7171. Those Brussels cars entered service in 1970 and remained in operation until February 2010, giving components from Johnstown's fleet a much longer afterlife in another country than the original vehicles received in Pennsylvania. Streetcar operation in Johnstown ended on June 11, 1960. The city was among the last small American communities to discontinue trolley service. The end of streetcars did not immediately end electric transit, however. Johnstown Traction Company had introduced trackless trolley service on November 20, 1951, and trolleybuses continued to operate after the streetcars disappeared. The last day of electric service was November 11, 1967. Following the withdrawal of trolleybuses, the system operated only motor buses. Despite the change from electric vehicles to rubber-tired buses, it continued to use the Johnstown Traction Company name. The term “traction” thus remained a historical reference to the company's electric-railway origins rather than a description of its final vehicle technology. The privately operated system continued until 1976, when it was replaced by CamTran, a public transit system for the Johnstown region. The former company's physical and historical legacy survives principally through preserved vehicles and artifacts. Listed surviving vehicles include car 350 at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum; car 351 with Market Street Railway in San Francisco; cars 311 and 355 at Rockhill Trolley Museum; cars 356 and 357 at Shore Line Trolley Museum; car 358, later associated with the Trolley Museum of New York; and car 362 at the Johnstown Area Heritage Association. The preservation of these vehicles, together with the international reuse of PCC components in Brussels, makes Johnstown Traction Company a notable example of a small American electric transit property.
- 2010
Brussels PCC series retires
[1]The Brussels single PCC cars incorporating salvaged Johnstown components operate until February 2010.
- 1976
System is replaced by CamTran
[1]The privately operated Johnstown transit system is replaced by CamTran, ending the company's role as the local transit operator.
- 1970
Reused PCC components enter Brussels service
[1]Components salvaged from Johnstown's PCC fleet are reused in Brussels's final series of single PCC trams, numbered 7156–7171.
- 1967
Electric service ends
[1]The final day of Johnstown Traction Company's electric operation is November 11. The system thereafter relies solely on motor buses.
- 1962
PCC fleet is scrapped
[1]After unsuccessful efforts to sell the 16 surviving PCC cars intact, the vehicles are scrapped. Components from the fleet are salvaged for later reuse.
- 1960
Streetcar service ends
[1]Streetcar operation concludes on June 11. Johnstown is among the last small American cities to abandon trolley service.
- 1951
First trolleybus route opens
[1]The company opens its first electric trolleybus route on November 20, adding trackless electric vehicles to its existing streetcar network.
- 1910
Streetcar service begins
[1]Johnstown Traction Company begins trolley service in Johnstown on February 23, establishing the electric street railway operation that defined most of the company's history.
Products and positioning
A locally focused urban transit operator whose identity developed around electric traction and later expanded to trolleybus and motor-bus transportation.
Urban rail transit · 1910
Streetcar service
Streetcars were the company's principal service for most of its existence. The operation began in 1910 and continued until 1960, using conventional electric trolley cars and later PCC equipment. Johnstown's streetcar network was historically significant because it remained in service later than many comparable systems in small American cities.
Standardized electric streetcar
PCC streetcars
Johnstown operated a fleet of 17 PCC streetcars and was the smallest city to acquire this modern standardized type. None of the cars was preserved intact. The fleet was ultimately scrapped, but components from the cars were salvaged and reused in Brussels trams.
Electric bus transit · 1951
Trolleybus service
The company introduced trackless trolley service on November 20, 1951. Trolleybuses extended electric transit beyond the streetcar network and continued operating after streetcars were withdrawn. Electric service ended altogether on November 11, 1967.
Bus transit · 1967
Motor-bus service
After electric operations ended, Johnstown Traction Company operated only rubber-tired motor buses while retaining its historical corporate name. Bus operation continued until the system was replaced by CamTran in 1976.
Sources1 sources
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