Sunday, November 25, 2012

Baltimore Streetcar Museum


I'm helping some neighbors plan their wedding in a few short weeks. When speaking about a location they wanted something close to Stone Hill that had charm for days. Somehow after our first meeting I thought about the Baltimore Streetcar Museum. It was miraculously available and the brides loved the idea. It was even very significant to their Baltimore story. More about them soon in another post.


The museum is run fully by volunteers and is one of a kind. If you drive down Falls Road to or from Hampden I'm certain you have passed it. 


When E. and I went to New Orleans, we took the trolley everywhere. It was such a great tourist attraction and the conductors were the best resource for restaurant recommendations.


My brides loved the idea of actually getting married in the trolley with all of their guests. I went to do a site inspection to find the right trolley. #6199 was one option. For a group of 55 this car would be nice, but didn't seem right. It is one of two heated options for their winter wedding.


This open carriage was beautiful with its turned wood details, but not a good choice in the chilly month of December.


Finally, like Goldilocks finding the perfect fit, my guides showed me the Carey Street trolley from the 1900s. The craftsmanship on this puppy is impeccable. The rattan seats, rose stained-glass windows, Edison light bulbs and old-timey arrival bells just hit all sorts of high marks.


Plus the seats flip.



Jerry Kelly is my contact at the museum and enlightened me about it. Please watch the quick video to hear more about this historic and significant car to Baltimore.





The brass details were beautiful.


The poor conductors must have frozen to death.


The seats are miraculously well preserved and very comfortable.


The heart details put me over the edge. 


The rose colored glass was used to help the people who couldn't read find the right train. 


The volunteers were indeed fixing the breaks underneath the car as I was filming the video. 


The trolley will take our guests down the line for a fifteen minute ride. Can you imagine twinkle lights all aglow? It is such a perfect, unique venue for an intimate wedding. Inside we will have 50 guests seated for dinner and dancing. I have loved having purpose helping my friends and can't wait to post more photos about this process of planning their wedding in six weeks. 

We have so much to be thankful for this week. My husband has a new job in Baltimore just two miles from our home. The commute to DC was too much and he decided to take care of his health by leaving his job. Little did we know I would get laid off one month after his departure. As I've said here and here it has been hard. We were blessed with five months of LOTS of togetherness at Stone Hill, both searching for jobs. We learned so much about each other and are much better communicators on the other end of this journey. We were very close to moving from our beloved Baltimore to New York City. We are so happy to be staying in Charm City. I can't thank Elizabeth Duncan enough for allowing me to help her part-time at her events firm in DC as I continue to look for something full-time in Baltimore. Do let me know if you want to take advantage of Question 6 passing. I seem to be getting many leads for the LGBT crowd and couldn't be more honored. Hoping you all had a joyous Thanksgiving weekend and look forward to a holy Advent. God continues to bless us and keep us in the palm of His hand. Thank you all for your continued prayers, support and for continuing to visit this blog.

2 comments:

Libby said...

Nelle: Congratulations to Charlie! That is great news, and to be able to work so near to home... I will keep my fingers crossed for you too!

Ella said...

Congrats to E for the job! My husband would have loved to visit that museum, he has always been interested in trains and that Streetcar Museum looks very fascinating.