Northeast Philadelphia History Network took a trolley ride down memory lane at its March meeting, learning about old trolley cars used in Philadelphia.
The presentation was given by railroad historian Larry Eastwood. The slides were first presented 60 years ago on a 35-millimeter slide projector by Joseph Mannix, of the Philadelphia chapter of the National Historical Society. Eastwood resurrected the program by converting it into images he inserted into a PowerPoint.
The tour began at the intersection of Richmond Street and Allegheny Avenue in Port Richmond, which is currently occupied by a Wawa. Back then it was home to two trolley barns where streetcars were kept.
As the tour moved through Philadelphia, the packed meeting viewed many old streetcar models and informed how they transported residents through the entire city.
Everyone who showed up to the meeting was given a National Railway Historical Society map showing the 1960 streetcar tour that was drawn by Mannix himself.
NEPHN meets the first Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m., usually at the Pennepack Baptist Meetinghouse, 8732 Krewstown Road. Upcoming programs include Patty McCarthy’s continued lecture about Poquessing Creek bridges in April and a lecture on Lenape Indian pathways in southeastern Pennsylvania, including Frankford Avenue, in May. In June, the organization will travel to Byberry Friends Meeting, 3001 Byberry Road.
