The Story of the Trolley

By Linda Tancs

The Shore Line Trolley Museum in East Haven, Connecticut, tells the story of the trolley. The museum owns nearly 100 vintage transit vehicles and maintains diverse collections of photographs, books, documents and artifacts (like tokens, hat badges and ticket punches). The museum also operates the Branford Electric Railway, recognized by the U.S. Department of the Interior as the oldest, continuously-operated suburban trolley line in the United States. Opened in 1900, the line and equipment are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Branford Electric Railway Historic District. Visitors get to experience this history by riding on a restored trolley through scenic surroundings.