CT Trolley Museum

I’m going to be out of town for the holiday proper, so let’s get something done early. Imagine that!

So, in the bright and proper spirit, I prepped my mood by wrapping all the presents the magical Amazon elves brought early, put the Josh Groban and Bing Crosby albums on the record player, and drank two Winter Edition Red Bulls back to back. (The sugar-free ones, lest you worry.) I’m think I’m ready. Let’s gooooo…

We’re taking a trip into the past by visiting the CT Trolley Museum. I call it that, and the website calls it that, but the building has a name that will surely cause accusations of AI manipulation and faulty attempts at text generation. I could prove the naysayers wrong by digging up an older photo that predates the craze, but I can’t be bothered. My taurine intake isn’t making this easy as-is.

It’s been a yearly tradition, one that somehow hasn’t worn out its welcome. I suppose it’s mostly due to the subdued atmosphere and lack of anticipation for a grand event. Lights, music, and some vintage aesthetics, and I’m good.

Now, while I play loose and goose with Halloween, I tend to be a bit more narrow-minded when it comes to Christmas. I suppose not too narrow, but I have my moods that I enjoy, and turn-of-the-century trolleys decked out in shining lights just hit all the right spots. I’m not really even a train enthusiast, but I can’t help but love seeing the model sets churning around from within the actual cars that were once out in the wild in better days.

Somehow, something deep within calls out and wants to reform my basement into an elaborate train set, where I spend every waking moment crafting perfect scale miniatures for my microcosmic domain, eschewing all else in a quest for perfection. I know the models should be for the younger audience, but like they say about boobs: they’re meant for kids, but the dads end up playing with them.

I apologize for that last sentence and accept my rightful place on Santa’s naughty list. But there’s no sense dwelling on the lumps of coal destined my way; let’s talk more about yesteryear.

The main draw is the ride on one of the trolley cars, but that will come later. In the meantime, grab a cup of cocoa, watch the Grinch playing on repeat in the theater, and meander in and out of the various displays within the main hall. They’ve collected several specimens from all over the world, spanning from Brazil to those in nearby towns. Some are in rougher shape than others and end up being used for storage, without any way to really approach them, while others act as set pieces for either mock dining displays or the aforementioned models.

But several have full walkthroughs, and you can lounge in the seats that have nestled the bums of your great-great grandparents or find your way to the conductor’s seat and wonder what all the bells and whistles do. My favorite is the pseudo-double-decker that has a ladder leading up to two mini-seats only suitable for toddlers, assuming you let toddlers climb a ladder with no railing once up top. But these were different times, and toddlers tend to bounce when falling from moderate heights, so there’s not all that much to worry about. All said and done, it’s a comfy throwback to a time you’ve never experienced, but for a brief moment, you can.

Finally, once your time has come, you head out and get to take a ride. Starting in the 1940s, when the trolley cars were falling out of favor in lieu of actual cars, the museum constructed tracks along their property for the purpose of providing a steel pasture for the vehicles to traverse. There’s an open car and several closed ones, and being the dead of winter, I’m unsure why some choose to ride out in the elements (at an extra fee, no less).

It's a simple ride out under some glowing lights, where you stop at a few set pieces and sometimes listen to a track from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The journey is unassuming and meant to soak in some of the season. At least it usually is. One year, on the way back, we heard a crack overhead. We had been warned earlier that it was reindeer bringing Santa, but in actuality, one of the high-voltage wires was broken and was now lying on the roof. On the bright side, we got an extra hour free in the trolley, albeit an hour without heat and any assurance that we could safely return at any time in the near future.

It was still fun, though.