chris@hplvle.UUCP (chris) (01/16/85)
Just before New Years (Dec 30, I believe), the Fort Collins Municipal Railway Association rolled out the restored Bernie (sp?) Car Trolley for its first run for the public. This 5-year project now faces the wrath of trolley-haters living along the street on which the old tracks will be restored/replaced, and the city council will have to resolve the disposition of the car. The car is really beautiful, with hand-shaped hardwoods and lots of work by a small group of volunteers, using donations to finance the project. The trolley now has about 1/4 mile of restored track/powerline on which it can run, and it may end up running only on summer weekends as a novelty, or not running at all if the vocal minority have their way. The present tactic seems to be to force a move to another part of town which will be expensive enough to kill the project economically. Its present barn and track were built/restored over several years, but the attempt to move its' location are relatively recent activities. If you enjoy such quaint items, it may still be around this summer, on the West end of Mountain Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado. Whether or not it stays, those restorers did a beautiful job and deserve commendation. -Chris (hpfcla!hplvla!chris)