Trolleyology: Trolleys in Chocolate Town - Hershey Transit

Trolleys in Chocolate Town - Hershey Transit
Presented by George Gula
Hershey trolleys began operation in 1904. Forty-two years later, the final cars ran in 1946. The intervening years saw the company running west to Hummelstown, east to Palmyra and Lebanon and south to Elizabethtown. At its height, Hershey Transit operated a booming freight business as well as passenger service through Chocolate Town. Connections were made with Harrisburg Railways, Reading Transit & Light, the Ephrata & Lebanon system and Conestoga Traction. This show from George Gula will present a history and a view of this fascinating Central Pennsylvania system.
This video is part of the Trolleyology series, originally shared via Zoom. To help us continue these programs, please consider making a donation at pa-trolley.org.... Thanks for watching!

[@tmpatklk]

The Hummelstown and Hershey Squares remain much the same. The old Cocoa Inn was torn down before I moved to the area but the Hershey Department store remains now as Houlihan's Restaurant and the Bank is there. Google maps street views cover Hershey, Hummelstown, Campbelltown, Fontana, etc. well. Old, unidentified bridge abutments over Swatara Creek at the end of Hummelstown continue through Schiavoni Park in Swatara Township. My son and I began to search old maps and newspapers. He came up with the old trolley line that ran from Hummelstown square to Rutherford. The map matches the pattern of the abutments. My son found the Hershey Transit book which I just finished reading online before I watched this video. Your video complemented the book perfectly. Thanks for sharing. I remember once riding a trolley in Altoona, PA as a young child. Like Hershey, Hummelstown, and Harrisburg, the trolleys gave way to buses.

[@mattnawn5019]

This was a great presentation - thank you George and PTM!

[@pauldavis1943]

Did not realize that Hershey lived in Denver and Chicago before establishing his chocolate empire.