The Centre and Clearfield Railroad was formed in Philipsburg, in 1901, for the purpose of raising capital to build an electrical-powered trolley line to Winburne.
Trains, that hauled coal, ran constantly from the Morris and Cooper Township mining operations and connected with larger rail lines to power the coal fueled economy that dominated the United States at the turn of the 20th century.
There was a need for passenger service to connect the mercantile-based town of Philipsburg with the businesses and families residing to the immediate northeast, in Hawk Run, Morrisdale, Allport, Munson and Winburne, in Cooper Townships, with stops made between those communities.
Right-of-way clearances were approved and track construction began by 1903. A huge coal-fired steam generating station was built at the end of Pine Street, in Philipsburg, to provide the electrical current for which the trolley cars depended to run. Track was laid and the trolley became a reality.
The trolley made its debut on Christmas Eve in 1903, by giving free rides to and from the stops in Philipsburg Borough. Within months, bridges that spanned Moshannon Creek were built.
Hawk Run and Morrisdale area stops were then connected. The trolley tracks continued on to Winburne. The last two stops, before the return trip to Philipsburg, were the Avondale Hotel and the Sommerville Mine Tipple in Winburne.
Trolley service began at 6 a.m. and continued until 11 p.m. For five cents, passengers and shoppers could ride the local rails. Most roads were still unpaved and often rutted and muddy. The trolley was a convenient ride that further bonded the local communities along its line.
Occasional freight was sometimes placed on the trolley cars. Ice cream had to be shipped rapidly before melting. Wooden kegs of beer, made at the Philipsburg Brewery, and bound for the Avondale Hotel, were, on occasion, rolled from the trolley car, as it stopped in Munson. Those kegs didn’t reach the Avondale, but made some people in Munson happily “wetter” while leaving some in Winburne, sadly “dryer.”
The advent of the car culture and the upgrading of PA Route 53, in the 1920’s saw the trolley line profits plummet. Operations ceased on Aug. 11, 1927, as shown in the photo of the trolley car. The original Avondale Hotel is shown in the somewhat older photo. It was rebuilt, at the same location, after fire destroyed the building shown.