Rick then began to research the trolley’s (actually called a tram since it was once pulled by a similar-appearing engine-powered trolley) origin and here is what he found. The car was designed by Cable Car Concepts of Deltona, Florida, and was most likely manufactured by another Florida firm, The Ward Company, in Ormond Beach near Daytona Beach. Both companies pride themselves in designing and building trolley/tram cars that are dead ringers for their counterparts used in the horse and buggy days. However today they are customized to comply with all the city ordinances and environmental regulations demanded in the 2000’s. Using the Internet, Rick had a stroke of luck when he found a similar trolley & tram unit for sale ($38K) and then somehow reached the man who had actually made the sale of 7 trolleys and 14 trams (one motorized unit pulled two cars) to A.C. Trams, Inc., Atlantic City, NJ in the early 1990’s. A.C. Trams, a private concessionaire serving the hotels and casino guests along the two-mile Boardwalk route, had made the largest purchase ever of trackless trolleys. The trolley units (one trolley and two trams) cost around $200,000 each. The EVAPA tram was one of those tram units. After that company discontinued their use in the late 90’s, they were sold and apparently the units were separated.
Once the trolley came into Rick’s possession, he stored it at a friend’s place north of Arlington, NE. While discussing the repair and care of a different people-hauler that members of the Elkhorn Valley Antique Power Association (EVAPA) were working on, Rick suggested that EVAPA might have interest in his purchase since he wasn’t getting around to doing any restoration. This appealed to club members and the unit was moved from Arlington to an outdoor storage place in Fremont in July 2009. In November of that year it was moved into a restoration shop owned by EVAPA member John Gibney of Fremont and the work began. The restoration of the trolley was a long and tedious job (approximately 600 hours over 7 full months by 10 members) but it is apparent that it was a labor of love for the club members that worked on it. Their work has resulted in a wonderful restoration job. Now that old trolley is truly a sight for sore eyes!!
Trolley Engineering Facts | |
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Overall Length | 24 feet including tongue |
Tram Length | 20 feet |
Tram Width | 7 foot, 9 inches |
Tram Height | 9 foot, 6 inches |
Tram Weight | 4200 lbs. |
Passenger Capacity | 20/25 persons |
Seating Arrangement | Forward Facing |
Tires | All new Carlisle Ground Force, 10 ply – 9:00 x 10:00 |
Hitch | 2 5/8” ball with Hydraulic Brake Actuator |
Paint colors | Burgundy and Ash Grey, special mix from D&R Auto Paint & Supply |
Windshields | 30 inches by 76 inches, glass |
Windows | 18 small resin thermoplastic windows in enclosed top |
Decals | Ash Grey vinyl from Signs Now in Omaha |
Seat Lumber | Milled from red oak logs provided by A+ Tree Service of Fremont |
Safety Items | 6 Brass Hand Rails, Slow Moving Vehicle sign, Safety Chains |
Restoration Cost | $2777.33 (to date) |
EVAPA MEMBERS THAT GAVE APPROXIMATELY 600 HOURS OF DEDICATED AND EXPERT WORK ON THE RESTORATION PROJECT: Dave Vyhlidal (Restoration Project Coordinator), Jim Vyhlidal, Wally Meadows, John Krance, Larry Kruse, Jim Dillon, Craig Coufal, Joe Gibney, John Gibney and Mike O’Brien.
Areas of Work | |
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Brake/brake lines repair and/or replacement | John Krance, Jim Dillon |
Rebuild step brackets | John Krance |
Electrical wiring | Larry Kruse, John Krance |
Sawing seat lumber | Craig Coufal |
Seat lumber planning, sanding, finishing | Mike O’Brien |
Seat assembly and installation | Mike O’Brien, John Krance |
Tire purchase and mounting | Craig Coufal |
Brass handrails (remove, polish & re-install) | Wally Meadows |
Hitch and brake actuator construction and install | Jim Vyhlidal, Dave Vyhlidal |
Body sanding | Joe Gibney, Wally Meadows |
Decals | Dave Vyhlidal |
Strip paint and clean bench stands | Larry Kruse |
Metal and fiberglass body work and painting | John Gibney |
Clean, paint & install new Lexan on upper windows | Dave Vyhlidal, Joe Gibney |
Install new aluminum diamond plate to interior wall | Dave & Jim Vyhlidal, Wally Meadows |
Construct and mount new license plate and SMV bracket | Dave Vyhlidal |
Author of trolley narrative | Benny Benschoter |