Trolleys Make Santa Run

A trolley ride on the Branford Electric Railway is always special, and it’s even more special at Christmastime.

It’s a must do destination for families and kids such as Sebastian, age 6 ¾, and Raffi, age 4 ¾, as well as Maisie, 5; Gus, 3; and Stella, 7; and David, 3.

One vintage car held an elaborately decorated train set for families to visit as Christmas Eve arrives tonight.

Another antique car was beautifully decked out with flowers that glowed against the wooden chairs and car panels.

On weekends in December, the Shoreline Trolley Museum has been offering rides with Santa on the Trolley from East Haven to Short Beach in Branford. Kids receive a small gift and can have their picture taken. Complimentary cookies and hot chocolate are also served. It’s a holiday tradition for the museum.

Kids were eager to sit on Santa’s lap and smile for the camera.

The kids met the balloon man, He liked to tell jokes.

Maisie and Stella stopped to chat with him.

He asked them: ​“How do you make seven even?” 

“Drop the S,” he answered.

“And how do you stop a skunk from smelling? Hold its nose.”

The museum, trolleys, and buildings have all been decorated for the holidays. Ten of the vintage trolleys are decked out in Christmas decorations… lights, garlands, ornaments, angels, Santas, and more. Inflatable holiday characters are also stationed throughout the yard and along the route.

Three trolleys are making the Santa run. No. 775, which we rode on, originally ran on these tracks from East Haven to Branford about a century ago; it was decked out in blue garlands and blue ornaments.

Inside one car stood a lone Christmas tree, beautifully decorated with a ribbon on top.

In another car Sebastian and Raffi sat with their grandma.

Conductor Paul Floroff said the car was more than 100 years old. In fact, 46 of the cars are more than 100 years old with the oldest built in 1878. Only five or six, out of a collection of 90, are running after storms Irene and Sandy devastated the trolley area.

Amid the Christmas activity, there’s a more serious task at hand.

Storm Irene and Superstorm Sandy raised havoc with the museum’s precious collection of antique trolleys. They were sitting in two feet of water during Irene and three feet during Sandy. Efforts were underway even before Sandy struck. A ​“Walk the Rails” event last June celebrated reconstruction of a section of track damaged by Irene and brought attention to the vulnerability of the collection. Back then, both Branford First Selectman Anthony ​“Unk” DaRos and East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr., read proclamations designating the day as National District Trolley Day.

The resulting campaign, ​“Elevating the Collection,” was already underway when Sandy struck. Flooding ruined many cars’ electric engines, housed in the undercarriage, which made it imperative that the cars be stored in barns above the flood plan where the trolleys operate. Two buildings will be constructed, along with site work, erosion prevention, new rail tracks and landscaping.

One of them will undoubtedly house a streetcar named Desire, made famous by the play of the same name written by Tennessee Williams. 

It’s a $2 million project. The museum received $1 million from the state toward construction through the collective efforts of state Reps. Lonnie Reed (Branford), Pat Widlitz (Branford-Guilford) and James Albis (East Haven), and state Sen. Len Fasano (East Haven, North Haven), who persuaded Gov. Dannel Malloy of the need to help preserve and maintain the museum. 

The campaign to raise the second million has reached about 80 percent of its goal through donations and a ​“Buy a brick, build a legacy” campaign. Bricks of various sizes (4x8, 8x8, 12x12), at different price levels ($150, $300, $500) can be personalized and featured in a prominent location on the museum grounds.

Bob Serow, who is heading up fundraising efforts, explained that the campaign was a three-pronged effort, involving the state, the museum’s membership, and the community at large.

Even though the campaign is scheduled to end Dec. 31, Serow said, ​“the community is still engaged.” Some major gifts have been received, including $10,000 from Carl Sprague, whose family helped create the original museum, and Robert Ryan, who donated $20,000 worth of Con Ed stock, part of an investment he inherited from his grandfather.

Serow credited General Manager Wayne Sandford for his efforts in reaching out to the community and creating awareness of the importance of the museum. He said the Christmas event this year ​“broke all kinds of records,” and the spooky Halloween Haunted Isle program in the fall was also very successful.

Sandford and Jeff Hakner, museum president, are co-chairs of the Campaign Executive Committee. 

Serow speaks fondly of the trolleys and their role in the community, ​“They were clean, fast, efficient and fun!”

This past weekend, their destination was the North Pole.

But only after the train came to the end of the line in Branford.

Where the spirit of the season lingered. 

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