The Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum is excited to announce the arrival of the Berkshire Hills Trolley, donated by the Seashore Trolley Museum. This historic parlor car once traveled through four states—Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont—as part of the Berkshire Street Railway. After the trolley line was shut down, the car was repurposed and converted into a diner.

Sadly, after the diner closed, the building was sold, and a fire caused by a faulty furnace caused significant damage to most of the structure. Remarkably, the trolley body survived the fire and was acquired by the Seashore Trolley Museum. The trolley was heavily tarped and left in storage for many years. Recognizing the importance of preserving this rare piece of history, the Seashore Trolley Museum decided to find a more suitable home for the trolley. After donating their line car to Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum, they also offered this remarkable car as a donation.

The museum gladly accepted the donation and, with the help of a pair of trucks similar to the original ones (the originals having been removed during the diner conversion), also donated by Seashore were rebuilt to accommodate the car's body. After some deleys, the trolley finally arrived at the Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum on February 11th.

With great skill and the aid of air jacks on loan, the team managed to lower the car body onto the trucks and successfully move it into the car barn. This restoration project is expected to be a significant challenge. The front of the trolley features a curved design, with three full-length windows/doors, all of which have curved—glass. The cost of replacing the custom curved glass is daunting to think about. Additionally, many sections of the car were cut out to make space for a dining counter and entrance door when it was a diner. While the images of the original woodwork will serve as useful patterns, most of the wood is unfortunately charred.

This restoration promises to be an ambitious and rewarding project, and the Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum is thrilled to be the next chapter in the Berkshire Hills Trolley's long and storied history.

https://ginosrailpage.org/Hoosaac_Valle ... page2.html "Berkshire Street Railway "Berkshire Hills" Parlor Car between Bennington and North Adams. This car was built in Springfield by Wason in 1903. The car cost $20,000 and for a brief time it was the private car of The Berkshire Street Railway's creator, Ralph D. Gillett. About 1910 this car was put into service for a scenic trip between Great Barrington and Bennington. After 1915, this car was taken out of service and it sat in storage until the line was abandoned. It was then purchased for $300 and converted into a diner in Pittsfield."

Congratulations to the SFTM. This is a great preservation outcome for the car.

While searching for something entirely unrelated, I found the following postcard (images attached). Let us know here at Shore Line Trolley Museum if you'd like the full resolution scan, as I'm limited to uploaded low-res previews only via this site.