Last
trolleys at Luzerne
On January 1, 1972, I visited the Luzerne depot at 10th and
Luzerne Streets in the Hunting Park section of
Philadelphia. Even on a holiday, the place was hopping. It
was home to trolley routes 6, 50, 53, 56 and 60 and several
bus routes. A worker with a metal rod, manually triggered
the switch so incoming trolleys could enter the various
bays. The trolleys were more than 20 years old.
Over the next two decades, the equipment deteriorated and
several trolley lines were motorized. Trolley service was
suspended in 1992, when Luzerne only housed routes 23 and
56. The Luzerne depot closed in 1997 when the new Midvale
bus depot opened.
On January 19, 2003, I again visited Luzerne. Luzerne was a
morgue. The trolley wires were down. The facility stored ey
cars and trackless trolleys--bodies awaiting disposal. In
2004, the facility was converted to a recycling
plant.
Click to Philadelphia Trolley Tracks for full
story of Philadelphia's trolleys and the Luzerne
depot
Trolleys
1972
2003
.
