Your Incredible Neighbors: Clang, clang clang of trolley thrills GV 'rail fan'

Retired tax accountant Tom Kelley admits to being a “rail fan”—that is a fan of railways and trains and everything that has anything to do with them.

Now Kelley dons a trolley conductor’s chapeau when he volunteers as a trolley operator for Old Pueblo Trolley in Tucson.

Kelley and his wife Ellen moved to Green Valley in 2000 from California and once settling in, Tom set off to look for volunteer work. A neighbor told him about Old Pueblo Trolley.

Electric streetcars began operating in Tucson in 1906 as a replacement of the horse- and mule-drawn streetcars already in service. By 1930, the growth of Tucson outpaced the ability of the streetcars to provide adequate service and in December of that year rail streetcar operation in Tucson was ended.

Then, in 1983, a group was founded to bring back the trolley as part of the University of Arizona’s 1985 Centennial. Old Pueblo Trolley, a nonprofit, all volunteer museum was formed.

Trolley restoration began in the spring of 1985 and track construction began in 1987. Major support has been received from all parts of the community, including members of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 1116, who, with the support of Tucson Electric Power Co., built and continue to maintain the overhead power.

Old Pueblo Trolley operates through some of the most historic and diverse areas of Tucson.

Beginning in the heart of Fourth Avenue business district, the trolley passes a variety of shops and restaurants.

Turning onto University Boulevard the trolley passes beautifully restored homes, boutiques, and cafes, terminating near the University Marriott Hotel, and the Arizona Historical Society and the Main Gate of the University of Arizona.

On their ride, visitors have an opportunity to learn more about trolley operation, history and the neighborhood.

All children, from toddlers up, are welcome to “ring the bell” to help the operator!

Kelley trained to operate a trolley.

“First, I had to get a commercial driver’s license, so I went through Sun Trans bus driver training so I could learn to drive a city bus,” he says. “We had an instructor with us and within the first three hours or so, I was driving a bus in downtown traffic.”

Then Kelley had actual training on the trolley itself, followed by a special certification exam, which he passed first time.

“I really like it,” Kelley says. ”It’s like driving around in a museum.”

If you follow the trolley tracks south on 4th Avenue from University Boulevard, you will come to the trolley barn, Kelley says.

“That’s where the trolleys sleep and where they are maintained and restored,” he adds.

The museum owns several trolleys, but only a few are in operation, including the 1953 Japanese trolley that Kelley usually drives.

The Japanese trolley car was in operation in Osaka, Japan, before It was retired in 1992 and shipped to Tucson in November of that year, in time to be part of the opening celebration of the re-establishment of the electric streetcar service on April 17, 1993.

The purchase price was 100,000 yen, about $930 at that time, but expensive shipping across several municipal jurisdictions from Osaka to the port at Kobe raised the total shipping costs to about $25,500.

“Trolleys aren’t that easy to find and restore,” Kelley says. “Then it had to be painted because it was covered with Japanese advertising. It also needed other work which turned out to be major and didn’t get back into service until the mid-1990s.”

Current hours of trolley operation are 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays, noon until midnight on Saturdays, and from noon until 6 p.m. Sundays.

Kelley’s volunteer shift is every Friday night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

He says the trip takes about 15 or 20 minutes, depending on the passengers and the traffic. The trolley travels “downhill with a big wind at about 30-miles-an-hour,” he adds.

The fare is $1 per adult and 50 cents for children ages 6 to 12.

“It’s mostly taken by tourists, although some of the university kids take it to bar hop,” he says. “For me, the fun part is the families with little kids. I have about for or five regular family groups who come to ride almost every Friday. I let the kids ring the bell. They get a big kick out of it.”

The Old Pueblo Trolley is a non-profit and as such any contributions made are tax deductible.

“We have operating expenses like electricity,” Kelley says. “The fares barely cover those kinds of things. Luckily, the City of Tucson has taken us under their wing for insurance like they do the bus service.”

Kelley deals with safety issues on the route, too.

“It weighs about 13 tons and doesn’t just stop on a dime,” he explains. “On the whole, drivers are cautious when they see us coming and that’s a good thing.”

Old Pueblo Trolley also has old restored buses in its collection.

Kelley suggests that folks also visit the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum at 414 N. Toole Ave. The museum focuses on the history of transportation in Southern Arizona with a focus on the Tucson Historic Depot and Steam Locomotive #1673.

Kelley says Old Pueblo Trolley is always looking for volunteers.

There are more than 35 categories of possibilities where volunteers can benefit Old Pueblo Trolley including restoration work, trolley and bus operators, docents. historical research, public relations, fund raising and volunteer training.

For further volunteer information call Dave Hunt, volunteer coordinator, at 520-615-9286 orby e-mail at davehunt@comcast.net or visit www.oldpueblotrolley.org.

Old Pueblo Trolley, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and can be reached by phone at (520) 792-1802.

In his spare time, Kelley also sits on the Country Fair White Elephant Board of Directors.

rford@gvnews.com | 54-9740