Friends of the Hershey Trolley's mission is the education and preservation of the Hershey Transit trolley system that ran from 1904 to 1946. The committee is comprised of community members and volunteers, including Hershey History Center, HE&R, Hershey Museum, Milton Hershey School, and the MS Hershey Foundation.

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On December 21, 1946 , at midnight, Cars No. 17, No. 21, and No. 23 rolled out of the square in Hershey on their last run, ending the almost half-century era of Milton Hershey’s trolley line. Regardless of inclement weather, "Hersheyites" rode the cars for the last time, carrying receipts showing a thirty-five percent increase on that day.

As the chocolate company took off, Milton Hershey saw a need for transportation, not only to bring milk from the fields on surrounding farms, but also to bring his workers into Hershey. 1903 saw the formation of the Hummelstown & Campbellstown Street Railway, sponsored by Mr. Hershey, to operate an electric railway from Hummelstown through Derry Church to Palmyra to Palmyra and Campbelltown. Three Brill trolley cars were ordered, one straight passenger and the other two combination freight and passenger. On October 15, 1904, the first trolley left Hummelstown for Derry Church.

1907 saw additional cars and companies added to accommodate the increased number of passengers and freight. Additional trolley lines sprung up; Deodate & Hershey Street Railway, Elizabethtown & Deodate Street Railway, Conestoga Traction Co. and the Lebanon and Campbelltown Street Railway were formed, extending service and adjoining existing service to outlying communities.

On December 13, 1913, the Hershey Transit Company was formed, merging all the surrounding trolley lines and subsidiaries. Hershey officials kept their trolleys and the 35 miles of line in first-class condition. Cars were clean and brightly painted in deep green with yellow trim. The Hershey Transit car roster numbered 1 through 30, although with some of the cars being replaced through the years, the total number of cars that ran during the company’s 42 year history is 34.

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STEERING COMMITTEE: Neil Fasnacht, Brad Ginder, Lisa Ginder, MattLoser, Lisa Maloy, and Todd Pagliarulo.