Good Golly Missed Trolley!
By Bob Mintz
(Article updated Summer 2021)
The first forms of public transportation were horse car lines. One hundred fifty years before the NYC subways were built, most of those horse car lines in the outer boroughs terminated at the various ferry lines that would eventually bring their riders into Manhattan. Running at a 4-cent fare, each car was usually pulled by four horses that were decorated with rows of bells to warn pedestrians, similar to what one would see today on Main Street USA at Disneyland or Disneyworld. A horse stable was usually built at the end of the line.
With the disadvantages and limitations of horse cars obvious, cable car lines started to appear. Electric cars were the next progression and by 1895, almost all of the horse car routes had been converted. Those same horse stables were now renamed car barns.
By 1905, convertible trolley cars started appearing. These cars has side panels that were removed in summertime, thus doing away with the necessity of maintaining two fleets of cars, one with closed bodies for winter service and the other with open benches for summer service.
These center door trolleys had no front door and thus required a two-man operation, one set of controls in the front and another in the rear.
By 1919, there was a fleet of lightweight double end cars designed by Charles O. Birney and were the first cars of this popular design to be built by the J.G. Brill Company. The idea was that passengers boarded at the center door and exited at the front, paying their fare as they passed the conductor stationed just forward of the center door.
The concept was to operate two cars with the same two men assigned to the bigger single trolley and instead run two small cars without using more electricity that would be needed for the larger car. By doubling the service, the thought would be that there would always be another car in sight. Thus the saying “men/women are like buses (trolleys), another one comes along every few minutes.
The Depression forced the conversion to a one-man operation. To make this alteration more seamless, track loops were used rather than have the motorman move to the opposite end of the coach.
The first Lionel issue #60 Lionelville Trolley came in five different versions, all were yellow and variations had black, blue or red lettering, with and without roof vents, and the earliest production run had disappearing motormen at each end, whose appearance would be determined by the direction the car was traveling.
Later versions included and excluded the poles and rubber bumpers. Most were part of no longer offered Christmas sets that included the trolley, track, bumpers and power track. Dealers are not happy about this decision though, because it had made a relatively inexpensive and ready to run mini-starter set.
The Lionel version of the Brill trolley has included variations with and without the poles and rubber bumpers.
See also:
Hello Trolley by Bob Mintz
“BRILL STYLE” (ONES WITHOUT THE POLES):
# 60 Lionelville
# 8690 Lionel Lines
#11809 Village Trolley Co
#11850 Quaker Oats San Francisco
#11981 Merry Christmas 1998
#18404 San Francisco
#18419 Lionelville Electric
#18431 Lionel Transit
#18452 Boston Mass. Transit
#21916 Lionel Village
#21924 Santa’s Town Shoppers
#21945 Garland Holiday Town Transit
#21969 Lionel Village
#18481 Christmas Yuletide Trolley
#28418 Christmas trolley
#21168 City Traction Co. Trolley
#21649 City Traction Co. Trolley w/ Ringling BrosTM Banner
#28430 2006 Wellspring Trolley
#28456 Coca-Cola Trolley
#38206 Holly Jolly Trolley Non-Powered #1225 from #38203 Holly Jolly Trolley 2-Car Set
“Birney Style” (ONES WITH THE POLES):
#28415 Third Avenue Trolley “1651”
#28421 Fort Collins Trolley
#28434 Christmas Trolley
#28441 Transylvania Trolley
#28438 Portland Birney Trolley
#28421 LCCA Sacramento Santa Fe Trolley CarOverstamp
#28446 Silver Bell Trolley
#38205 Holly Jolly Trolley Powered #1224 from #38203 Holly Jolly Trolley 2-Car Set
#81449 Zombie Trolley
#81450 The Polar Express™ Trolley
#81451 St. Louis Trolley
#58586 LCCA 2014 Pre-Registration Convention Trolley
#58587 LCCA 2014 Banquet Convention Trolley
#58237 TCA 2015 Coney Island Trolley
#58238 TCA 2015 Palisades Park Trolley
#58588 REGISTRATION TROLLEY LCCA 2015
#58589 BANQUET TROLLEY LCCA 2015
#82412 Reading Birney Trolley
#82413 Lionel Transit Birney Trolley
2016 Southern Division TCA 50TH Anniversary Trolley 1966-2016- only 50 made
2016 Southern Division TCA 50TH Anniversary Trolley 1966-2016 Gold Version- only 1 made
#83865 Rutgers Trolley
#83426 Johnstown Birney Trolley
#84294 Sacramento Trolley
#84295 Connecticut Trolley
#58275 Grzyboski’s Trains 40th anniversary Laurel Line trolley
#58045 LCCA 2018 Chicago Convention Registration Trolley
#58046 Banquet Trolley LCCA 2018
Trolley from Toymaker Limited Trolley Set # 83694
Trolley from The Polar Express Trolley Set # 1923130
#1935090 U. S. War Bonds Trolley
#58047 LCCA 2019 Reno Convention Registration Trolley
#58048 LCCA 2019 Convention Car Banquet Trolley
#2035010 Halloween End of the LIne Express Trolley
#2035020 Fort Collins Municipal Railway Trolley
#2035050 Lionelville Trolley
#11950 Disney Trolley Set (Not Manufactured – Author’s Imagination)
#18420 Lionel Lines Trolley (Not Manufactured – Author’s Imagination)
#52404 TTOS 2006 Southern Pacific Division Birney Car #331
#18443 Mickey Mouse Trolley (Not Manufactured – Author’s Imagination)
#2001560 METCA Postwar # 60 Trolley with red lettering
#2101270 LCCA 2021 Scranton Convention Registration Trolley
#2101280 LCCA 2021 Scranton Convention Banquet Trolley
The 2021 convention registration gift is a limited-edition Lionel Bump-and-Go trolley made exclusively for the Lionel Collectors Club of America (LCCA) by Lionel to celebrate its 51st Convention in Scranton, Pa. It is blue and yellow and has a “Scranton The Electric City” logo centered on each side. This is the Sixth convention trolley, adding to the Reno, Chicago, Boston, and Indianapolis recent editions in addition to the first LCCA trolley offered in 2009 Sacramento. This Trolley has been assigned Lionel part number 2101270.
A limited quantity will be produced, so order early. They are sure to sell out as have all LCCA earlier trolley offerings. Because they will not get to Scranton in 2021, the question arises: how will this registration gift compare to the one that will be offered when we return to Scranton in 2025? You will want the companion unit to this trolley when it arrives in 2025 – don’t miss out on this one!
This trolley will be in production over the summer months with expected delivery in third quarter 2021. This would qualify it as a really nice stocking stuffer for yourself or family member. Log onto the LCCA store and place your order, or before you know it they will have all left the station!
MUST BE A MEMBER TO PURCHASE: http://bit.ly/trollleycars
Although a slightly different design from the Lionel version of the Brill trolley and more prototypical, 2nd Runner Up prize for best Lionel wannabe trolley in typical Lionel color scheme goes to Industrial Rail #14003. Seen at the former Green Hall at York for only $45, a nice alternative:
#14003 City Transport
