Some years ago in L&RP, I reported on the operation of a gas-powered trolley in North Dakota (can't remember which city), that ran on an unused ex-NP branch. The 4-wheel trolley was somewhat unique, in that it used a former chicken coop body found locally, atop a former Fairbanks Morse gas/mechanical chassis. The chassis itself was somewhat unusual, in that it came from the Great Western sugar factory at Brighton, Colorado, having last served as the coal tender for the factory's Davenport dinky 0-4-0T. Left behind in Brighton when the dinky was moved to Fort Morgan (it is on display there), the tender was acquired by the ND individual, given an engine and placed under the wooden trolley body.

Though no old photos are known to exist, the result must have resembled the original Fairbanks car quite a bit, which used a wooden trolley body also. The Fairbanks car was not successful on the Great Western Railway, and thus its chassis formed the tender for the little dinky locomotive.

Is the North Dakota trolley still running? What is its status today? Anyone have photos?

ryarger@rypn.org

A little more info here. Sounds like it is still running.

http://webhost.btinet.net/~gjangula/attractions.html
ryarger@rypn.org

Bob, You might try the Seashore Trolley Museum site which has a link to another site on heritage trolley operations across North america.

The section on proposed operations is especially interesting.

Ted Miles

ted_miles@nps.gov

If you google this one you get a bunch of references such as who built it and a picture from a trip report but no real info on the operation. Sounds like a pretty run from the info.


lamontdc@adelphia.net