National Capital Trolley Museum - Mission and History

The National Capital Trolley Museum preserves and interprets the heritage of electric and interurban railways of Washington, DC and environs for the benefit of present and future generations, while supplementing its collections with significant national and international objects to enhance its interpretive programs.

HISTORY

The National Capital Trolley Museum was founded in 1959 after the abandonment of streetcar service in the District of Columbia had become a certainty. The Museum opened to the public in 1969 at its present location in Northwest Branch Park in Montgomery County, Maryland.

The Museum's volunteers constructed and maintained a visitor center, car barns, and a demonstration railway. These volunteer efforts continued with maintenance and on-going development of the Museum's facilities.

In the early hours of Sunday, September 28, 2003, a fire of unknown origin destroyed four streetcars from the Washington Street Car Collection, three Austrian trams from the International Collection, the Johnstown Traction Company car from the American Trolley Collection and their car barn. Thirty two days after the fire, following intense efforts by volunteers and contractors, and using its remaining collection of eleven cars, the Museum once again began offering trolley rides to the public.

The Museum receives no government support for its day-to-day operations, which are funded solely by fares sold, gift shop sales and donations. The Museum does from time to time receive government grants for specific capital and restoration projects and has been grateful to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission for the use of parkland and support of its development efforts. Recognizing that the Museum needed to create new public programming which the existing facilities would not support, the Museum’s trustees adopted a development plan which would move the Museum away from the projected route of the InterCounty Connector (ICC). Fund raising efforts made construction of Street Car Hall possible with extension of the railway to the new site. As this work was underway, the ICC became a reality and highway mitigation funds provided for the construction of a visitor center, maintenance carhouse, and supporting facilities to relocate the entire Museum.

September 21, 2010