February, 2013

Welcome to the new Phoenix Trolley Museum newsletter! As a member benefit and in order to keep our members up-to-date on the exciting developments at PTM, we will be emailing updates at regular intervals. In future editions, the newsletter will also include interesting passenger rail-related items and related local news. Thank you for your involvement in PTM and we hope to see you at future meetings!

Annual Meeting to be Held in March

Mark your calendar for the PTM annual meeting to be held at 10:00 on Saturday March 2, 2013. As the other news items in this newsletter indicate, there is a lot going on with the Museum and a lot to discuss. Because construction at the museum site is ongoing, the location of the annual meeting has yet to be determined. Your involvement is very important to the museum and we will be sure to let everyone know as soon as the location is set.

Strategic Planning Session Planned for Fall

The Board of Directors of the Phoenix Trolley Museum has come to recognize that the organization has reached a critical point in its development. The Museum faces many challenges – the need to relocate, professionalization of operations, expansion of the volunteer corps, fundraising, and of course the continued preservation and restoration of our collections, to name just a few – and the time has come to set a course for putting the Museum on a solid footing that better engages with the community and serves our members.

In order to create a united vision for the Museum, the Executive Board will hold a strategic planning retreat to be held this coming Fall. In this full day session, input from all museum members will be sought regarding the direction the museum is taking and where they believe it should be heading.

Topics for consideration include:

• Museum Goals
• Organization
• Location
• Interface with other community organizations
• Other topics members feel are important driving factors in the Museum’s operations

The board is looking for input from all members. If one is satisfied with the direction currently being taken, come to the retreat and express your thoughts. If one has ideas for other directions, also come to the retreat and express your thoughts.

Details of the Retreat are currently under development and will be discussed at the Annual Meeting.

Ellis-Shackelford House Restoration Nearing Completion

In June of 2012 the long awaited restoration of the Ellis-Shackelford House, adjacent to the Phoenix Trolley Museum, was begun. In addition to a general restoration of the interior and the exterior of the house, a number of site improvements are also being undertaken, including installation of security fencing and lighting that will also benefit the museum.

The construction activities have unfortunately affected the Museum’s ability to operate, due to the location of construction fencing and interference with the parking lot. In response, Museum hours were put on hiatus until construction is complete. In February, we expect the Museum to be back on a normal schedule and open to visitors.

PTM / ARM Merger Talks

In October the Museum was approached by the Arizona Railroad Museum (ARM) in Chandler to consider the possibility of essentially a merging of the two Museums. ARM has recently established a division that will deal with streetcars, and it seemed to them to be natural to partner with PTM.

A Trolley Museum committee was dispatched to meet with the ARM and discuss the possibility and the ramifications of such a move. The committee learned that the proposal hinges on the relocation of the PTM collections to the Chandler site, while PTM members would remain as an autonomous division of ARM. At this time, the PTM Board strongly prefers that the Phoenix streetcars remain in Phoenix. The ARM proposal is appreciated as insurance for the proper curation of the museum collections in the event PTM is forced to relocate and cannot find a Phoenix location. At this time, no decisions have been made.

Grand Avenue Rail Project Makes Progress

The Grand Avenue Rail Project seeks to return heritage streetcars to operation along lower Grand Avenue. While GARP is a separate nonprofit, the President of the PTM and one Board member are in both organizations.

The GARP concept is seen as an economic development tool for restoring Grand Avenue to its heyday as a major highway and business district prior to the inception of the Interstate highway system. The idea has started to garner significant support from the community. Several meetings have been held with City of Phoenix staff and with the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) staff in developing a workable plan for this idea.

Tom Amrhein Resigns as Secretary

Board Member and Secretary Tom Amrhein has submitted his resignation as Secretary. Tom has a long history of service to the Phoenix Trolley Museum and dedicated many hours of his time to the organization over the years. His efforts as secretary included, among other duties, handling all of the membership records and renewals, sending out informational emails, and keeping all of the Museum’s records straight. Tom’s help in these areas has been sincerely appreciated and will certainly be missed.

This action has caused the Board to reassess how we communicate and interact with our members. A new Membership Committee has been established to take over some of the duties previously taken on by the Secretary.

PTM Retains Grant Development Pro

As part of our efforts to modernize our administration and improve the museum we have contracted Acevedo Fundraising Solutions to serve as a Grant development arm of the PTM which is aggressively pursuing grant opportunities on behalf of the Museum. Mike Acevedo has many years of experience in the administrative arena at the City of Phoenix, where his duties included grant writing and related work.

PTM Joints Hance Park Conservancy

The Hance Park Conservancy, a group of concerned citizens interested in raising Hance Park (our current home) to a signature destination and world-class park, has been formally organized as a foundation and is pursuing a 501 (c ) (3) non-profit status. PTM has joined as member of HPC in order to be involved in any developments that may affect the Museum.

AHS Grant for Displays Put to Good Use

The PTM has received a $1500 dollar grant from the Arizona Historical Society to restore the outside displays of the museum. Primary activity involves researching the files and resurrecting photos to replace the current sun baked display photos with new 21^st century solar resistant materials to extend the life of the photos. Volunteer help will be needed to repaint, repair and relocate some of the displays early this spring.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteers are needed in a variety of areas. A shopping list of activities has been developed and details of specific need will be issued through this newsletter in upcoming issues. Some already identified areas are:

• Docents
• Site Restoration
• streetcar repairs/ restoration
• electrician services

The arrangements for its construction have been completed and Chicago capitalists have deposited in Phoenix banks to Mr. Wharton’s credit $25,000 as an earnest of their intention to go on with the work.

The six months limit named in the ordinance granting the franchise will not expire until September 7 and long before that the working laying the tracks will have begun.

– The Arizona Republican, 1892-08-10, p. 1

The board of supervisors yesterday granted two important franchises to G. W. Hoadley. One is to construct on streets and roads throughout the county outside of Phoenix twenty miles of electric railway. The other is to erect on such streets and roads poles and wires for electric lighting purposes.

W. J. Kingsbury was also given franchises to erect in Tempe electric light, telegraph and telephone poles and to lay pipe for water and gas.

Source: The Arizona Republican, 1893-02-07, p. 1

He suggests that each property owner could remedy this matter as to his own property with little expense and a roadway which would not interfere with the tracks could easily be constructed.

Grand avenue has come to be one of the most populous districts of the city and the claims of the residents to a better service is recognized by the company.

– The Arizona Republican, 1892-08-05, p. 1

S. F. Cochrane, formerly of the Santa Fe, Prescott & Phoenix railway, has arrived in Douglas and will have charge of the construction on the Douglas street railway, which is expected to commence early in October. The grade has been finished and the steel and rolling stock is already on the road from the east.

—

Bisbee daily review, 1902-09-26, p.8

Douglas Street Railway in 90 Days

The street railroad at Douglas is expected to be in operation within the next ninety days. S. F. Meguire, secretary of the Douglas Improvement Company, informs the Review that the rolling stock and steel for the system is ready for shipment. The motive power for the present will be small engines, burning crude oil, which will be smokeless, and the engines are almost noiseless.

—

Bisbee daily review, 1902-11-09, p.4

Street Railway at Douglas

Our representative ascertained that the street railway in our neighboring city of Douglas is making good progress. The grading is practically completed and the company are only waiting for the ties and rails to put the neat little system in operation. It will be operated by steam dummy engines at first, and will doubtless be converted into an electric system later on. It runs well out into the country in every direction, as far as the Calumet and Arizona, on the northwest and and will be extended as rapidly as the extension of the booming little city requires it, which at the present rate of progress will be about once a week. In the course of a year it will doubtless reach the interesting suburbs known as Naco and Bisbee.

—

Bisbee daily review, 1903-05-20, p.8

Douglas Street Railway Time Table

In effect Sunday, May 10th, 1903.

Douglas Terminal E.P.&S.W. Passenger Station (Temporarily)

Leave Douglas, 6:40am, 8:00am, 10:00am, 11:30am, 1:15pm, 2:40pm, 5:10pm, 10:40pm
Leave Calument, 7:05am, 8;15am, 10:50am, 12:00am, 1:14pm, 3:05pm, 5:35pm, 11:05pm

—

Bisbee daily review, 1903-09-24, p.1

Don Luis Townsite and a Suburban Electric Road

Henry P. Barbour, of Los Angeles, of the firm Henry P. Barbour company, Dealer in Real Estate, has been in the city for the past two days on important real estate business, being nothing less than choosing the final details of the transfer of eighteen mining claims near Don Luis, and owned by Charles Hull, to a company of capitalists of which Mr. Barbour is the head and among whom are several prominent citizens of Los Angeles.

Fruther than this the company, which at present is in process of formation, has in contemplation the building of the street railway line about which we heard so much talk several weeks ago. In this enterprise will be local capital, as well as foreign, and it is stated on good authority that L.C. Shattuck, president of the Miners and Merchants bank of this city, will be one of the heaviest stockholders.

In converstation with Mr. Barbour, at the Copper Queen Hotel on Tuesday he briefly outlined the plan and purposes of his company.

“In a small way,” said Mr. Barbour, “we intend to follow the general idea of Colorado Springs. Not that we ever expect to have another Colorado Springs here, but our idea is to prepare at Don Luis a beautiful and healthy townsite that will serve as the residence portion of Bisbee and the surrounding camps, and as a further inducement we propose to connect Bisbee and these surrounding camps by an electric road.

“We have unbounded faith in the future of Bisbee and the surrounding mining districts, and as Bisbee grows in population and wealth we can foresee the building of a nice residence portion in the vicinity that we have selected for the building of the town.”

With Mr. Barbour from Los Angeles was Judge W.H. Barnes, of Tucson, who comes to Bisbee in the capacity of legal adviser to the new company and who at the same time will be heavily interested. Both gentlemen left for Douglas yesterday to look over the field at that point and will also visit Naco before they leave this section.

No doubt, the ultimate intention of the company is to connect Bisbee with Naco and Douglas by an electric line and run fifteen minute cars…

It is of some interest in connection with this enterprise to know that Judge Barnes, attorney for the company, and who is one of the very best corporation lawyers in the territory, holds that before the city can grant his company any kind of a franchise or privilege that the question must first be submitted to a vote of the people. The question of a street railway franchise will in all probability be presented to the people of Bisbee at the April election.

—

Bisbee daily review, 1903-10-28, p.4

Barbour Company Lets a Contract

Postoffice building soon to go up at Don Luis

Manager W.B. Thompson of the Henry P. Barbour company, reports that the sale of lots in the Hull tract of the Don Luis townsite yesterday was far in excess of any one day’s sale since the inception of the company, with the exception of one. Thirteen lots were disposed of yesterday by Mr. Thompson and his assistants, ranging in price from $300 to $500.

A contract was let to J.A. Hall for the excavation of ground for the foundation of a two-story brick and stone structure, 50 by 150, to be used as a postoffice and office building for the Henry P. Barbour company…

The Barbour corps of civil engineers will be here within a few days and will start work on laying out the proposed line of the street railway from Don Luis to the city limits of Bisbee.

—

Bisbee daily review, 1903-10-30

Another Franchise and No Returns

A regular meeting of the city council of Bisbee was held during this week. All the members of the council were not present, but a sufficient number were to constitute a legal meeting. At that meeting another franchise was granted. This time to the Bisbee and Don Luis Electric line of railway. While the Review has not a copy of the ordinance before it at this writing, it is presumed that the report of the proceedings of the council in the news columns are correct. The provisions of the franchise, according to these reports, are that the street railway line is granted the right to lay tracks in the city of Bisbee, and for twenty-five years are accorded the privilege of operating an electric railway on the streets of Bisbee within the city limits. They are to give a five-cent fare within those limits, and issue exchange tickets to any other part of the city from connecting lines…

A telegram to the Review from Mr. Henry P. Barbour states that he will leave Los Angeles Saturday next, and will arrive in Bisbee Monday accompanies by engineers and contractors, prepared to push the building of the electric line to Don Luis forward with the utmost dispatch. Mr. Barbour is a man of tremendous resources and a tireless worker. His arrival here will be another stimulation towards the building up of the new townsite. Nothing so far that he has promised or undertaken but what he has put through with a rush.

—

Bisbee daily review, 1903-11-12, p. 2

[Editorial]

Unlike the gas franchise, which never was a franchise, the people are to have something to say about what their streets are worth. Thousands of dollars can be had in case for such a franchise.

The people of Bisbee will keep in mind the voting on the franchise of a gift of their streets to corporations without some return. Read the history of New York, Chicago, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, and any other place on the subject of street railway franchises.

—

Bisbee daily review, 1903-12-24, p.8

New Accomodation.

The Douglas Street railway will soon have its line in operation to the International line, and when arrangements can be made for a right of way it will no doubt be extended to the business center of Agua Prieta.

The Arizona Republican, 1901-02-20, p.5

The sale by the receiver of the Phoenix street railway was confirmed in district court yesterday. The sale took place in consequence of a suit by the Valley bank trustee vs. the Phoenix City Railway company. Judgment was rendered, and in November of 1899 a sale was ordered. It was made to the present organization, the Phoenix Railway company and report was made on February 14 of last year.

– The Arizona Republican, 1901-01-27, p.4

Within the last sixty days a quarter of a million dollars worth of city real estate has changed hands at advanced figures. The town is full of conservative businessmen eager to invest in real estate and embark in business pursuits. Within the last six months at least a million dollars of capital has found its way into Phoenix, and the representatives of not less than a million more are now on the ground ready to bring their money here at once.

A number of the most prominent business corners, not only on Washingto but on Adams street, have been sold within a few weeks and not less than $300,000 worth of buildings are now in course of erection or ready to begin immediately. And yet there is no boom. This is a steady, quiet growth, the result of a healthy demand for every building now being erected.

Phoenix is the natural supply point for the entire southwest, and the railroads are not slow in discovering this fact. The Santa Fe will be in Phoenix during the present year, the Southern Pacific will come and the Rock Island and Denver & Rio Grande are both headed this way.

Two electric lines of street railway are being constructed, stone sidewalks are being laid on the principal streets, and all of the advantages of a metropolitian city will soon be enjoyed.

It is predicted by people acquainted with the history and growth of Denver and Los Angeles that in five years Phoenix will be larger than either. And why not? We have more advantages than both of those cities combined.

Without question now is the time to invest in Phoenix,. The city is attracting the attention of the whole country, and during the year thousands of people and millions of dollars will come into Phoenix, the peerless princess of the great Salt River valley.

– The Arizona Republican, 1893-01-18, p.4

…The Grand Avenue Rail Project (GARP, for short) is a plan to connect the modern [METRO] rail route with a relic from the city’s transportation past: a restored 82-year-old streetcar, part of the original Phoenix Street Railway system, which, if funded, will one day roll west down Van Buren and make a wide right on Grand to retrace its original path down the center of the storied street…

What’s more, Graham proposed, they could actually run the trolley that’s already been restored there (and the second in the works) up and down Grand, without a lot of additional construction.

“The great thing about this idea is, because the streetcars were here before, it’d be relatively easy to do it again,” says Graham, looking out on the lightly traveled street just outside his office window, where the railway system ran until 1948. “My civil engineer found out that no utilities were ever put in under the street, and the median is just wide enough to accommodate the streetcars without reducing the traffic lanes. So all they’d really have to do is cast a strip of concrete with a couple of rails in it and extend a single overhead electrical cable down the middle, and you’re done!”