08/18/2026
BREAKING: We recently made the difficult decision to de-accession our 'dining car', a New York, New Haven and Hartford Combine Car, on August 17th.
As a trolley museum, it's our duty to responsibly manage our collection, ensuring the preservation of historic equipment for future generations. This process involves evaluating each piece's condition and relevance to our core mission. Through its years at the museum, this car had many different purposes, including: office, gift shop, dining car, and birthday room! Although the combine car held sentimental value, its unique characteristics didn't align with our trolley-focused collection, and the necessary restoration work was beyond our resources. However, we recognized its historical significance and sought a new custodian to preserve it.
We're thrilled to have donated the car to Maine Locomotive and Machine. They have taken possession of the car and will restore it to passenger service, something it hasn't seen in almost 100 years, a testament to the power of collaboration in the preservation community. We've included images of the car's past, as well as its departure from our museum.
