I’m a 100-year-old Jersey Shore trolley car, and I’m getting a makeover

Wildwood trolley restoration

A trolley that operated in Wildwood is headed to Iowa to be restored

A trolley that was built in the early 20th century has been kept in storage in a building in Cape May County. The trolley is headed to Iowa to be restored, and will return to New Jersey. Here is the story of the trolley, as told by the trolley itself.

I have sat here alone for more than 20 years in an unofficial tomb of bricks in Cape May County.

As you can imagine, time has not been kind to me. As each year, month, minute, and second has gone by, my once vibrant, youthful look has eroded and has turned me into a carcass of what I once was.

When I was first born in 1913 in Philadelphia, I was considered ahead of my time. The factory, J. G. Brill, churned out others like me. My brothers and sisters of many wheels would be sent to various parts of the country, all with one purpose to serve: Get from point A to point B, all the while being comfortable and safe.

Wildwood was my home. I would travel for miles, listening to the bells of someone winning a prize. I would go on to see many of families parade around the boardwalk, carry couples to their destinations and see a city on an island in Cape May County grow and become the talk of the region.

The electric that flowed through me allowed me to help families create those unique, concrete memories that last for a lifetime for those who were young for the Five Mile Beach Electric Railway.

Time, like the currents in the ocean, moved forward. The technology changed and a new generation came and began to take over. I didn’t mind at all. Change is good. However, I did not foresee how this new technology would start to encroach on the region’s identity.

Wildwood trolley restoration 2

Interior of a trolley that operated in Wildwood built in 1913 about to be restored in Iowa

The automobile and buses started to take off. I was still in use, but families gravitated to these new toys. I continued to do my job.

One day, the higher-ups decided it would no longer be my time to be in operation. Dejected, I went for one more ride, right in the middle of World War II.

I wanted to continue to be useful, trying to earn my keep and remain relevant. Dogs stayed inside me as a shelter to keep warm. That didn’t last long. Eventually, I became a storage area. That too didn’t last long. Finally, I was banished to a building owned by the Atlantic City Electric Company. This building would become my tomb. My mausoleum. My place to sit and decay for more than 20 years.

A lot can happen in that time. Presidents change, movements come and go. Vandalism can occur, and has been one of the biggest threats to things like me.

As the world moved forward, I remained in this brick silo, remembering the sounds of the waves crashing, people getting engaged, and the general good times that were synonymous with summer living. I was the one taking everyone there.

Then, the people who were holding watch over my unofficial tomb got a phone call. Someone saw me on a computer and told a man by the name of Capt. William McKelvey. He is the is the director and chairman of the non-profit, Berkeley Heights-based Liberty Historic Railway, Inc. (LHRy). He said I was donated to them by the Wildwood Historical Society.

McKelvey said he talked to his board of directors, and they are interested in having me return to my original, dapper self.

I’m surprised because there are no others like me left.

McKelvey said there has been a rebirth of trolley and streetcars across the United States and the rest of the world, many that are now branded as light rail systems.

It is great to hear a new generation of trolleys like me are making a comeback. There is some other news. McKelvey says New Jersey does not have an official transportation museum, and most of the collections are private. What is a trolley supposed to do?

There are some very large private collections in the state of New Jersey of vehicles just like me but not a public museum, McKelvey said. Maybe there should be a museum. I did help move people around and help the economy. Who knows, maybe it can be another tourism location in the state.

I am happy someone is interested in me. Some people came to see me in person. Apparently, I am to be shipped off to Iowa, but it will take a lot of work to make me look like what I was before time took its toll. McKelvey gave a conservative estimate of $500,000 to make me what I was when I was proudly traversing the streets of Wildwood, so they are always looking for donations to help out. McKelvey said someone has already anonymously donated $300,000.

Now, I’m packed up and waiting to be taken by Venezia Enterprises, a Lancaster, Pa. business that has experience with moving delicate, old rail cars, and fixed up by Gomaco Trolley Company in Iowa. It feels nice to be wanted again. Who knows, maybe I will have a home one day, and you could see me again as I looked in my glory days.

Chris Franklin can be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @cfranklinnews or on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

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