Railroad Rambles: Streetcar Memories

Railroad Ramblings

Streetcar Memories

By Maxine Morgan

Former employees of the old Pennsylvania & Ohio Railway – electric street railway- at their reunion last week. Back row, left to right, Wallace W. Ward, Bert J. Smith, Gilbert L. Thorne, Carlton A. Stevens, George L. Lyon. Front row:  Ed Hollister, A. F. Mast, Jay Sherman, Mrs. Nora Prior Cope, Jay. H. Shaw.

North Kingsville, Ohio. The old Pennsylvania & Ohio Railway (the electric street railway) which ran from Conneaut to Jefferson more than forty years ago, is not forgotten by its former employees. Each summer a group of their employees meet for a picnic and an afternoon of reminiscing.

Jay Sherman, eighty-five but not retired, entertained the group at his summer cottage at Kingsville-on-the-lake this past week as he has for several summers. He was assisted by his daughter Dorothy Sherman.

The P& O Line began operation in the fall of 1901 and continued until February 28, 1924. It connected with the Conneaut & Erie Railroad. Hourly service was maintained with the first westbound car leaving Conneaut in time to catch the last eastbound car arriving at Conneaut at midnight.

Conneaut musicians who were members of dance orchestras playing in Ashtabula had to stop playing in time to catch the last car.

On March 9, 1904, Sherman recalled he brought his barber chair and other equipment to North Kingsville from Conneaut. He is still operating his barber business at the same Main Road location where until 1924, he was also ticket agent  for the P&O.

A big business was the shipping of celery from North Kingsville to Conneaut where it was transferred to the Conneaut & Erie for Erie, according to Sherman.

Former employees who attended the reunion listed with their P&O work are:

• Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Thorms, conductor and motorman, Cleveland.
• Mr. and Mrs. Carlton Stevens, conductor and motorman, Conneaut.
• Mr. and Mrs. George Lyon, conductor, Newton Falls.
• Mr. and Mrs. C.B. Cope, Nora Prior, office wok, Cleveland.
• Mr. and Mrs. Jay Shaw, dispatcher and agent, Ashtabula.
• Mildred Dougherty, father was dispatcher, Kingsville.
• Mr. and Mrs. Bert Smith, motorman, Conneaut.
• Mr. and Mrs. Edward Hollister, motorman and conductor, Conneaut.
• Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Ward, conductor, Conneaut.
• A.F. Mast, dispatcher and conductor, Conneaut.
• Jay Sherman, ticket agent.

The P & O “alumni” have met each summer since they organized at the home of E.C. Sheehan, Fern Street, Conneaut, on April 4, 1930, according to the well-kept record book of the group.