California Trolley and Railroad Corporation facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
California Trolley and Railroad Corporation

AT&SF locomotive #5, 16 August 2008
Founded	July 8, 1982 (1982-07-08)
Founder	Rod Diridon, Sr.
Type	Public-benefit corporation
Registration no.	C1152615
Focus	Railroad museum, Historic preservation
Location	635 Phelan Avenue San Jose, California 95112
Origins	merger of Santa Clara Valley Railroad Association and the San Jose Trolley Corporation
Area served	South Bay

The California Trolley and Railroad Corporation (CTRC) is a special kind of non-profit group. It was started in 1982. Its main goal is to save and share the history of rail transportation in the Santa Clara Valley. This means they work to keep old trains and trolleys in good shape. They also teach people about how important trains and trolleys have been.

The Story of CTRC

Bringing Back Streetcars

The California Trolley and Railroad Corporation (CTRC) began in 1982. A local leader named Rod Diridon Sr. visited Seattle. He saw their old Waterfront Streetcar running. This gave him an idea. At the time, Santa Clara County was planning a new light rail line. This line is now part of the VTA light rail system. Diridon thought that having historic trolleys would make people excited about the new train system.

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority bought three old streetcars. Much of the work to fix them up happened at the History Park at Kelley Park.

"Historic Trolley" rides started in downtown San Jose on November 18, 1988. The trolleys ran every day except during busy rush hours. Two cars, 73 and 124, were often used. Another car, 129, was similar to 124. Weekday service stopped in 1992. By 1994, the rides were only offered in the summer.

Later, the Historic Trolley only ran during the Christmas and holiday season. This continued until 2008. From 2009 to 2011, there were no rides. Service started again for the holidays in 2012. In 2019, the "Holly Trolley" ran on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in December. It sometimes stopped if the weather was bad. The Holly Trolley did not run in 2020 or 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other cool trolleys joined the collection. An old car from Melbourne, Australia, called 531, started running in 1990. A car from Milan, Italy, number 2001, joined in 1992. Car 129 was sold to another transit group in 1999.

The museum has its own trolley line. You can ride the trolleys for free every weekend! In 2009, they opened a new line. It goes to the Japanese Friendship Garden and the Happy Hollow Zoo in Kelley Park.

A Dream for a Railroad Museum

In 1992, the CTRC got permission to build a big museum. It was going to be called the San Jose Steam Railroad Museum. It would be at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. The museum would use an old building called the Lenzen Roundhouse. A roundhouse is a building where trains are stored and repaired. It also had a turntable. A turntable is a big spinning platform that turns trains around. This roundhouse was built in 1899. It was damaged in an earthquake in 1989. Southern Pacific, a railroad company, gave it to the museum in 1994.

Two special locomotives were planned for the museum. One was Southern Pacific 2479. The plan was to fix it so it could run again. The other was Southern Pacific 1215. This one would be fixed up to look nice for display.

In 2002, the county leaders changed their minds. They no longer supported the museum at the fairgrounds. For the next 20 years, CTRC tried to find a new place. They even tried to buy land near the trolley barn at History Park. Southern Pacific 1215 was put on display at History Park. But the big museum never got built.

On July 4, 2021, CTRC made a new plan. They agreed to move the Lenzen Roundhouse, the turntable, and Southern Pacific 2479. They are moving them to the Niles Canyon Railway. This railway is in a nearby county called Alameda County.

Collection of Historic Vehicles

The California Trolley and Railroad Corporation has a collection of amazing historic streetcars. Each one has its own unique story!

Type	Car numbers	Manufacturer	Built	Image	Notes
Streetcar	1	Sacramento Electric	1905	Streetcar 1 in San Jose	This car was used in Sacramento and Santa Cruz. It was found in 1985 after being abandoned. It can seat 36 people.
	73	Jewett Car Company	1912		Built in Ohio, this car was used by San Jose Railroads. In 1934, it was used as a house, just like Car 124! It seats 36 people and can hold 20 standing.
	124	American Car Company	1912?	Car 124 on the Kelley Park line	Built in Missouri, this car was also used by San Jose Railroads. It was also used as a house in 1934.
	143	St Louis Car Company	1922	Historic Fresno San Jose streetcar	This car was built in Missouri and operated in Fresno. It is a special type of streetcar called a Birney car.
	168	J. G. Brill Company	1934		This car was built in Portugal and used in Porto. It came to San Jose in the early 1980s.
	531	Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board	1928		This car was retired from the Melbourne tram system in Australia. It was bought in 1986. It seats 48 people and can hold 40 standing. It's a Melbourne W2-class car.
	2001	Officine Meccaniche Lodigiane [it]	1928	Milan streetcar 2001 in San Jose	This car is originally from Milan, Italy. It was given to the museum in the mid-1980s. It started service in 1992 after being changed to run in both directions. It seats 40 people and can hold 44 standing.