Gettysburg Electric Railway

The Gettysburg Electric Railway was a late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century electric trolley company serving Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with an especially important role in battlefield tourism. Chartered on August 4, 1891, and incorporated on July 28, 1892, the company received borough authorization to lay trolley routes through principal streets and began constructing its railway in 1893. Its operating concept combined ordinary borough transportation with seasonal visitor access to the Gettysburg Battlefield, whose monuments, engagement areas, former military camps, and recreational attractions were becoming a major destination for veterans, residents, and tourists. The railway’s main battlefield route eventually extended about 5.7 miles, although the system had approximately 8.5 miles of total trackage by October 1895. Service connected Gettysburg with attractions including Wible’s Woods, Tipton Station, Round Top Station, Wheat-field Park, the Pfeffer baseball diamond, and other locations associated with battlefield visitation. The line operated at frequent intervals during the summer season. Its distinctive equipment included 94-passenger, fourteen-bench Brill double-truck open cars, suited to warm-weather excursions and large visitor crowds. Power was supplied by a substantial generating plant measuring approximately 150 by 100 feet. The plant used Corliss steam engines and Westinghouse railway generators producing 500-volt current. The original plant burned before January 1895 and was replaced by a larger powerhouse built of Hummelstown brownstone. The railway’s generating facilities also had a wider civic function: the Electric Light, Heat, and Power Company of Gettysburg leased the plant to provide electricity for street lighting and homes until power was later imported from Hanover. The company faced legal and physical constraints while building its route. It was unable to secure trolley access along the steam railroad line and used part of Emmitsburg Road instead. A proposed route near the stone wall at The Angle was not built. In 1896, the United States Supreme Court considered the company’s challenge involving federal use of eminent domain and the preservation of the battlefield. The decision recognized that historic preservation could constitute a public use, an important legal development even though the railway continued operating afterward. Operations continued through the early twentieth century despite equipment failures, derailments, collisions, storms, and occasional interference. The railway improved its machinery after a 1901 derailment and acquired a heated closed-vestibule winter car in 1910. Several accidents during reunions and regular service reflected the difficulties of operating electric cars on a lightly built, heavily visited battlefield route. By the 1910s, however, the system had become increasingly obsolete. Track and equipment required maintenance, while automobiles gained access to Army-improved battlefield avenues and competed directly with the trolley’s tourist function. The final trolley operated in November 1916. Track removal followed after federal Army appropriations in 1917, with seasonal crews dismantling the rails. Ambitious plans to extend the system toward Chambersburg, Carlisle, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and Baltimore were never completed. The trolley barn was later taken over by the Surefoot Heel and Rubber Company in 1920. Portions of the roadbed and other remnants survived, and some were recognized in 2004 as contributing historic structures within the Gettysburg Battlefield Historic District. The railway is therefore remembered both as a transportation enterprise and as an early mechanism for organized battlefield tourism.

The Gettysburg Electric Railway Company was chartered in Pennsylvania on August 4, 1891, and incorporated on July 28, 1892. Its purpose was to establish electric street railway service in Gettysburg while also providing convenient access to the Gettysburg Battlefield. In January 1893, the borough granted the company trolley rights along principal streets. The company planned to begin street operations on July 1 of that year, supported by a bond issue of $150,000. Construction began in April 1893. The railway sought a route toward the battlefield’s military sites and visitor destinations, but its plans were constrained by existing property and railroad rights. A proposed alignment near the stone wall at The Angle was not constructed. The company also failed to obtain permission to use the steam railroad’s line, both during the initial construction period and during a later attempt in 1913. Instead, the trolley used approximately 8,400 feet of Emmitsburg Road, crossing the Round Top Branch. On April 1, 1894, service was extended from Wible’s Woods through Tipton Station to Round Top Station. The route had seven stops and supported seasonal travel to battlefield locations, camps, monuments, and recreational facilities. The system’s total track length reached approximately 8.5 miles by October 1895, while its principal line was about 5.7 miles long. The railway operated large Brill double-truck summer cars, each seating up to 94 passengers, generally at ten-minute intervals during the busy season. Electrical supply came from a dedicated plant equipped with Corliss steam engines and Westinghouse railway generators. The first plant burned before January 22, 1895, and was replaced by a Hummelstown brownstone structure measuring roughly 150 by 100 feet. The generating station was not limited to railway use. Through a lease to the Electric Light, Heat, and Power Company of Gettysburg, it also supplied streetlights and homes until electricity was brought in from Hanover. The railway became involved in a major constitutional and property dispute over preservation of the Gettysburg Battlefield. In 1896, the Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Gettysburg Electric Railway Company that the use of eminent domain for historic preservation could qualify as a public use. The railway nevertheless continued to operate on the battlefield for two further decades. During that period it experienced infrastructure failures, derailments, collisions, weather-related interruptions, and other operational incidents. Machinery was improved after a 1901 derailment, and a heated closed car was acquired in 1910 for colder conditions. By the 1910s, the company’s competitive position weakened. Its equipment and track required continuing maintenance, while automobiles increasingly used improved battlefield roads constructed or upgraded through Army appropriations. Trolley operations continued during major reunions, but incidents in 1913 included collisions and a rear-end accident in the borough. The final trolley ran in November 1916. After federal appropriations in 1917, work crews removed the tracks. Several proposed extensions—to other Pennsylvania trolley systems and ultimately toward Baltimore—were never built. The trolley barn at Washington Street and the steam railroad tracks was acquired by the Surefoot Heel and Rubber Company in 1920. Other physical traces remained, including sections of roadbed and a later pedestrian bridge along part of the former rail trail. In 2004, surviving trolley-related features were recognized as contributing structures in the Gettysburg Battlefield Historic District. The railway’s historical significance lies in its combination of electric railway technology, municipal utility infrastructure, and organized access to one of the United States’ most important historic landscapes.

1. 2004Remnants recognized as historic resources

   Surviving trolley features were recorded as contributing structures in the Gettysburg Battlefield Historic District.

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2. 1920Trolley barn repurposed

   The former track car house was taken over by the Surefoot Heel and Rubber Company.

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3. 1917Track removal begins

   After Army appropriations, crews removed the former trolley tracks.

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4. 1916Operations cease

   The final trolley ran in November.

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5. 1910Closed winter car acquired

   The company acquired a heated car with a closed vestibule for winter operations.

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6. 1896Supreme Court preservation decision

   The Court recognized historic preservation as a potential public use in the railway’s eminent-domain case.

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7. 1895Replacement powerhouse completed

   A larger brownstone generating plant replaced the original facility after a fire.

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8. 1894Round Top service begins

   Service was extended from Wible’s Woods through Tipton Station to Round Top Station.

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9. 1893Borough right-of-way granted

   Gettysburg authorized trolley rights along principal streets, and construction began during the year.

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10. 1892Company incorporated

    The railway was incorporated on July 28.

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11. 1891Company chartered

    The Gettysburg Electric Railway Company received its charter on August 4.

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Historic local electric railway combining borough transit with seasonal access to Gettysburg Battlefield visitor attractions.

• Gettysburg Battlefield trolley servicePassenger rail transport1894

  The railway’s central offering was electric trolley transportation from Gettysburg to battlefield attractions and recreation areas. The principal route served locations including Wible’s Woods, Tipton Station, Round Top Station, Wheat-field Park, and the Pfeffer baseball diamond. Frequent summer schedules and large open cars made the service particularly suitable for reunions, excursions, and general battlefield tourism.

• Electric power generationUtility infrastructure1893

  The railway’s generating plant produced traction current for trolley operations and was also leased for civic and residential electricity. Its equipment included Corliss steam engines and Westinghouse railway generators operating at 500 volts. This made the railway’s power infrastructure relevant beyond transportation, supporting street lighting and homes before imported electricity became available from Hanover.

• 1910Introduction of heated closed-vestibule carProduct launch

  The company needed equipment capable of maintaining service during colder weather.

  What changed. A heated winter car with a closed vestibule was acquired in December.

  Aftermath. The acquisition extended the railway’s ability to provide service outside the principal summer season, although it did not reverse the longer-term shift toward automobile-based battlefield travel.

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• 1896Challenge to battlefield preservation takingOther

  The railway disputed the use of eminent domain in connection with federal efforts to preserve the Gettysburg Battlefield.

  What changed. The Supreme Court held that historic preservation could constitute a public use under the Takings Clause.

  Aftermath. The railway continued operating on the battlefield until 1916, while the decision became an important precedent concerning public use and historic preservation.

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• 2004Historic remnants receive district recognition

  Surviving portions of the trolley system were listed as contributing structures in the Gettysburg Battlefield Historic District.

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• 1916Trolley service ends

  The final trolley operated in November as deteriorating infrastructure and growing automobile access reduced the railway’s usefulness.

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• 1896Supreme Court addresses battlefield preservation and railway property

  The Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Gettysburg Electric Railway treated historic preservation as capable of constituting a public use under the Takings Clause.

  LawsuitRegulation
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• 1895Replacement powerhouse enters service after fire

  After the original generating plant burned, the railway replaced it with a larger Hummelstown brownstone powerhouse.

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• 1894Railway extends service toward Round Top

  The trolley route was extended from Wible’s Woods through Tipton Station to Round Top Station, creating a principal connection with battlefield attractions.

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• 1893Gettysburg Electric Railway receives borough trolley authorization

  Gettysburg granted the railway right-of-way through principal streets as the company prepared to begin electric street operations.

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1. Gettysburg Electric Railway