Dayton RTA’s historic Christmas trolley is back just in time for the holiday season

RTA’s historic Christmas trolley to appear in Dayton Children’s Parade, special public events

The historic trolley ran along Dayton roadways as a special Christmas bus from 1977 until 1988

Dash away! Dash away! Dash away all—to see the Greater Dayton RTA’s historic Christmas trolley gracing local streets once more in this year’s Dayton Children’s Parade on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, as well for select special public events throughout the month of December.

The 76-year-old trolley – a 1948 Marmon-Herrington TC-48 #559 – is only one of five operable trolleys of its kind in the world today. It is famous for its simulated fireplace, Santa seat, and festive holiday scenes gracing the exterior. It last ran on Dayton streets in 1988, after which it was transferred to San Franciso Municipal Railway in California. It made the 2,300-mile journey back to Dayton in 2021 after RTA CEO Bob Ruzinsky reacquired it for Daytonians to enjoy once again.

Since its return, an ongoing restoration process is underway. RTA’s maintenance department is working on the mechanical restoration, with service repair mechanics Michael Baldwin and Ryan Lovelace leading the project. Both said the project was overwhelming at first.

“I’ve never really worked on anything this old – that was a big challenge to deal with,” Lovelace said. “There was a lot of mystery about it. I don’t know how a lot of these things work. It’s very old, (and) it’s very old technology.”

Baldwin echoed that sentiment, adding they had to be gentle.

“Something that old you don’t know if you are going to be able to get a replacement for it. So, you had to be very delicate,” Baldwin said.

The RTA has been testing the trolley on wires throughout parts of downtown Dayton in preparation for the Children’s parade. During these test runs, members of the public have shown their excitement.

“I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve heard (them say) they used to ride on it when they were kids,” Lovelace said. “Just bringing back that joy and that nostalgia for people, I’m looking forward to that a lot.”

Baldwin was one of those people who rode on the trolley as a kid, and he felt honored to be able to work on it.

“It’s kind of sentimental because I can remember riding on that trolley when I was probably 10 or 11 years old. I thought it was kind of neat that I could help bring it back to life,” Baldwin said.

After the parade, the public will be able to see this piece of nostalgia during several public events. During these events, the trolley will be on display and will offer free rides through downtown Dayton (this historic vehicle is not ADA accessible). Historic information about the trolley will also be presented by local trolley enthusiast Tom Morrow, and Santa Claus will be making an appearance at each event. All events will take place outside of Wright Stop Plaza at the corner of Main and Third streets.

Event dates and times are as follows:

• Saturday, Nov. 30 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Monday, Dec. 2 from 4-6 p.m.
• Saturday, Dec. 7 from 4-6 p.m.
• Monday, Dec. 9 from 4-6 p.m.
• Saturday, Dec. 14 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Monday, Dec. 16 from 4-6 p.m.
• Saturday, Dec. 21 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Monday, Dec. 23 from 4-6 p.m.

You can learn more about the history of the trolley and its journey back to Ohio at iriderta.org.

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Greater Dayton RTA.

Greater Dayton RTA - The Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority (RTA) is the public transit agency that citizens count on in Montgomery County and western Greene County.