| DIY People: Volunteer Conductors and Motormen |
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The giant red and white Third Avenue Streetcar (figure A) squeaks and squeals as it makes the final turn into the station at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine. Retired newspaper reporter and volunteer motorman, Maryline White, calls out last stop and bids each passenger a pleasant day. This is a common scene that replays itself over and over again at the museum, and brings back fond memories for Maryline.
"I used to ride this trolley. I can recall taking the Third Avenue Streetcar when I was a young women living and working in New York City," says the soft-spoken Maryline. When I retired from the Portland newspapers, I was looking for something to do. I always enjoyed operating big things, so this was a natural. During World War II, I operated large vehicles and just loved it, so I came down here and volunteered at the museum. They taught me everything I needed to know, and I would come out here early in the morning and practice."
Thirteen year-old Matt Cosgro convinced his father, that they should both volunteer at the museum. "My son got the bug, and since I was driving him up here every weekend, I figured I might as well volunteer as well," Richard Cosgro says. They are often teamed together on a streetcar as a conductor and motorman. "I'm too young to operate the trolleys with passengers," Matt says, "so I'm the conductor and my dad is the motorman. And, since the conductor is the boss of the trolley, he has to listen to me!"
Dispatcher Richard Russell explains, "We start them out early, when they can see above the control panel. The museum has members of every age, who help in every imaginable way. We have folks that operate the trolleys and those who like working in the restoration shop. Generations of family members have been volunteers here."
RESOURCES :
Seashore Trolley Museum
To find out more about the Seashore Trolley Museum, click here.
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