Being in the Northeast I’m very lucky to be within a relatively short drive to some really great trolley museums.
Most of the museums daily admission price gives you access to all of the exhibit building and unlimited trolley rides.
Connecticut
East Haven, Connecticut is home of The Shore Line Trolley Museum. Shore Line has nearly 100 transit vehicles in its collection and many of them are operational. This is the best place to see Connecticut’s beautiful shoreline from the comfort of their trolleys rolling along a 1.5 mile historic Branford Electric Railway right of way.
Located North of Hartford is East Windsor, Connecticut it is the home of the second trolley museum in the state The Connecticut Trolley Museum. The museum has over 70 pieces of rail equipment dating back to the mid 1800’s. See some of the collection inside their large exhibit hall. The museum operates trolleys on the historic Hartford and Springfield Railway “Rockville Branch”. Riders can see 1.5 miles of this 17.5-mile route.
Maine
One of the world’s oldest and largest museums is located in Kennebunkport, Maine. The Seashore Trolley Museum has an amazing collection of mass transit vehicles. The museum has three large trolley barns and a restoration shop with observation walkway above. Many of the museum pieces in the trolley barns are operational. Depending on the time of year Seashore could have up to 5 trolleys operating along its 1.5-mile right of way.
Massachusetts
Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum is located in Western Massachusetts. This is one of the smallest museums in the Northeast but it definitely worth the trip. Take a ride on trolley number 10 built in Springfield, MA and serviced the Shelburne Fall area for 30 years. The museum is located alongside the Fitchburg Railroad running east to west across the top of Massachusetts from Fitchburg, MA to the New York State Line. This line is home of the longest railroad tunnels in New England the Hoosac Tunnel.
Lowell, MA National Historical Park offers an amazing experience of riding a trolley right in the middle of the city. National Streetcar Museum has a small museum in downtown Lowell and offers rides on its historical fully restored New Orleans Public Service streetcar #966.
