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01/13/2016 08:30 AMIf you ever dreamed of operating a trolley car, make sure to attend an open house for potential volunteers from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 16 at the Shore Line Trolley Museum on 17 River Street in East Haven.
The museum is looking for all sorts of help, especially event planners, building and groundskeepers, trolley operators, track and signal repairmen, and car restoration workers.
Museum General Manager Wayne Sandford said he is hoping for a “big turnout” at the open house.
“We have close to 30,000 visitors to the museum each year,” said Sandford. “With the new year starting, we’re hoping to recruit a new group of volunteers—people who may have recently retired or who are looking for new challenges to tackle in 2016.”
Sandford said the museum holds a training class in February and March for those who want to volunteer at the museum.
“We’re not real picky,” said Sandford, who is retired himself and also a volunteer at the trolley museum. “We only have one full-time staff worker here. Everyone else is a volunteer.”
Sandford said volunteering at the museum is a “great opportunity” for those looking for new challenges in their day-to-day lives.
“It’s a good match for the right person,” said Sandford.
During the open house, potential volunteers can tour the museum exhibits, take a trolley ride through some of Connecticut’s most scenic salt marsh, and enjoy a private tour of the car barns housing restored trolleys. Bring along a friend or spouse who also might be interested.
The Shore Line Trolley Museum is a National Historic District. It is the oldest continuously operating suburban trolley line in the United States. Numerous trolleys are the first and last of a kind that have been brought back into service as part of the museum’s active restoration program.
The average age of the collection is more than 103 years old. The museum is an educational non-profit with numerous free programs for the public. For more information, visit www.shorelinetrolley.org or call 203-467-6927.