2023-2024 Annual Appeal
The Minnesota Streetcar Museum began service 52 years ago at Lake Harriet and then in Excelsior in 1998. We achieved these milestones because of the generosity of our members and friends. Here are this year’s priority projects.
Replace The Roof On The Excelsior Carbarn
The Excelsior carbarn building was constructed in 1997. While the roof on the carbarn is only 25 years old its apparent that the roof shingles need to be replaced after several hail storms in the last few years. In addition, during one of those storms, a branch off of a nearby tree hit the roof and damaged several of the shingles. A solid roof is important to protect our priceless historic streetcars so a new roof is now a priority.
Replace the Linden Hills Station Platform at CHSL and Build a Platform Canopy
When MSM rebuilt CHSL’s track with federal money back in 2005, we decided to put ballast under the track to improve drainage. It was a good idea, but had an unintended consequence. The rebuilt track was too high for the original TCRT Linden Hills station’s concrete platform. So we built a wood platform and have since rebuilt it when the first one deteriorated.
The platform is again at the end of its useful life and this time we’re going to do something different. We’re going to remove it and use the historic concrete platform, which is still there. So are the original iron railings. However, we still have to deal with the track being too high. We can’t lower the track, so we’ll build long step boxes using the wood from the current platform. We should also be able to re-use the wood bench seats.
We plan to remove the wood platform and build the step boxes next Spring. In the process we’ll harvest all the tokens that have dropped through the platform cracks over the years.
We’ve always wanted shade for those hot summer afternoons. Our plan for 2024 is to replicate part of the historic platform canopy from the 1912 “chalet” station. We’ll also add a concrete extension at the north end to replace the narrow section of wood platform.
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.