2025-2026 Annual Appeal
The Minnesota Streetcar Museum began service 54 years ago at Lake Harriet and then in Excelsior starting in 1998. We achieved these milestones because of the generosity of our members and friends. Here are this year’s priority projects for your consideration.
Repairs and Upgrades to the Excelsior Carbarn Doors
The Excelsior Streetcar Line’s carbarn was built in 1998. After twenty-seven years, the carbarn
doors need to be rebuilt and have their hardware replaced. Currently, the doors bind and are very difficult to move. The doors are at the point now where they could jump-off the overhead tracks and not move at all. This can definitely have an impact on streetcar operations at ESL—if you can’t move the streetcars out of the carbarn, you can’t operate for the public. The estimated
project cost is $25,000 to $30,000.
Lengthen and Improve the pit in the CHSL maintenance shop
The museum’s shop forces report that there has been a continuing issue with the length of the pit in the heated maintenance section of the George Isaacs carbarn at Lake Harriet. The problem? When the rear truck on a streetcar needs work or maintenance, the front of the streetcar has to stick out of the front of the carbarn, i.e., doors are open. During warm weather this isn’t a problem. But in the winter opening the carbarn doors is not recommended. Our shop forces would like to extend the length of the pit so that work can be done on both trucks during the winter. We don’t have a cost estimate for this project yet but it will be expensive and is definitely needed. Please consider helping your museum out by donating what you can to this year’s annual appeal.
Will you help? Thank you!
Remember—your donation is fully deductible under both federal and state income tax law.
P.S. We prefer that you write a check for your donation to the annual appeal and mail it to us at: Minnesota Streetcar Museum, P.O. Box 16509, Minneapolis, MN 55416-0509 along with a note indicating it is for the annual appeal and which project (or general fund) you wish to support. Doing that means we get your full donation rather than having 2.9% of it being skimmed off the top by the bank but we’re more than happy if it’s easier for you to donate by credit card please use the form below.