Johnstown, whereupon Mr. Moxham made a contract with John Hannan to make the castings at his foundry, which was then situated on the old basin, opposite the Turner Hall, just above Clinton and Washington streets. The cast iron pieces had to be assembled to fit the curve or switch in the girder rail, and it was necessary to have what was termed a “laying out yard.” Martin Hannan and two men assisted Mr. Moxham in this work, using the contiguous part of the old basin as the yard. The idea had taken root although there was much opposition to changing the old manner of things in street railway construction. Mr. Hannan and Mr. Moxham worked together until March, 1885, when the business had increased so that larger quarters had to be obtained. The old Iowa Barbed Wire Mill which stood near the site of Swank's Fire Brick works in Woodvale was secured. Mr. Moxham was now employing about forty men and had Henry O'Shea as foreman. The girder, or the “jaybird” rail, as it was termed by the workmen, with the cast iron curves and switches was a success and was now established. Prosperity was with the Company and in January, 1887, it purchased the land on the corner of Fifth and Beech streets in Woodvale and erected shops, mills and warehouses, and equipped them with their selected machinery. The business was advancing by leaps and bounds and in less than six months Mr. Moxham was looking for a larger place to extend the works. The Von Lunen farm in Moxham was acquired in the summer of 1887. Tom L. and Albert Johnson laid out a town to include all the land above Central avenue, reserving the lower part for the new mill, and during Mr. Moxham's absence they named it “Moxham.” The new plant was ready for operation early in 1889, which included a rail mill to roll the “jaybird” rail. On December 17, 1888, the long and difficult name to pronounce – The Johnson Steel Street Rail Company – was changed to that of “The Johnson Company.” On April 13, 1893, a new charter was procured under the laws of Pennsylvania.
The useful invention of the electric traction motor by Frank Sprague completed in 1888, revolutionized the power for street railway service, and made the Johnson Company still more prosperous.
In connection with the new plant the Company constructed a narrow gauge railroad between Bedford street and the Mill. These improvements were completed when the flood of May 31 destroyed the Woodvale plant. Mr. Moxham was an energetic
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