Baltimore Streetcar Museum facts for kids
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An 1896 open car in operation at the Baltimore Streetcar Museum
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| Established | June 8, 1966 |
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| Location | 1911 Falls Road, Baltimore, Maryland, 21211 |
| Key holdings | Operating streetcars |
The Baltimore Streetcar Museum (often called BSM) is a special place in Baltimore, Maryland. It's a museum that works to save and share the history of public transportation in Baltimore, especially the old-fashioned electric streetcars, also known as trolleys. You can find it at 1911 Falls Road.
Contents
What You Can See and Do
The Baltimore Streetcar Museum lets visitors experience history firsthand. You can even ride some of the old streetcars!
Ride a Historic Streetcar
During certain times, the museum lets you take a ride on different streetcars from Baltimore's past. Here are some of the cool cars you might see or ride:
Car #264
This streetcar was built way back in 1900. It's a special kind that can be changed from an open car to an enclosed one. It only has hand brakes, which is pretty old-school!
Car #4533
Built in 1904, this car has an interesting history. It was first a two-person car, then rebuilt to be a "one-man safety car" in 1924. Later, it was even used to test the rails! The museum has worked hard to make it look like it did in 1924.
Car #6119
This streetcar was made in 1930. It's a "Peter Witt" style car, which was a very modern design for its time. It was used for regular service until 1955.
Car #7407
This is a "PCC" streetcar, built in 1944. It's very special because it was the very last streetcar to run for regular passengers in Baltimore on November 3, 1963. It's also the only Pullman-built PCC car that still runs regularly in a museum!
Car #2168
This streetcar came from Philadelphia. It was built in 1947 and was used there until 1992. The museum started using it in 2009.
Car #1164
This open-air streetcar was built in 1902. It has 12 benches, perfect for summer rides! Like some other old cars, it only has hand brakes. It's currently being fixed up and will be back on the tracks soon.
Car #554
This open summer car was built in 1896. It's another hand-brake-only car. It recently had a big five-year restoration project and is now running again!
Car #417
This car is truly historic! It started as a horse-drawn car, then became a cable car trailer, and finally an electric car in 1895. It's said to be the oldest electric streetcar still running in America! You can see it on special days.
Santa's Streetcar
Every December, the museum has a fun event called "Santa's Streetcar." One of the streetcars is decorated for Christmas, and Santa Claus himself is there to greet children!
The Machine Shop
The Baltimore Streetcar Museum has one of the biggest and best-equipped machine shops of any streetcar museum in the United States. They can make custom parts for their own streetcars and even for other museums!
The Library Collection
The museum also has a large library. It holds many books, photos, and documents about the history of trains and streetcars in Maryland. It's a great place to learn more about how people used to travel.
More Information Online
You can find even more details about the streetcars that run and those waiting to be restored on the museum's website. The website also shows pictures of old streetcar stops and lines around Baltimore.
Volunteers Make it Happen
The streetcar rides and operations at the museum are all run by volunteers. These are people who are members of the museum and love streetcars! They go through a special eleven-week training program to learn how to safely operate the streetcars.
Host Your Event at the Museum
The Baltimore Streetcar Museum is a unique place to hold private parties for both kids and adults. Their Visitor Center has an auditorium called the "Trolley Theatre." You can also take streetcar rides and get tours of the carhouse. In the carhouse, you'll see other cool old vehicles, like a horse-drawn car from 1859, a crane car, and an electric bus called a trackless trolley.
A Look at the Museum's History
The Baltimore Streetcar Museum officially started on June 8, 1966. It was founded by people who wanted to save Baltimore's streetcar history. The City of Baltimore helped by building the museum and letting the group use it for a very low cost.
The museum opened its doors on August 30, 1968. The first streetcars for the museum were moved from another park in 1968 to their current home on Falls Road. Public rides began in July 1970. At first, the track was very short, but volunteers worked hard to build more track and install the overhead wires that power the streetcars.
Over the years, the museum has made its track longer along Falls Road. They even added loops at both ends so the streetcars can turn around easily. In October 2008, they finished a big project to add a second track, which took many years to complete. The tracks at the museum are a special size, 5 ft 4 1⁄2 in (1,638 mm), which was the unique size used by the original Baltimore streetcar lines.
Streetcar Service Today
| Baltimore Streetcar Museum | |
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| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 5 ft 4 1⁄2 in (1,638 mm) |
| Electrification | (570-600) V DC trolley wire |
The track at the museum is now part of what the Maryland Transit Administration calls LocalLink 25. Interestingly, the old streetcar route that ran past the museum's current location was also called Route 25!
See also
- National Capital Trolley Museum (another streetcar museum in Maryland)
- Baltimore Light RailLink (Baltimore's modern light rail system)
- History of MTA Maryland
