The Lowell Park Trolley, Development and Implementation

Woods, Nancy

The Lowell Park Trolley System is in the Lowell National Historical Park, Lowell, Massachusetts and was jointly developed between 1980 and 1984 by the Lowell Historic Preservation Commission (LHPC) and the National Park Service (NPS), both agencies in the U.S. Department of the Interior. All funding was obtained through Congressional appropriations. The thesis, "Lowell Park Trolley, Development and Implementation .... demonstrates tha.t it was the impfement3.tion process itself that determined tile final form of tillS trolley system and that tile institutional rel:::1.tionships ~Nere as prol)lematic as the physical issues. The system consists of two reproduction 1902 open cars pO\hlered by an :):')0 VDC overhead electric line and runs on one mile of existing railroad tracl.:.s o~,n;ned and operated on daily by the Boston and Maine Railroad and leased to tlle NPS. The trolleys are operated seven days a week from May through September for the free interpretive park tours. Tlle selection of the type of cars to operate determ-ined tlle most important policy for the system. .h.. number of options were considered, including purchasing cars from Europe and leasing from local museums. The approach selected was to build new car bodies and underframes mated witil salvaged . ru.nning eqUipment frclm Australian tram cars. During the preparation of t.he technical speCifications, it was decided to build an exact replica of an open car rather Ulan a generic car. This decision lead to the policy t.hat tile Lowell Parl.:. Trolley Vlas to be an accurate representation of the City's early transit. OHler alternatives were eliminated because thev. did nClt veiW cars tjlat could . . withstlnd constant use or tilat were uncharacteristic of cars run in Massachusetts in Ule early 20Ul century. Other influential factors: l) E::;tablishment of a derIl(:ot1stration pn)ject to investigate and solve operational problems. 2) Mana.gement of the project develc,pment by three people representing '0lith broad authority, responsit.ility and commitment. .3,) i·"dvice from the engineering con::;ult3.nts and tlh7 trolley enthusiasts, l)alanced to provide sound engineering and historical accuracy. 4) Ownnership of the tracks by the Boston and Maine Railroad required complex negotiations and approvals. :)) Federal funding schedule spread the $1,.300,000 cost over the development period causing implementation t.o occur in small increments 'where funds were requested as proje(:t components 'Nere rea(iy to go for bid; t.lms some elements ' .. vere complete while OtllefS dh:l not have approved fun(ling. Three t.rac1~ eai:ensions and one closed car v'1ill be built in the next developmental phase.