Trolleyland museum in Grand Mound/Rochester WA in the 1960s?

John T · **Joined:** Sun Sep 14, 2014 5:05 pm **Posts:** 1264

I have no idea how the cars were painted when in use. You would have to ask the guys in Yakima.

westward · **Joined:** Wed Dec 14, 2011 2:24 am **Posts:** 13

Attached is a photo of the Trolleyland museum that I took in July 1972. The photo was taken from the shoulder of I-5 highway, so it was visible from there. Sadly the slide was taken into the sun, so the quality is not good. As I recall there was a short news item in Pacific News magazine when the BCER cars were returned to Canada; it may have additional information about the museum.

p51 · **Posted:** Wed Apr 06, 2022 12:33 pm

westward wrote:

Attached is a photo of the Trolleyland museum that I took in July 1972. The photo was taken from the shoulder of I-5 highway, so it was visible from there. Sadly the slide was taken into the sun, so the quality is not good. As I recall there was a short news item in Pacific News magazine when the BCER cars were returned to Canada; it may have additional information about the museum.

Wow, thanks for posting that, as it's the only decent photo I've managed to see of this so far!

p51 · **Posted:** Mon Jan 08, 2024 1:46 am

This weekend I drove to where I'm told the museum was. It was either where a large stand of trees are butt up against 183rd or the residential plots just south of there.
Nothing I could see even suggests to where this museum was or its roadbed.
A local here told me he saw it long after the removal and you could sort of make it out. This would be in the mid 80s.

Adam Phillips · **Posted:** Mon Jan 08, 2024 2:56 pm

Look at this location on Google Maps satellite view: 46.828183, -122.993631
You can see a ghost of a loop track. The turnout visible in the photo appears to be adjacent toward I-5.

PMC · **Joined:** Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:55 pm **Posts:** 2605

Moving this new thread here: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=48416
Essentially asking for any new info.

timken2626 · **Joined:** Sat Aug 16, 2008 10:33 am **Posts:** 61

Sorry, no new info, except I sure do remember riding/driving by on I-5 and wondering what it was about! When I first noticed it, I must have been around 14 (1965). I'll admit, my only interest at that time was steam power, which was rare then. I could only wish I'd been more interested in early diesel, electric and trolley stuff, but I pretty much ignored all that.

Catoleung · **Joined:** Tue Sep 10, 2024 1:05 pm **Posts:** 8

John T wrote:

I was looking at some old railfan newsletters yesterday and found a few references to Trolleyland. The first track was layed in 1964. By mid 1965 the track ran from the Milwaukee around two sides of the parcel of land and a passing track was finished. In June or July 1965 the Milwaukee delivered the three BC interurban cars on their own wheels. The Milwaukee track was broken and connected to Trolleyland and the cars were shoved in. At about this time they made their first operation using the Plymouth.

Do you recall hearing about a "Northwest Trolley Railfan group"? I read in an article that they were purchased by this group and stored in Seattle before being sent - "proposed" - to trolleyland.

Catoleung · **Joined:** Tue Sep 10, 2024 1:05 pm **Posts:** 8

John T wrote:

I think you have about all the info you are going to get. Andy Hanson was the owner and I never met him. Nobody I did meet had a good word for him. He and another man bought two of the ex-Yakima cars from Portland. Somehow the deal went sour and Hanson was sued for the cars. Another story I was told was that when the Trolleyland site was being cleared out Hanson cut up all the rail so that "those guys at Snoqualmie" wouldn't get it. Here is what I have on the Plymouth and the Davenport:

4082 8/28/1944 Std JLB-2 Buda JK6 136hp B 18T G/M
St Regis Paper, Tacoma, Wash.
Trolleyland Electric, Prairie Park (Centralia), Wash - 1964

2352 4/1941 B 26” Std GM20 LeRoi 40000#
US Army #7665, Quartermaster Corps #2033, Camp Hahn, Riverside, Calif
J H Baxter Co, Eugene, Ore
C M Lorested & Co, Seattle, Wash.
Trolleyland Electric Ry, Olympia, Wash
J H Baxter & Co, Eugene, Ore – 8/1977

Do you know if Hansen ever worked for the BC Electric Railway?

I found his obituary which said he was a former railroaded, beginning in 1949 for the Northern Pacific RR and then Burlington Northern retired in 1988.

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/742 ... 0hansen%22

However, it does not mention anything about trolleyland or the BCER. In another rail forum site (www.trainorders.com), user KeyRouteKen (who has since passed away) mentioned he was a regular BCER motorman. Judging from the results I found when I tried to googling alternative contact methods he seemed pretty reliable in terms of info.

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/ ... 15,1792579

John T · **Joined:** Sun Sep 14, 2014 5:05 pm **Posts:** 1264

The original post stares:

"I might point out to all of you who weren't around in those days that the BCER motormen were quite friendly and allowed the railfans to operate their equipment.
THIS IS FACT !!
Andy Hansen was a regular BCER operator as was the famous NW rail author Warren Wing and rail photographer Harold Hill. The system was getting ready to shut down forever and so I guess the BCER motormen could care less."

This does not state Andy Hansen worked for BCER but that he and others were allowed to operate cars. Warren Wing and Harold Hill were trolley fans from Seattle and never worked for BCER.

John T · **Joined:** Sun Sep 14, 2014 5:05 pm **Posts:** 1264

I can find very few references to the Northwest Trolly Railfan Club. In June 1957 they
ran a charter on the Portland electric streetcars. Andy Hansen was president.

Catoleung · **Joined:** Tue Sep 10, 2024 1:05 pm **Posts:** 8

John T wrote:

I can find very few references to the Northwest Trolly Railfan Club. In June 1957 they
ran a charter on the Portland electric streetcars. Andy Hansen was president.

Can you link your source for that? I haven't had any luck searching for that anywhere.

John T · **Joined:** Sun Sep 14, 2014 5:05 pm **Posts:** 1264

The information was published in the Seattle Daily Times, June 21, 1957, page 28, column 1. There were meeting notices posted into 1962 but nothing later than that in either Seattle paper.

Trolleyland museum in Grand Mound/Rochester WA in the 1960s?

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