The Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in operation since 1969.

The National Capital Trolley Museum preserves and interprets the heritage of electric street and interurban railways for the Nation’s Capital and environs for the benefit of present and future generations while supplementing its collections with significant national and international objects to enhance its interpretive programs.

The Museum holds its collections in trust for the public and is accountable to the public it serves. Care for its collected objects includes adhering to proper conservation, documentation, handling, storage, exhibition and interpretation procedures. Care for the public includes physical and intellectual access to the objects together with integrity and objectivity in exhibitions, programs, and publications. Using its car collection, demonstration railway, and Visitor Center exhibits, the Museum interprets the nature of urban transportation of the past in a rural setting.