Jamestown trolley cars are celebrating several anniversaries this year.

In 1891, the first electric railway trolley car traveled the streets of the Pearl City. The headline in the ”Evening Journal” 125 years ago read, ”Goodbye, Horse Cars.” Ken Springirth, train and rail historian who has written 30 books on the region’s transit lines, said trolley transportation was important to the city and the region. He said, at one point, someone could travel 1,082 miles through 20 different stops in the region by trolley car.

”Like the railroad tied the country together. The trolley car tied the city together,” he said.

Springirth was a special speaker Tuesday during the Jamestown Area Railway Heritage Center committee meeting. He said trolley car systems in the U.S. are making a comeback. He said since the 1970s oil embargo when gasoline prices escalated dramatically overnight, cities have been trying to find ways other than by vehicle to commute people. He said at one point in the 1970s, only seven U.S. cities still had active trolley car lines. He added that today there are 35 cities that have working light rail transit lines, with Washington, D.C., Kansas City and Cincinnati all with new trolley transportation lines restarting this year.

”When you’re talking about trolley cars, you are no longer talking about something that is considered old fashion,” he said.

Springirth said the rebirth of light rail transit relates to Jamestown and the restoration of Jamestown Street Railway Trolley Car No. 93. Bob Johnston, Jamestown Street Railway Trolley Car No. 93 restoration project founder, started the restoration project 20 years ago and it is almost complete. The trolley car project started 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 Jamestown Gateway Train Station in December 2013. Restoration work really started to move forward on the trolley car in 2014 with the assistance of Jim Mitchener, Jamestown Street Railway Trolley Car No. 93 restoration project skilled carpenter.

”You have an important start. You have something that is priceless,” Springirth said. ”Trolleys are back on track.

Another anniversary being celebrated this year is trolley car No. 93’s 90th birthday. Johnston said in 1926, the car was built/purchased by the Jamestown Street Railway Company.

”It is befitting that we are getting No. 93 restored on the 125th anniversary of electric trolley use here,” he said. ”It should be noted that throughout the several decades that trolley cars operated in Chautauqua County, several hundred streetcars/trolley cars carried millions of passengers to work, to play and to visit. It should also be noted that out of these several hundred trolleys that made up the Jamestown Street Railway; the Chautauqua Traction Line; the Jamestown, Westfield and Northwestern Railroad; the Warren and Jamestown Street Railway; the Dunkirk/Fredonia lines; and the Buffalo to Erie lines; trolley car No. 93 is pretty much the last city of Jamestown/Chautauqua County trolley that is a viable candidate for a restoration. If we don’t save this one, they are all pretty much gone.”

Johnston said thanks to volunteer Quentin Johnson, No. 93 was recently painted. He said all that is left is to finish the back bench and the trolley car will be restored.

”The two biggest items however, are still looming in the background, wheels and home. We have a makeshift trailer for moving the trolley, but we still have to figure out just what type of wheels we will be attaching to the bottom of the car,” Johnston said. ”We have been having conversations with the Dunkirk railroad history group and there is a chance we may end up making it a working trolley. There has been talk about refurbishing the Erie Railroad (engine house) building down the street from the train station and it may someday house a couple of pieces of working rail history.”

Johnston said they are fortunate that National Comedy Center officials, who started leasing the train station in February, have allowed them to stay and to continue the restoration project while construction is ongoing for the future national tourist attraction. A walkway will be built between the former BPU substation and the train station that will allow people visiting the National Comedy Center to view attractions that will be located in the east and west wings of the train station.

”Things have been a little different for us though. Due to the change, we get very little of the foot traffic we use to get. Not being in the public eye as much, especially during some of the events we were once able to take advantage of, we have lost the natural fundraising venue that kept the project progressing,” Johnston said. ”Also, we knew we would eventually have to move to the other side of the bay we are currently in to make way for the walkway connecting the old BPU building to the station, but we also learned that the possible next phase of (NCC) construction involves regarding/downsizing the vehicle area outside the access doors we used to get (the trolley) in the building. We will have to find a new home before this phase begins because we would no longer be able to maneuver out of the building.”

Johnston said 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. For more information, the foundation can be reached by calling 661-3390.

For more information about the trolley restoration project, visit jamestowntrolley.org/trolrest/index.html.