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In celebration of Women’s History Month, the Forney Museum of Transportation, located in Denver, Colorado is pleased to host “Women in Railroading,” an interpretive exhibit produced by the International Society for the Preservation of Women in Railroading. It is not readily known that railroads have employed women since 1838 through to the present time. This exhibit showcases some of these women’s contributions to railroad history.

The exhibit includes six themed panels.

The exhibit is open and free to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday the entire month of March. For more information call 303.297.1113 or email at fmdirector@forneymuseum.com.

Minnesota Streetcar Museum News

Although the Minnesota Streetcar Museum is a new non-profit corporation that many of you might not have heard of, the Museum is the lessor and operator of the well-known Como-Harriet Streetcar Line, located in southwest Minneapolis and the lesser-known Excelsior Streetcar Line, which run on a half-mile of track in the suburban city of Excelsior, located about 15 miles west of Minneapolis.

An historic occasion. The first called Board of Directors meeting of the newly formed Minnesota Streetcar Museum was held on January 15, 2005. The meeting was held aboard TCRT streetcar No. 1300 (TCRT Snelling Shops, 1908), one of only two Twin City streetcars preserved with their original mechanical and electrical apparatus. Seashore Trolley Museum in Maine has the other one, No. 1267 (TCRT Snelling Shops, 1907). Shown from left to right are (seated) Scott Heiderich and Greg Taylor, (standing) Rod Eaton, Jim Vaitkunas, Jerry Olsen, Louis Hoffman and John Prestholdt, (kneeling) Keith Anderson, (seated) Dave French and Howie Melco.

In the most sweeping organizational overhaul in its 43 years, the Minnesota Transportation Museum’s (MTM) Board of Directors authorized, and the membership overwhelmingly ratified, a reorganization of MTM that will result in its traction-related assets being managed by and transferred to the new Minnesota Streetcar Museum, incorporated late last year. The Museum’s steamboat assets will similarly be transferred to the Museum of Lake Minnetonka. Essentially, MSM is the old Traction Division of the Minnesota Transportation Museum.

This action recognizes that one Board, especially a volunteer one, no matter how talented and well intentioned, cannot successfully manage six exhibit sites with divergent philosophies operating boats, buses, trains, and trolleys, not to mention two static display museums, spread over such a large geographical area.

MSM’s 2005 goals are to get the new corporation up-and-running, complete the transfer of assets from MTM upon receipt of MSM’s tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (anticipated later this year), see the TEA-21 track reconstruction project through to completion before winter, and complete the integration of the Excelsior Streetcar Line into Como-Harriet procedures. On tap for 2006 will be sorting through, prioritizing, and implementing targeted marketing ideas, focusing on charters, groups, and special events, to increase revenue, and bringing educational programs to the fore.

For membership information, please contact MSM at P. O. Box 14467, University Station, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414-0467.

Shop Update
For the past 25 years or so the pattern of activity in the shops at Lake Harriet, and more recently at Excelsior, has not varied much. Between the end of one operating season and the beginning of the next, much work gets done in the confines of our shop buildings. During the winter of 2004-2005 the focus of our maintenance and restoration activities have been in the Linden Hills carbarn.

Click on image to enlarge. Photo by Howie Melco.

The interior and exterior woodwork on the rear platform of No. 1300 was completely removed and the steel and wood structural members inspected. The steel was fine but the bottom of each platform vertical end post had to be cut out and a replacement made and spliced in. On the left is a happy Shop Foreman Karl Jones, Bill Arends is in the background and Ken Albrecht is on the right. Photo by Howie Melco.

A lot of work has been done on the rear platform area of TCRT No. 1300 (TCRT Snelling Shops, 1908). After the exterior wood siding and the interior panels were removed the steel members of the platform were inspected and found to be in decent shape. Some of the wood was found to be rotted and needed replacing. The steel was treated and painted and the platform is now being rebuilt. Work is also on-going to restore the magnetic track brakes on TCRT PCC No. 322 (St. Louis Car Co., 1947) so that they function properly.

The magnetic track brakes on Twin City Lines PCC No. 322 (St. Louis Car Co., 1947) were rendered inoperative many years ago by Cleveland’s RTA Shaker Heights Line. In this photo Tom Fairbairn (left) and Jim Willmore are working hard to make them fully functional again. Photo by Howie Melco.

Work on single-truck city car, Winona No. 10 (St. Louis Car Co., 1914) has slowed as the priority of the shop work is on No. 1300 and PCC No. 322. However, work on Winona No. 10 has not entirely stopped. The carbody was levelled and sturdy support cribbing placed along each side of the car by Ken Albecht. This is necessary so cutting out of rusted bottom portion of the steel side sheets can be done without disturbing the plumb and level of the car. Bob Dumas, Bill Graham and George Ittner continued their great work on the stripping and repairs to the window sash and the folding doors. Preliminary work on tracing the interior wiring of the car is being done by Neil Howes and several others from the “Tuesday Boys” work crew.

Click on image to enlarge. Photo by Bill Graham.

Out at MSM’s Excelsior restoration shop, Winona No. 10 is now up on cribbing fully leveled and plumb. Work will soon start on tearing out the old spongy floor, treating and repairing the steel frame pieces and then cutting out the rusted areas on the bottom of the car’s steel side sheets, and welding in new steel. Photo by Bill Graham.

Amazingly, during the entire 60 years Winona No. 10 was used as a cabin and later as a storage building, the original two-leaf folding doors remained intact and relatively undamaged George Ittner has been working on the doors over this winter and here you can see some of them in various stages of restoration. Photo by Bill Graham.

Como-Harriet Streetcar Line Update: TEA-21 contracts over budget; project to be re-bid
The Minnesota Dept. of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration approved the project memorandum followed by approval of the final plans and specifications. After opening the bidding process in December, bids were opened on February 1 and all were over the grant amount. After consultation with our consulting engineers, SRF, the bidding process is starting over again. This means that some less essential but nice elements of the project may be cut, that the specifications may be lower, and that we may have to be less particular about when the work is done (we had specified completion by the beginning of the season). This could affect summertime operations and, of course, income. And it’s still possible that the work could be done in the Labor Day to Halloween slow period. But the end result will be, at a minimum, a completely rebuilt railroad. The current plan is that the work will be done by the onset of this winter.

Como-Harriet Mail Bag
In 2004 The Como-Harriet Streetcar Line had visitors from 36 states and the territory of Guam and thirteen foreign countries: Australia, Canada (British Columbia and Saskatchewan), Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, and the United Kingdom. We also had members of the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum and the South Carolina Railroad Museum visit us.

Among the visitors' comments: “Thoroughly enjoyed the ride and the history.” “It’s a great experience for a kid. My children love the streetcar. Also the drivers are so nice. They do such great work with the children. Congratulations for such an excellent service.” “Great to ride on a PCC again.” (from Portland, Maine) “The PCC restoration is A+ (from Seattle) “That was the coolest thing ever.” “Now I get a feel for what my Mom rode when she went to St. Paul Central High School.” “We’ve been riding for years.” “I grew up half a block from the Hamline line – some 50-60 years ago – somehow residual spikes found their way into my sandbox!” “Nice Memorial Day finale.” “The dogs loved it.” “Been riding for 33 years.” “We will be back!” “Tres bien.” (from France) “Loved it. Thanks for volunteering.” And my favorite, from our neighbors Park Board Superintendent Jon and his wife Randee Gurban: “We love you guys. Thanks!”

Click on image to enlarge. Photo by Russ Isbrandt.

Eye candy! Our cars do not normally run in the winter as the Como-Harriet Streetcar Line doesn’t have a snow plow. However, this winter we had relatively moderate snow falls so a snowplow extra was called out in late January. Here Duluth No. 265 has just passed under the William Berry Parkway Bridge on the line’s scenic right-of-way. Photo by Russ Isbrandt.

Excelsior Streetcar Line Update
This season, operations will start in early May rather than mid to late-May. In addition, Thursday operations, our most popular because of the adjacent Excelsior Farmer’s Market, will see service start at 2:00 p.m., one hour earlier, to correspond to Market hours. When crews started early last year, they were always busy from the get-go – no sense waiting until 3:00! In addition, we’re planning on three-person crews on Thursdays and at special events, adding a platform attendant to sell tokens “on the ground” to keep the car moving, rather than the conductor selling fares after discharging passengers from the previous trip, which delays the start of the next trip. We’re also expecting a boost in ridership this year as a result of closer cooperation between the Museum and the Excelsior Chamber of Commerce and the Excelsior-Lake Minnetonka Historical Society, whose museum, in the old Minneapolis and St. Louis station, is adjacent to the Water Street platform.