Seashore Trolley Museum Discussion

Tom6921 wrote:My last visit to Seashore was on July 5, 2008. The main interest in the trackless trolley collection is former Edmonton BBC #125. I'd also like to see former Hamiltion GM Articulated bus #518203 which I had ridden on a few occasions when it was in revenue service!

Of course, I'd also like to see the Boeing LRV, 0622/0623, and Toronto D700 #7521 and witt 2890.

Edmonton 125 is in the rear of the vistitor parking lot along side Boston Flyer 4049.

The Artuculated 518203 is kept in the driveway to the left as you enter the museum, the former right of way now the 2nd roadway into the museum.

Boeing 3434, and 0622/0623 are both kept in front of Hgihwood right now.

Toronto 7521 is kept in the bus lineup beside Highwood Barn.

Toronto Witt 2890 is kept on public display inside Highwood Barn.

I guess that means that Edmonton 125 won't operate for awhile and I'd kinda like to see it running.

It was running during Transit Day 09', and it runs fine. But it is really congested around the trackless trolley parking area, so I wouldn't expect it under the wire until the tracklesses are moved.

ck4049 wrote:It was running during Transit Day 09', and it runs fine. But it is really congested around the trackless trolley parking area, so I wouldn't expect it under the wire until the tracklesses are moved.

I don't know how two vehicles side by side in an empty parking lot warrants congestion. Also, just because something ran in 2009 means that it runs fine now over a year and a half later? Stop giving false information about the Museum.

CRail wrote:

ck4049 wrote:It was running during Transit Day 09', and it runs fine. But it is really congested around the trackless trolley parking area, so I wouldn't expect it under the wire until the tracklesses are moved.

I don't know how two vehicles side by side in an empty parking lot warrants congestion.

Im not talking about the parking lot, Im talking about to the left of South Boston Barn. It is quite obvious the back of the parking lot is not congested.

aline1969 wrote:Car 41 makes the Lexington Minuteman newspaper

I'm curious, does anyone have information on mechanical components to be used in M&B 41's restoration? I don't have any data on the car's truck, motors or control. Any info appreciated - thanks!

Frank Hicks

Ben Minich puchased a Brill 21E from an old sweeper in japan, so we have a truck with two correct motors on it. Danny Cohen thinks a K10 Controller will go with the car. This weekend I am having a meeting with Donald Curry and start to go over the car for the curitorial report.

Well, I know that it would take 7 people plus a driver to push the bus back to the wires!

ck4049 wrote:It was running during Transit Day 09', and it runs fine. But it is really congested around the trackless trolley parking area, so I wouldn't expect it under the wire until the tracklesses are moved.

That kind of a move requires 2 drivers, one in the bus pulling, and one in the bus being pulled. All of our buses/tracklesses are flat towed that way.

From the pictures I've seen (never been), the museum seems to have tons of decrepit rusting trains littered throughout the property. Do they get them that way and restore them over time or do they just sit outside in the elements and decay after a new trolley comes in and gets all the attention?

SM89 wrote:From the pictures I've seen (never been), the museum seems to have tons of decrepit rusting trains littered throughout the property. Do they get them that way and restore them over time or do they just sit outside in the elements and decay after a new trolley comes in and gets all the attention?

wow, may I ask who you are? A lot of our rusting trains are parts only, some are for re-sale, some gotten for storage purposes only. We do have more collection than we can fit in our barns, those cars are covered with tarps. The so called attention of a new car is not from the entire museum, just interested parties. All cars here are cared for by certain members. We have some nine cars in the shop being worked on at one time. They are not trains to begin with, and they are on tracks so it cant be littered.

So it's more like groups of people dedicated to restoring these cars? I was under the impression that it was more like a regular museum. I can't quite figure out how to say what I thought without it sounding bad (I don't really have anything bad to say about it), but I am very interested in the museum and hope to visit it one day.

SM89 means well. He just needs someone to explain the museum. Any of you Seashore guys like to help him ? He's your future.

SM89 -

One thing to keep in mind is that museum's such as Seashore often don't have the luxury of acquiring cars when it's easy and expeditious to restore them. In particular, during much of Seashore's (and many similar museums) there was a real and valid concern that if cars weren't saved from the scrappers right then and there, they would be lost forever. In the environment of massive streetcar abandonment of the mid-20th century, its not hard to understand how this came to pass. That's part of our challenge today in caring for that extensive collection. As I'm sure you can tell from reading our updates here, we have a long term shop plan in place, and as long term restorations emerge*, other cars go in (like M&B 41 last month). There are additional cars around the property that are being worked on by members as well - not all restoration work occurs in the shop. Further, as others have mentioned, some cars on the property are not, in the museum terminology, accessioned collection items, i.e, they were acquired for parts, storage, or even work service. These cars may be sold or parted out for other restorations in the future.

As you may have also heard about in this discussion thread, work and planning is underway for an additional carbarn towards the rear of the property, and a couple of its tracks are already in use for storage. There are countless other initiatives underway to make other improvements to the property, some in ways not usually noticed by railfans, so as an active member and volunteer, I'd just like to say that there's a lot going on, even if it may not seem apparent at first glance. Visit, tour, ask the volunteers about the museum, and consider joining if you'd like to learn more.

*From what I've heard, two of those recent restoration graduates will be providing the Christmas Prelude service which starts this afternoon, and runs Fri. afternoon, Sat., and Sun. this weekend and next. A chance to get a sneak peak at the work that is coming out of the restoration shop now, before the museum reopens next spring.

-Jeff B.
Seashore Ops. Dept. volunteer #5722

I think volunteering at the museum to keep the collection going is alot of fun and it really feels like you are preserving history! I would definitely reccomend anyone to go up for a visit or get involved. There are lots of things a member or a volunteer can do such as: learn to operate streetcars, learn to restore antique vehicles, help clean vehicles, work in the office, and much more! I have been a member since the spring of 2005 and I enjoy it very much, and I continue to work on the collection and hope many others follow those footsteps!