Issaquah Valley Trolley

The Issaquah Valley Trolley car barn is just north of the Issaquah Depot Museum located at 50 Rainier Blvd. N., Issaquah WA 98027, and is operated by the Issaquah Historical Society. In 2001 and 2002 a demonstration trolley borrowed from Yakima Valley Trolleys was operated to prove the concept that an operating trolley in Issaquah would attract ridership. The project is still under development at this time.

After returning the borrowed trolley to Yakima, Issaquah acquired three trolleys of its own: a Milan interurban car, and two narrow gauge trolleys from a failed trolley line in Aspen, Colorado. Currently, none are operating, as they all require restoration work before they can begin service. However, the museum does have an operational 0-4-0 Plymouth gasoline-mechanical locomotive. The two narrow gauge trolleys are to be "re-gauged" so that they can run on standard gauge railroad track. The trolleys will tow a generator car to supply them with electricity, rather than receiving power from overhead wires called catenary. The group hopes to rebuild about a mile of recently removed track on the Lake Sammamish rail-trail, as far as the boat-launch.

External links

* [http://www.issaquahhistory.org/trolley/ Issaquah Valley Trolley project]
* [http://www.yakimavalleytrolleys.org/ Yakima Valley Trolleys]