Our Collection
Street cars were a significant mode of transportation in Washington for almost a century, from horse drawn street cars on July 29, 1862 to Presidents’ Conference Committee (PCC) cars at the end of service on January 28, 1962. Ride our living collection of eighteen historic street cars and experience a piece of that history for yourself on our interpretive railway.
Interpretive Electric Railway
Stretching about one mile into the woods of beautiful Northwest Branch Park (Montgomery Parks), our electric railway invites visitors to think about what the land looked like before street cars and how communities sprang up along new street car lines. Street car transportation in and around the Nation’s Capital supported everything from commutes to the city for jobs to vacations and days at Glen Echo Park (owned and operated by Capital Transit Company). Watch for wildlife on your ride, including deer, foxes, turkeys, pheasants, and many other species of birds.
Explore the Museum Virtually!
In partnership with Capital Sky Eye, the National Capital Trolley Museum presents a fully virtual museum experience including a full tour of our entire demonstration railway, car shop, Visitors Center, and our permanent exhibits.
Street Car Collections
-
The Washington Collection
Spanning 100 years of street car transit in the Nation’s Capital, our Washington, DC street car collection focuses on the diversity of both the cars and the stories of those that rode them.
-
The American Collection
Our smallest street car collection, our cars from New York City and Philadelphia represent the impact street car transit had on major metropolitan areas on the East Coast of the United States.
-
The International Collection
Representing five different nations across Europe and North America, the International Collection expands on the idea that transit connects us all, even across oceans and global communities.