Phoenix Trolley Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Phoenix Trolley Museum

Phoenix Trolley Museum
Established	1975
Location	1117 Grand Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Type	Railway museum

The Phoenix Trolley Museum, also known as the Arizona Street Railway Museum, is a special place that helps keep the history of streetcars alive in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. It was started in 1975. The museum works hard to save old Phoenix trolley cars and other cool items. Their goal is to show how important these trolleys were in the history of Phoenix, which is now one of America's biggest cities.

About the Museum

The Phoenix Trolley Museum used to be located near the Margaret Hance Deck Park. This park is in downtown Phoenix, right next to Interstate 10. The museum stayed there until December 2017.

In 2016, the City of Phoenix decided not to let the museum continue its lease. This meant the museum had to close its location at Hance Park.

Moving to a New Home

In 2018, the museum found a new home. It moved to a historic area in Phoenix called the Grand Avenue Arts and Small Business district. This new spot is special because it was once part of one of the city's very first trolley lines.

The museum's volunteer board of directors has big plans for this new location. They want to fix up the old building to create new exhibits and offices. They also plan to build a new facility. This new building will be used to store and repair the trolleys they own. The museum is currently raising money to make these plans happen.

Making Improvements

In 2019, the museum's board and volunteers worked together on a "spruce up campaign." This project helped to improve the outside and inside of the museum building. They also made big changes to their exhibits, making them even better for visitors.

After a successful fundraising effort in 2020, the museum was able to buy the Grand Avenue property. This means the museum now owns its new home, which is great for its future!

Discovery of Car 509

In December 2020, something very exciting happened! A local businessman named Mike Bystrom contacted the museum. He asked if they were interested in a storage unit. It looked like the unit had been built around the body of an old streetcar.

After some research, the museum discovered something amazing. Underneath the outer metal shell was a real streetcar! This streetcar was thought to have been lost a long time ago. In 1947, a sad fire destroyed almost all the trolley cars in the barn. Only six streetcars that were out on their routes that night survived.

Mr. Bystrom was very kind. He offered to give the streetcar to the museum for free. He even paid to have it moved to the Grand Avenue museum site. Today, this special streetcar, Car 509, is on display at the museum.

What You Can See at the Museum

The Phoenix Trolley Museum has several interesting items for visitors to explore:

• Restored Streetcar #116: This is a fully restored Phoenix Street Railway Streetcar. It is currently kept in storage.
• Unrestored Streetcar #504: This streetcar was originally known as #108. It has not been restored yet and is also kept in storage.
• Newly Discovered Car #509: This is the streetcar that was donated in December 2020. It has not been restored, but you can see it on display at the museum.
• Electric Locomotive: The museum also displays an electric calcine locomotive. This was given to the museum by the Phelps-Dodge Corporation from their facility in Douglas, Arizona.
• Historical Displays: You can also see many old photographs, maps, and other items that show the history of trolleys in Phoenix. These are all on display inside the museum.

Museum Gallery

See also

• List of heritage railroads in the United States
• Phoenix Street Railway