The National Streetcar Museum is a

streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport a ...

museum and heritage railway located in

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...

. It is owned by the New England Electric Railway Historical Society, which also operates the

Seashore Trolley Museum Seashore Trolley Museum, located in Kennebunkport, Maine, United States, is the world's first and largest museum of mass transit vehicles. While the main focus of the collection is trolley cars (trams), it also includes rapid transit trains, ...

, and is operated as part of the National Park Service's

Lowell National Historical Park Lowell National Historical Park is a National Historical Park of the United States located in Lowell, Massachusetts. Established in 1978 a few years after Lowell Heritage State Park, it is operated by the National Park Service and comprises a g ...

History

Lowell, like many other cities in the country, formerly possessed an expansive network of trolleys, which served as the primary method of transit throughout the city. Trolley service in Lowell ended in 1935, and the last of the trolley trackage was removed during World War II. In 1978,

was established in order to preserve the image of the Industrial Revolution in Lowell. In 1984, the Park acquired one closed and two open trolleys, the former of which seats 48 passengers and the latter two of which seat up to 90 passengers. Because the original trolley trackage was removed, the trolleys run along the former Boston and Maine Railroad tracks.

Route

Lowell National Historical Park Official Map

The trolleys run daily from March to November, connecting the park to the downtown area of the city. Three regular stops are made, as well as several irregular stops upon passenger request.

References

External links

* * Railroad museums in Massachusetts Heritage railroads in Massachusetts Museums in Lowell, Massachusetts Street railway museums in the United States {{Massachusetts-museum-stub