Clang clang went the trolley!!!!!!

No, No... If you were waiting for Judy to burst into song, I hate to disappoint you but she won't. If you have no idea who Judy is, you may be too young to be reading this.

The Baltimore Streetcar Museum has been able to save and restore a large selection of vintage streetcars that ran on the streets of Baltimore MD. The museum was founded in 1966, and is run by volunteers. Besides restoring many of the streetcars to operating conditions the members have laid tracks, build turn loops at each end of the run, installed the overhead wires call catanary, and repaired switches to operating condition. For more information, directions, and operating times go to www.baltimorestreetcar.org.

Beatrice and I visited the museum and rode three of their 'Trolleys'.

Car 1162 was built by the JG Brill Co. In 1902. This was a favorite summer ride since back then there was no AC. The controls were simple and the fare was right......five cents. It was our favorite since the weather here was warm and sticky.

Next was a ride on Philadelpia SEPTA car 2168. This is one of the few streetcars that is not from Baltimore. It was donated to the museum by Friends of the Philly Trolleys. They say this is one of their "newer" cars since it was built in 1948.

Now this was an expensive ride at 35 cents.

Last was a 'modern' Baltimore car 6119. This was a design that became a standard in the 40's and was known as PCC cars, or Presidents Conference Committee cars. It seems that the Presidents of most of the city traction companies got together and came up with this basic design to standardize the cars and reduce the cost of manufacturing them.

Another one of those expensive rides at a whopping 35 cents.

The morotman's stool looks anything but comfortable. Imagine a few hours on that....

Next we are off to the B&O Railroad Museum, again in Baltimore, MD and a look at the first stretch of railroad track laid in the U.S.

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