Railroad Forums 

  • Connecticut Trolley Museum, Warehouse Point, CT

  • General discussion related to all railroad clubs, museums, tourist and scenic lines. Generally this covers museums with static displays, museums that operate excursions, scenic lines that have museums, and so on. Check out the Tourist Railway Association (TRAIN) for more information.
General discussion related to all railroad clubs, museums, tourist and scenic lines. Generally this covers museums with static displays, museums that operate excursions, scenic lines that have museums, and so on. Check out the Tourist Railway Association (TRAIN) for more information.

Moderators: rob216, Miketherailfan

 #915299  by Tim Lesniak
 
Latest News

Montreal Tramways car 2600: 4th Motor Reinstalled in Car to return car to service on 4 motors.

Fair Haven & Westville car 355: Air Compressor armature rewound and reinstalled into Air Compressor Motor.

Springfield Street Railways car 575 (Montreal Tramways car 2056): Paint being scraped from car. Car will be repainted in the coming year.

Connecticut Company car 65: Wood work on end of car being worked on. Over the next few years, work will continue on the car.

Upcoming Projects in 2011 (and beyond)

Bangor & Aroostook Railroad Caboose: New roof, siding, paint, etc.

Oshawa Railways Engine 18: Scrape & Paint. Repair rotted metalwork. Replace windows.

CERA 96426 (Cinder Duster Open Passenger Car): Rebuilding of Open Passenger Car.

New Orleans Public Service 836: Fixing thin flanges on wheels. Other minor repairs.

Boston Elevated Railway PCC 3100: Cosmetic Restoration of Car.

Illinois Terminal PCC 451: Cosmetic Restoration of Car.
 #925044  by citystation1848
 
Greeting Connecticut fans,

I have a favor for those that regularly use Yelp... I noticed that we have one review on the ratings website and it's not a good one (we only have 2/5 stars).

If you can, write about your experience of the Museum as a visitor. Don't just leave a comment that says "It's a great place to go because they have trolley cars." Make it a meaningful comment please.

Again, this is geared towards Yelp users since those comments won't disappear in a few days, as the website filter's out comments from in-active users.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/connecticut-tro ... st-windsor

Thanks

Matt

CERA Webmaster
 #928275  by Tim Lesniak
 
Remember this Saturday is the Annual Meeting. Throughout the day, trolley cars will be operating. Other special equipment will be outside on display. Work will be ongoing in the shop and elsewhere on the property. At 2pm, the Windsor Locks Preservation Association will be presenting a donation to the museum. At 5pm, the Annual Meeting will begin. Hope to see you all there!
 #928884  by Otto Vondrak
 
citystation1848 wrote:I have a favor for those that regularly use Yelp... I noticed that we have one review on the ratings website and it's not a good one (we only have 2/5 stars). If you can, write about your experience of the Museum as a visitor. Don't just leave a comment that says "It's a great place to go because they have trolley cars." Make it a meaningful comment please.
Matt, instead of asking folks to sugarcoat, why not address the issues the reviewer brought up? If they are false, say so. If they are not, admit fault and correct them. Savvy web reviewers and readers can spot "planted" reviews a mile away. Plus, planting positive reviews is often against a site's TOS. We've got a really crappy restaurant out this way that masks horrible reviews by planting five positive ones to drive down the bad one... Folks catch on!

Just some friendly advice,

-otto-
 #930020  by xtcbct
 
Otto,

I think there are different kinds of audience out there in the "Tourist Railway Visitor Community". To the one person, a lot of unrestored equipment may look like junk, but to many others...it may be a work of art. Many others may feel that it's amazing that something so old can still be in existence albeit unrestored. There is still historical significance among the equipment, and the public does realize that. I think Matt is trying to get a more well rounded opinion on YELP for both our museums. If the only review is negative, then people may be discouraged to not go there. That is only a biased view and an opinion that many others do not share. It's also important to keep in mind that in many cases, someone only feels inclined to write a review if they are dis-satisfied with something. Many people can have a positive experience, but may not write a review because they aren't as determined to let the world know like someone who is upset with an experience. I don't see anything negative about getting people to post their positive experiences. They just need to be shaked out of their hiding places. It's not sugarcoating when you are honest about your experience. I think it's important for more people to post an honest review of their experience at our trolley museums. I'm confident that more positive reviews would come up.
 #1020500  by Jeff Smith
 
Terrible news.....

Thieves Strip Metal From Historic Trolleys
EAST WINDSOR—
The thieves who ripped copper and brass from street cars at the Connecticut Trolley Museum likely netted very little money compared with the damage they inflicted upon the historic vehicles.

Over the weekend, volunteers at the nonprofit museum tried to get a sense of the loss in both irreplaceable fixtures and electrical components.

"We know it's in the tens of thousands of dollars," said Tim Lesniak of Somers, the secretary of the corporation that runs the museum.
 #1036872  by Reader#108
 
I was able to attend the open house today at the museum........everything looks like it is running smoothly.

Fire Engines were out, trolleys ran great.....people were friendly.......

had a nice time!
 #1040693  by Tim Lesniak
 
Everything is running quite smoothly right now, except for the cars that we now have to cycle through the restoration shop and spend countless hours and dollars on repairing.
 #1126870  by Tim Lesniak
 
Thank you to all for a great season this year. Despite the break in and theft the museum suffered in February, http://windsorlocks.patch.com/articles/ ... pper-theft, a lot has been accomplished in 2012. We were able to partner with local businesses, and together with Joe's Fine Wines & Spirits of East Windsor, hosted the first annual Wine & Beer Tasting.

As we end 2012 and welcome 2013, we have a myriad of projects ongoing. Work to repair the damage caused to 1326 is ongoing. A Historical Assessment of the Isle of Safety has been completed and now we are in the process to raise funds to make the necessary repairs to the structure. And work is ongoing on the Brooklyn Rapid Transit car 169 inside the shop.

We are also raising funds for the "Secure the Collection" fund. In order for the museum to continue to preserve the equipment on the property, it is time to build a series of buildings to protect the collection, both from vandals and the elements. This includes an addition to the Restoration Shop and a number of additional storage barns on the property. More information on the scope of the plans will be forthcoming.

The museum is currently fundraising for all of the above projects and more. Please see http://ct-trolley.org/documents/YearEnd ... nDrive.pdf.
 #1209001  by Mr rt
 
Have only been able to operate here once this year so far.
It was a busy week-end with four cars in service:
- ConnCo 15 Bench open #855
- New Orleans #836
- Ill Term #451
- Montreal Touring #4

#4 isn't the best for a hot & sunny day because it has no roof, but it is fun to operate.
On the return trip the operator relies on the conductor & bells as he can't see much from the rear.
This is particularly challenging when you are backing up a hill to to her away at the end of the day.
 #1239273  by Gerry6309
 
I was at the museum with the BSRA group in November. The overall impression was quite good, especially the chance to ride 5645. For all the time I have been visiting the museum, it was my very first ride in the "Different" Type 5. That leaves only 5706 to go - someday! Got to renew some old friendships, and am happy to see that work is progressing on several projects. The weather in December was awful! Seashore lost one day of Christmas Prelude, but still did better than last year. I hope Winterfest was successful.
 #1468535  by Mr rt
 
Just heard that their Board has approved the extension of the line beyond Wells Road.
Don't know exactly why, as the ride is long enough right now.
Anyhow, I requalified there last Saturday.
 #1629603  by NaugyRR
 
Some photos I took while waiting for my Guest Motorman run from a couple weekends ago while killing time waiting for a flight at Bradley. I've done Guest Motorman here a few times, but this most recent wasn't the best experience if I'm being honest. Lightning deactivated the crossing signals on one of the grade crossings, and my run was missed in the schedule for that morning resulting in a delayed start time of about an hour. I took my first run without issues but had to wait for a couple revenue runs to go through before my second. By the time my second run was up a storm was approaching and more revenue passengers were waiting for rides. I was offered a refund but declined, offering it as a donation. I'd like to come back again and go for another run, both of the motormen on duty were excellent, but the whole situation was just disheartening.

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