Before the Northern Electric Street Railway ever wound its way toward Nicholson, Scranton was already making national headlines.
In 1886, the Scranton Suburban Railway Company was organized, becoming the first electric railway in the United States to operate entirely on electric power—a distinction that helped earn Scranton its enduring nickname, The Electric City.
Construction began on July 6, 1886, and by November the line reached Green Ridge, then a suburb of Scranton. On November 30th, the maiden run of the electric trolley drew crowds of curious and excited passengers. Riders boarded from the rear and settled into elegant Pullman cars—16 feet long, with seating for 13 on each side of the aisle. Incandescent lamps, still a novelty, bathed the interior in warm light. The motor sat on the enclosed front platform in full view of the driver, who controlled the speed by turning a crank to regulate the current. Power came from a 60‑horsepower generator, and the railway paid the Scranton Electric Company nine dollars a day for electricity.
The route began at the Wyoming Avenue terminal near St. Peter’s Cathedral, climbed Spruce Street past the courthouse, turned onto Adams Avenue, and continued to Green Ridge. Cars ran from 7 a.m. to midnight, and a five‑cent fare carried passengers the full length of the line.
The Scranton Republican reported the next morning, December 1st: “The cars at times yesterday attained a speed of twelve miles an hour but can be made to go much faster. It looks as though Scranton has solved the rapid transit problem.”
As the system expanded, trolley routes were designed for efficiency, demand, and the realities of 19th‑century streets. Tracks typically ran down the center of existing roads, sharing space with horses, wagons, and pedestrians. Unlike steam trains, electric trolleys could handle steeper grades and were built to travel directly through towns rather than around them—an innovation that helped shape early suburban development.
By 1900 the company expanded to the point where it operated 110 miles of track in and around Scranton, and a passenger could hop a car every 15 minutes in the city.
But like many streetcar systems across the country, Scranton’s eventually declined. On Dec. 18, 1954, motorman George Miller made the final run of the Green Ridge Suburban line—retracing the same route taken by the first electric car in 1886. After 68 years of service, trolleys gave way to buses, and the rails were removed beginning in 1957.
And if you’ve ever wondered why we call them “trolleys,” the answer lies in the early technology. Electric streetcars used a small wheel or shoe—called a troller—mounted on a spring‑loaded pole that rolled along the overhead wire to draw power.
The term soon shifted from the device to the entire vehicle. The troller acts as a positive feed, ensuring a continuous power connection as the vehicle moves. Electricity flows from the positive overhead wire, through the pole, powers the motor, and returns to the power source through the metal rails. The rails keep the trolley stable and grounded and act as the return path for the electrical circuit, allowing the current to complete its loop back to the power substation.
Sparking on trolleys, often noticed overhead, is a common phenomenon typically caused by a momentary loss of electrical contact between the vehicle and its power source. As the trolley pole slides along the overhead wire, it may hit a junction, switch, or uneven section. When it briefly loses contact, the electricity “jumps” across the tiny air gap to maintain the circuit, creating a visible electrical arc.
Next week: the Northern Electric Street Railway and its path toward Nicholson.