Fort Smith Trolley Museum facts for kids
.jpg)
1926 Birney streetcar 224 passing the
Fort Smith Museum of History |
|
| Established | 1985 |
|---|---|
| Location | 100 South 4th Street, Fort Smith, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Type | Railroad, streetcar |
| Owner | Fort Smith Streetcar Restoration Association, Inc. |
The Fort Smith Trolley Museum is a fun place in Fort Smith, Arkansas. It's a museum about old streetcars and trains. What's really cool is that it has a working streetcar line that you can ride!
The museum first opened its doors in 1985. Then, in 1991, they started running their streetcar line. Several of the vehicles here, including a streetcar and three steam trains, are very special. They are even listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means they are important historical items. The streetcar line is now about 3/4 of a mile long. It also goes past four other important historical places. These include the Fort Smith National Historic Site and the Fort Smith National Cemetery.
Contents
History of the Museum
The museum was started by a group called the Fort Smith Streetcar Restoration Association (FSSRA). This group formed in 1979. Their goal was to save and show the history of public transportation in Fort Smith.
The first museum building was built in 1985. It was on land that used to belong to a railroad company. Over time, the museum bought more land nearby. This allowed them to have more space for their activities and to store their collection.
You might wonder why the group is called "Streetcar" but the museum is called "Trolley." In America, the words "streetcar" and "trolley" mean the same thing. The Fort Smith Trolley Museum (FSTM) welcomed its first visitors in 1985. Streetcar rides began in 1991. The FSSRA group still owns and runs the museum today.
Riding the Streetcar Line
The streetcar rides at the museum started on May 19, 1991. The first streetcar they used was Fort Smith car 224. This car was built in 1926. It's a special type of streetcar called a Birney. In its first seven months, over 10,000 people rode the streetcar!
The first part of the line was about a quarter-mile long. Volunteers from the museum worked hard to put up the wires and poles needed for the streetcar. This first section connected the streetcar garage to the Fort Smith National Historic Site.
.jpg)
The streetcar line has been made longer several times since then. The first extension opened on October 9, 1994. It took the line to the gates of the Fort Smith National Cemetery. This extension more than doubled the track length. It made the line about 2,300 feet long. In 1994, almost 12,000 people rode the trolley!
Another extension opened on August 29, 1996. This one went to Garrison Avenue, which is the main street in town. The city helped pay for this part. They knew the streetcar line was great for attracting tourists. This section goes behind the Fort Smith Museum of History.
The line was extended again on November 24, 2002. It now runs along Garrison Avenue to 2nd Street. This area is part of the West Garrison Avenue Historic District. This district is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In May 2005, a very short extension made the line about 3,000 feet long. The most recent extension opened on May 21, 2016. This added new track and wires along 7th Street. The full line is now about 0.75 miles long.
Streetcar Schedule
You can ride the streetcar almost all year! From May 1 to October 31, it runs seven days a week. During other months, it runs on weekends. On Saturdays and weekdays, it runs from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. On Sundays, it runs from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. A ramp for wheelchairs was added at one stop in 1997.
Museum Vehicles
Streetcars
.jpg)
As of 2016, the museum has two streetcars that are fully restored and can operate. One is Fort Smith car 224. This car is so important that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The other is Hot Springs Street Railway Company car 50. It was built in 1904. Car 50 started running in May 2016 after 16 years of hard work to restore it. However, car 224 is still the main streetcar used for daily rides.
The museum also has other streetcars they are working to restore. Some of these cars actually ran in Fort Smith many years ago:
- Fort Smith Traction, Light and Power 10 (built in 1902)
- Fort Smith Light and Traction 205 (Birney car, built in 1919)
- Fort Smith Light and Traction 221 (Birney car, built in 1926)
The museum also has an open streetcar from Mexico, Veracruz No. 6. It was built in 1908. Another Birney car in the collection is ex-Kansas City 1545, built in 1919. In 2009, three more streetcars joined the collection. These include two Birney cars from Little Rock and another open car from Veracruz, No. 9.
Locomotives
The museum has four locomotives on display. Locomotives are the engines that pull trains. Three of these are very special and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:
- Frisco 4003: This is a large steam locomotive built in 1919. It was given to the museum in 1998.
- Maumelle Ordnance Works Locomotive 1: This is a 35-ton switcher train built in 1942. It was given to the museum in 1988.
- United States Air Force Locomotive No. 1246: This is a 44-ton diesel-electric switcher train built in 1953. It joined the museum in 1992.
The museum also has three cabooses (the last car on a freight train), a passenger car, and other old railroad equipment.
Buses
The museum also has some old buses. As of 1997, they owned three vintage motor buses:
- A 1939 bus from Little Rock.
- A 1954 Fort Smith bus.
- A 1951 bus from Oklahoma City.
The original Fort Smith bus, No. 285, was even used in the 1988 movie Biloxi Blues!
See also
- Fort Smith Transit
- Streetcars in North America
