Motorman Tom brings one of the Lowell National Historical Park's two "breezer" cars out of the trolley barn and into the late afternoon sun. When the park first opened in the 1980s, the physical distance between the major exhibits dictated that some sort of transportation system would be needed to move park visitors around in a timely fashion. The idea of deploying a vintage electric trolley system was an absolute natural solution. Trolleys played a major role in public transportation in Lowell during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Although the trackage that the early trolleys used was long gone, several miles of trackage once used by the B&M Railroad to service the city's industries survived and could easily be adapted for a trolley line. When park developers looked for a location in which to house a small fleet of replica cars, they didn't have to look very far. One corner of the park's centerpiece Boott Cotton Mill Complex still had a B&M spur leading across a small bridge and into an old coal bunker inside the mill. That piece of real estate is what you see here and it was a natural fit. The space formerly used to run coal hoppers into the Boott Mill was quickly converted into quarters for four trolley cars, providing a convenient and secure home for the fleet.
