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08/06/2021 09:44 AMUnlike many of the volunteers at the Shore Line Trolley Museum (SLTM), it isn’t a love for trolley cars and trains that keeps Mike Hildreth coming back six days a week. While Mike was originally drawn to SLTM by an ad for a training session for trolley operators, his favorite part of being involved at the museum is helping to create a more visitor-friendly experience.
“Most of our volunteers look at the trolleys, but my eyes go to what the visitor sees and how to create a family experience,” says Mike. “The smile on the faces of visitors is the real drive for me to volunteer—seeing the families have a great time and being able to take home a memory. You don’t have to be a real train or trolley enthusiast. It’s all about having a great time.”
Mike first realized the importance of connecting with visitors in his early days of volunteering. After he trained to be a conductor, he would recite facts about the trolley cars as he drove guests down the tracks.
He soon saw that many people didn’t seem interested in hearing straight facts about trolley cars. Mike decided to do some of his own research into what life was like in the 1900s when the trolleys were in use as well as local history.
“I looked up material the museum doesn’t provide so I can put people into the time period and how things tied into the trolley,” says Mike. “I tell people how a trolley ride was a nickel, but then people were making $8 a week or $435 a year. You can talk all day long about trolleys, but if you can’t put them into the period, it doesn’t really work.”
Mike found that guests connected with his research and soon other trolley operators were asking him to share the information. Mike realized how important the guest experience was and began to get involved in SLTM in other ways.
For the past eight years, Mike has taken on more and more responsibilities at SLTM. Before he retired from years of working in trucking two years ago, Mike volunteered on the weekends. Now Mike can be found at SLTM six days a week.
SLTM is always seeking new volunteers. Mike notes there are jobs to fit interests from cutting trees and bushes to clerical work and adds that “if they don’t have experience, we’ll teach them.” For information, visit www.shorelinetrolley.org.
In addition to occasionally operating the trolleys, Mike helps maintains the grounds, does track and line work, and helps plan and coordinate events, including holiday-themed events and the upcoming Museum in Motion, which is Saturday, Aug. 14 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The event will showcase some of the SLTM collection in motion, including many cars that aren’t normally seen running for the public. There will be face-painting, bluegrass music, and food through D&S Hot Dogs and Catering and Sully’s Good Humor. Tickets are $15.
“There are a lot of the cars coming out that people have never seen,” says Mike. “It’s very rare that you see 28 vehicles rumbling down the rail. Some of these vehicle only see the sunlight during this one event.”
Having 28 cars to display is a “big achievement” for SLTM, according to Mike, as following Tropical Storm Irene and Superstorm Sandy, only three of the museum’s cars were running. There are more than 100 vehicles on the property in different stages of repair. Mike notes that work has been underway on some of the vehicles for decades and they still are not up to the operating standards.
The cars will be on display at the event and then showcased in the rail art-in-motion parade, which begins at 1 p.m. Mike will be the starter at the event and manage the movement of all of the trolleys during the parade. Each car will pause for photo opportunities and a short narration on each vehicle.
“Without our events, we would struggle financially,” says Mike. “Another key factor is our memberships, which keep us going year after year. We also do charters where people can rent out a car and have a birthday party, family get-together, or other gathering.”
When Mike does hop onboard as an operator, he aims to look the part. In the warmer months, a trolley operator would wear a long-sleeved shirt with a vest and a pocket watch. In the winter, the look is completed with a wool jacket.
“If I operate, I go the whole nine yards,” says Mike. “I believe in bringing the past forward and I play the part with the way the operators wore their clothes in that time period.”
One of Mike’s goals is to continue to improve the museum grounds and continuously update the museum’s displays so that visitors can always experience something new. He is currently helping in planning the expansion of the picnic area. SLTM has a goal of installing functional bathrooms at the train yard.
“We’re trying to rebuild the visitor experience so guests can spend more time here,” says Mike. “We want to make it a destination where families want to spend more time by improving our overall appearance. I am always trying to look at it from what a visitor sees, which changes the whole aspect. We’re trying to achieve best product that could possibly be put forth.”
Another aspect Mike has enjoyed about volunteering at SLTM is the people he has met through the experience. He now counts many of his fellow volunteers as family. His own family, include his wife, children, and grandchildren also have had an opportunity to enjoy Mike’s passion for the museum as Mike has rented a car for family get-togethers.
Before discovering SLTM, Mike had bought a Corvette and joined Club Corvette of Connecticut and enjoys the “great bunch of people” in the group. In the early days of owning his car, he participating in nearly two dozen shows a year, but now he only participates in his club’s show.
“The Corvette took a backseat to the trolley and I’ve spent more time at the trolley museum than I have with my Corvette,” says Mike. “My work here [at SLTM] is about putting a smile on someone’s face. When I see someone’s face light up at the museum or at an event, that’s the drive that keeps me here.”