That is a question Bob Johnston, Jamestown Street Railway Trolley Car No. 93 restoration project founder, and Jim Mitchener, Jamestown Street Railway Trolley Car No. 93 restoration project skilled carpenter, have wondered for the last three years. This is because, as they worked on restoring the old trolley car that used to travel the neighborhoods around Willard Street, the name Wink remained etched in wood near the back window.

“Jim Mitchener, master craftsman on the project, and I did our best to research the materials used for the trolley,” Johnston said. “We only had pictures and other old trolley cars to go by. Fortunately we were able to save and reuse some of the original parts. One thing in particular that was savable was the interior. Jim sanded all of it down to smooth bare wood and then we restained and varnished it.

“But, one piece in particular Jim questioned whether or not to sand down,” Johnston continued. “Just as naughty young kids would carve their names into their wooden school desks, a few individuals with vandalistic tendencies carved their names into the trolley’s wooden window sill next to the back seat. Jim thought we should preserve this bit of written history, and I agreed.”

It was a good thing Mitchener and Johnston saved the named etched into the wood of old No. 93 because they were able to receive some first-hand insight into the identity of Wink. Earlier this summer, Johnston received the request from Richard and Allyce Johnson of Lakewood to show the trolley car to their 96-year-old aunt, Marge Warner. Warner was formerly a Willard Street resident, now residing in Austin, Texas, with her daughter. Johnston said it was a little bit of a struggle to get Warner into the trolley, but she was determined.

The name Wink is etched in wood in the restored Jamestown Street Railway Trolley Car No. 93. Submitted photo

“I wanted to see my old streetcar. I took the trolley every morning at 8 o’clock,” Warner told Johnston.

Johnston, while visiting with Warner in the trolley car, thought to ask if she know who Wink was, and to his surprised she had known the boy.

“All I can remember about him is he use to tease me when I was sitting on the trolley,” Warner said. “I didn’t really like him. I tried to avoid him and I’d go sit in the back or something.” Then as if to not speak ill of anyone, Marge added, “I guess he was a nice guy.”

Johnston, who called the moment “priceless, a pure hoot of a story,” said he hopes to hear more stories from people who used to ride the No. 93.

“There is more to come as we continue to keep this piece of history alive and available for the public to see,” he said.

The trolley car’s temporary home is at Ideal Coatings in Falconer. City officials are working to possibly place the trolley car permanently in the former railroad engine building, which is located west of the train station. In 2014, Lee Harkness, Jamestown Area Railway Heritage Center committee spokesperson, announced plans to renovate the former engine house. Last year, the Jamestown Area Railway Heritage Center nonprofit entity was officially formed to raise money to restore the former engine building.

The trolley car restoration project first began in 1996 when Johnston was discussing his love of local history with a friend, Sam Lucariello. Lucariello mentioned his parents, Mauro and Harriet Lucariello, had an old Jamestown trolley car they used as a hunting camp near Dewittville. The family donated it to Johnston and the trolley car was moved back to Jamestown.

For years, the trolley car sat in the city’s Parks Department garage before it was moved to the train station in December 2013. Restoration work really started to move forward on the trolley car in 2014 when Mitchener came aboard the project.

Many local businesses have provided materials and services toward the restoration, and many individuals from around the city, county and country have made contributions to both the endowment and non-endowment funds at the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation.

For more information on the trolley, visit jamestowntrolley.org. Donations can be made through the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation either online by visiting crcfonline.org or directly by specifically mentioning the trolley project on a check that can be mailed to the foundation at 418 Spring St., Jamestown, NY 14701. To schedule a visit to the trolley, call Johnston at 338-5051.