One of Fort Smith’s most unique tourist attractions sprung from an association with a street car and train enthusiast and the Fort Smith Heritage Foundation in 1979 and should topple 300,000 visitors sometime this year according to Bradley Martin, the true “conductor” of the Fort Smith Trolley Museum.
On track to reach that goal, which has been 38 years in the making, the trolley has been making daily runs Monday through Saturday since 1979. But the museum — and the hardware on display -has evolved into much more than just a leisurely stop for guests in historic downtown Fort Smith.
“We get people in from all over the country,” said Martin, as he started Inside Fort Smith on a tour of the attractions facilities. “We’re constantly seeking ways to update the collection and provide the public with the opportunity to get a feel for these classic trolleys and the way things used to be Fort Smith.”
“Over the past couple of months, we have been busy getting our property ready for new track,” said Martin. “This will be the display area for the Planters 25-ton “Mr. Peanut” engine and the Frisco 1242 caboose that were recently donated to the Trolley Museum.”
Information from the museums website provides much of the background and history of the non-profit facility.
In 1979, the Fort Smith Historical published an article on the history of local public railway transportation for its bi-annual offering, “The Journal.” Amelia Martin, co-editor of “The Journal” from its inception in 1977 until her death in 2004, asked her husband to research and write the article.
Dr. Art Bradley Martin, Sr., a physician and community leader, soon found himself drawn into the world of trolleys, trains, and buses. As it turned out, a local resident named Charles Winters had already done the research that the Historical Society wanted. The Society published his entire manuscript in “The Journal” Vol. 3, Number 2, September 1979, which was later republished in book form.
Just before publication, a relative of Mr. Winters called to inform him of an advertisement in an antique journal. A Fort Smith streetcar - the Fort Smith Light & Traction #224 - was still in existence and up for sale.
This led to the formation of a Streetcar Committee, headed by Dr. Martin and working through the Fort Smith Heritage Foundation (the group which was responsible for restoring and maintaining the Clayton House), which eventually broke off to become a new non-profit organization - the Fort Smith Streetcar Restoration Association - and arranged to purchase the old streetcar.
Publicity following this acquisition led to the discovery of two other car bodies located in Mulberry. These were the Fort Smith Light & Traction #205 and #221. The better of the two (#205) was given to the Association by the family of Paul Alexander, who had purchased the bodies after Fort Smith’s trolley service was discontinued on November 15, 1933.
On Wednesday, June 21, 1979, after 46 years of being inoperable, car #205 traveled once more through the streets of Fort Smith, proudly displaying its “Car Barn” destination sign, on its way to the original Fort Smith Light & Traction Car Barn, where it had spent so many nights in the past. Though aged and faded by time, and having to be hauled “piggy-back” on a flatbed truck, it was part of a dream for members of the committee and the people of Fort Smith. Car #224 arrived soon after, having travelled all the way from Shreveport, Louisiana.
For five years, the association did restoration work on the cars in a series of borrowed buildings. The body of car #205 was restored first and - lacking the required trucks and motors - mounted on rubber-tired wheels. For many years, it was displayed in parades and used to sell ice cream at the annual Riverfest, raising both funds and awareness.
Then in 1985, the Association erected a car barn at 100 South Fourth Street, the former site of the Midland Valley Railroad yard. This became the Fort Smith Trolley Museum. The most notable architectural feature of the building is its three sets of towering front doors, which were taken from the old Frisco roundhouse before it was torn down.
Later, with the help of local banks, the Fort Smith Streetcar Restoration Association purchased an additional 6,000 square foot building at 65 South Third Street for the storage of oversized equipment, rubber-tired vehicles and streetcars awaiting restoration.
The car barn is equipped with a mechanic’s pit and many of the tools necessary for restoration work. Since it is a “working museum,” visitors can see this work in progress. Large display cases along one wall hold railroad and streetcar memorabilia.
In 1984, a dilapidated Kansas City Biirney car, #1545, had become available and was acquired for the wheels, motors and controls. Thanks to local corporate support, private gifts from over 500 people in 20 states, knowledge and encouragement from rail museums across the country, and thousands of volunteer hours, car #224 started and ran under its own power on Christmas Day of 1990, using the museum’s power supply.
After completion of the necessary overhead wire system to carry the 600-volt DC current, car #224 officially began operating on May 19, 1991. The route ran 1,200 feet from the Fort Smith Trolley Museum to the Fort Smith Museum of History and back again on abandoned Frisco Freight Systems spur track.
More track was added in 1993, running from the museum to the entrance of Fort Smith National Cemetery.
In 1997, the track was extended about a block in the other direction. The Museum of History stop was now extended next to Bricktown Brewery Brewery off Garrison Avenue. Since then, with the help of the City of Fort Smith, it has grown even further, reaching down Garrison Avenue to the front of Ross Pendergraft Park which is northeast of the Fort Smith National Historic Site at the base of the Garrison Avenue Bridge.
n 2005, the city of Fort Smith helped lengthen southern end of the trolley route just a bit more, traversing the street from the front entrance of the Fort Smith National Cemetery to the rear of the Fort Smith Convention Center and adding a special automated crossing signal for the trolley.
Future plans call for extensions to both ends of the trolley track. From Ross Pendergraft Park, it will continue west, turn north under the Garrison Avenue Bridge, and stop at Miss Laura’s Visitors Center near the Arkansas River.
On the other end, it will make stops at the Fort Smith Convention Center and The Executive Hotel at City Center on South 7th Street, and The Town Club on Garrison Avenue, for a total length of 1.5 miles of track.
Martin is hoping that in the future, there will be enough funding to connect the two ends of the track, making possible a trolley tour of the Belle Grove Historic District, including the Clayton House.
“We have expanded our gift shop and we recently added several hundred books to our railroad and historic library that we have in our trolley museum headquarters,” said Martin. “Many other cities throughout the country have regretted the loss of their streetcars and are attempting to bring back public street-rail transportation in their downtown areas.”
Martin said all the work, including maintenance and upkeep on the property and cars, conducting the runs of the trolley daily and even manning the gift shop is all handled by volunteers, including occasional help from the homeless population of “South Camp” which is located several hundred yards down the track from the museum on the banks of the Arkansas River.
“We allow them access to water and our restrooms and we can usually count on them to help us unload the heaver items a help of and when we need them,” said Martin. “We feel like they help us keep an eye on things around here after dark, so it’s a win-win for both parties.”
And then there are the cats.
“We have kind of become a haven for a lot of cats that would otherwise be homeless,” Martin said, petting the heads of ‘Frisco and Rocket’. “We currently have ten living, all named after trains, and they roam the property and the trolley barn. A lot of our visitors know them all by name.”
Tolearn more about the Fort Smith Trolley Cats, following this link: https://www.fstm.org/index.
The museum and trolley rides are open 10-5 Monday through Saturday until October 31 when they scale back to Saturday and Sunday runs for the winter.
“We want to invite area residents that have never experienced our street cars to come down and spend some time with us,” said Martin. “We have worked hard to provide an informative and historical experience for our visitors.”
