by Keith Mackey
Most of the pictures below are linked to an enlarged copy.
Just click on the photo and an enlarged version will open in a new window.
John Meier was my mentor in the motorcar hobby. I first met him in 1999 after taking a wrong turn while driving through Tavares, Florida.
Ahead was a trailer with two beautifully restored M19's. I'd been a lifelong railfan, but had no idea that the motorcar hobby existed. I thought that he must work for a railroad and I had to have a better look at those beautiful cars. I probably almost ran him off the road trying to flag him down.
He obligingly stopped and spent the next hour and a half educating me about the motorcar hobby and Narcoa. Three weeks later I had my first motorcar and the rest is history.
John invited me to visit the farm where he kept his equipment and I rubbed my eyes when I first saw the trolley car. .
I was amazed. I couldn't believe John's mechanical talent and creativity ability. He had created a miniature trolley car built on a Fairmont A5 chassis using the original four cylinder Waukesha engine with a four speed transmission. He had in the greatest detail replicated the construction of a classic early twentieth century street car which is fully functional and complies with Narcoa standards.
John said the car weighed about 3,000 lbs and that while it has four seats, he has had as many as ten people ride it at one time.
He said it took about 2,800 hours of labor over a three year period between 1992 and 1995 to complete the car. The first run for the trolley was in 1995.
Look carefully under the body in the picture above and you can see the set of air horns, under the trolley.
The trolley car has a total of 13 windows which allow for good fresh air circulation as you ride. Seven of the 13 windows slide down in to the body in the same manner as would be found in a real trolley..
It has a hydraulic turntable which functions very well and easily lifts the car for turning.
The trolley pole on the roof is actually a disguised radio antenna. John was careful enough to select a boat antenna that did not require a metal roof for a ground plane.
The roof is silver painted canvas, and the body is yellow, with red trim under windows. The interior of the car is made of cypress wood.
The back of the trolley features a vestibule, with wrought iron railing, and is the entrance to the car.
The instrument panel is made of mahogany, with speedometer, oil pressure,volt meter, air pressure gauges for the air over mechanical brakes.
Note that the controls mimic those of a real trolley in design and location. This is another example of the careful attention to detail.
The location and function of each control is noted in the picture at right.
The picture at left is actually a link to a virtual tour of the interior of the trolley. If you click on it, a new window will open and you will be able to pan the image by placing your mouse in the picture. The image will go straight up or down and will revolve 360 degrees.
If you have a dial up connection, it might take a few minutes to download..
It is actually a movie created in Apple Quick TIme format. Most computers come with this program pre installed. If you have an older machine, and the movie doesn't start , you can download a free copy of the Apple Quick Time program by clicking .
I asked John why he decided to build a trolley car. He said "Why did I build a trolley car such as this one? Because I wanted something different and I like challenges! I finished this challenge in 1995, and have been motor-caring since 1990."
The view at right is taken through the front window and gives an idea of the amount of space inside.
Here is the "Engine Room". The mahogany finished cover lifts off providing excellent access to all engine components.
It would be very easy to change the plugs.
Note the soundproof material on the sides and cover of the engine area.
