Neversink Mountain Railroad of Pennsylvania
The Neversink Mountain Railroad commenced operating on June 30,1890. It was the third electric railroad in the United States, and the first electric railroad in America operated by water power. The water-power plant using Edison generators of 1000 HP was located at the “Big Dam” on the Schuylkill River, below Reading. The railroad was standard gauge, and cars ran on 56 lb. steel rails. Each trolley car had two motors of 25 HP each. However, more powerful motors were necessary to operate on the mountainous grades The Neversink Mountain Railroad ceased operations in 1917 due to financial difficulties.