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4th of July special section - Fourth of July Special Section |
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Written by NEXTnc staff reports
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Thursday, 28 June 2007 |
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Page 2 of 6
 HISTORY ON WHEELS: CAR 21
Fully restored trolley takes riders back to a much slower past
By Erin Frustaci
Carol Tunner is known in Fort Collins as the mother of the trolley. After all, she did help bring life back to historic Birney Safety Car 21.
“In 1978 it was literally a bucket of bolts,” Tunner said. “The wood was rotted. The metal was rotted. It was falling apart.”
Tunner started the seven-year restoration project back in 1978 as part of the Junior Women’s Club.
“I never dreamed it would be this successful,” Tunner said.
Tunner is the lead conductor and secretary of the Fort Collins Municipal Railway board. The trolley car, now fully restored, runs along West Mountain Avenue. It’s operated by volunteers from the railway board, in partnership with the Fort Collins
Museum.
“Half the people are interested in history and half in railroads,” she said.
“In my case, the trolley got me into history.”
Indeed, the car has quite a rooted history. It was the rst Birney car to run in Fort Collins in 1919. The system operated continuously until June 30, 1951. At one time, Fort Collins was the smallest city in the nation to have a trolley and also had the lowest fare of 5 cents.
Automobiles gained momentum in the ’50s, but Trolley Car 21 wasn’t forgotten. It sat near the library for 27 years until the restoration began. Today it is recognized on the local, state and national level as a historical landmark.
“Lots of people who rode it as a kid, ride the trolley for nostalgia,” said John Beckett, railway board member and conductor.
Since it started up again in 1984, the car has carried close to 200,000 riders. There are about 22 volunteer motormen and 22 volunteer conductors who keep the car going.
“I decided I would rather be a motor mouth than a motorman,” Beckett said.
As a conductor, he leads the tour, presenting stories and facts about the history of Car 21.
“I always tell people to turn off their cell phones,” he said. “I want everyone to enjoy the tour. Besides, we are going back in the past where it is much slower anyway, so we wouldn’t get that kind of communication. Kids are always wide-eyed.”
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DETAILS
Meet the trolley at the intersection of Mountain Avenue and Howes Street for a ride to City Park. Trolley rides will be available from noon-6 p.m. Wednesday, July 4 and noon-5p.m. Thursday, July 5 - Sunday, July 8. Trolley rides will be free Wednesday - Friday. Regular fares of $1 for adults, 75 cents for seniors and 50 cents for children 2-12 will be in place Saturday and Sunday. Normal operating hours are noon-5 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from May through September.
For more information, visit www.fortnet.org/trolley.
—Sponsors for free day are Norlarco & Austins
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|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
|  | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
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|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
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|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
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