TWO TROLLEYS ON DISPLAY AT THE PENNSYLVANIA TROLLEY MUSEUM IN WASHINGTON, PA. | PHOTO BY TOM PAWLESH

In 1963, the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum opened its doors to the public with only a few trolley cars on display. Everything changed 30 years later when Scott Becker, CEO and executive director, arrived. Now, after another 32 years, Becker is retiring.

When Becker joined in 1993, the museum had 28 acres, three buildings and one campus. Now, it has 58 acres, nine buildings and three campuses in Washington, PA — honoring the Trolley Era that thrived in this region and beyond for nearly a 100 years until the mid-to-late 20th century.

“Just the museum store alone is bigger than the whole space we had before for our visitors,” Becker says.

He took the museum from operating solely on volunteer power to having a full-time staff along with 150+ volunteers.

In 2024, the museum welcomed its most visitors ever — 48,000, which was up 26% from the previous year. “I have a lot of pride in what has gone on here,” Becker says.

There are currently more than 20 trolley cars on display from all over the Pittsburgh region (The museum has a total of 54 in its collection, but puts only a portion on display at a time). Among those is the orange trolley featured in a famous picture of Fred Rogers sitting at the bottom of the stairs of the side door. Here, visitors are able to recreate the image. The museum also is currently repainting a trolley to celebrate the Steelers’ Super Bowl wins called the “The Terrible Trolley,” which is set to launch later this year.

Also in their plans for the coming year is an expansion of their archives, a master facilities plan and the establishment of an endowment. Their largest community-centered plan is fundraising for the construction of an outdoor pavilion that would hold 300 people.

Becker regards the construction of the east campus as one of his favorite accomplishments. This campus includes the Welcome Education Center, which opened in November 2023. The space has 15 interactive exhibits built by the Carnegie Science Center. Each exhibit includes an activity and historical information so visitors of all ages can learn.

“Interactives are really important. As visitors change, we’re finding that they want to feel like they’re part of things,” Becker says.

SCOTT BECKER IS RETIRING AS CEO AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE PENNSYLVANIA TROLLEY MUSEUM AFTER 32 YEARS. | PHOTO BY TIANA EICHER

Attached to the welcome center is a small theater, which is currently showing an Emmy award-winning short film called “Last Chance Trolley,” put together by Trib Total Media.

The facility also has event rooms that can seat up to 200 people for weddings, board meetings, birthdays and more. “Those events are great because it introduces new populations to the museum,” he says.

Jeanine DeBor, the museum’s deputy executive director, will assume Becker’s position on June 1. DeBor has been at the museum for more than two years, but she has known Becker even longer. Her grandfather was a volunteer at the museum at the same time Becker joined.

“The volunteers here had the vision, but it could have never been implemented without Scott,” DeBor says. “Scott is the person that got it done.”

Becker is grateful for the volunteers, donors, and everyone else who made it possible for the museum to grow. He plans on using his free time to volunteer at the museum.

“I tell people I’m living the dream,” Becker says. “We all dreamed of having a place like this.”

Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, 1 Electric Way, Washington, PA 15301