VOLUNTEER

Why volunteer at Old Pueblo Trolley?

Challenge your curiosity. Become a part of Tucson’s transportation history. You will have endless room to grow, learn, and make new friends as you live out a dream of driving a trolley, restoring a bus, or helping to manage an operating transit museum.

• What’s at the Trolley Barn?
• Who are Old Pueblo Trolley Volunteers?
• Where can you help out?
• When are Volunteers needed?
• What is involved?
• How do you start?
• Volunteer  Information Form - Electronic
• Volunteer Information Form - Printable
• Training Schedule

What’s at the Trolley Barn?

Follow the trolley tracks south on 4th Avenue from University Blvd. and you will come to the Trolley Barn. The Trolley Barn is where the trolleys are kept and where maintenance and restoration is performed. The Barn and the area surrounding it serve as our administrative offices, dispatcher’s office, work and restoration areas, storage for track, switches, and trolleys waiting for Volunteers to come and restore them!

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Who are Old Pueblo Trolley Volunteers?

Everybody. Our body of Volunteers is made up of people from all walks of life.

• Parents
• Seniors
• Grandparents
• Students
• Craftspeople
• Professionals

As long as you are 14 years or older, and have a desire to learn, grow and work with interesting people, you qualify. Some volunteer jobs have restrictions based on legal or safety concerns, but there's a job for everyone!

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Where can you help out?

There are more than 35 categories of possibilities where Volunteers can benefit Old Pueblo Trolley. Some volunteers tend to do one task, others volunteer for various assignments, in more than one division. Some of these are

Restoration - trolley, buses, railroad artifacts

• Woodworking
• Welding
• Electrical
• Track Maintenance
• Mechanical

Operations

• Operating historical trolley cars and buses
• Dispatching at the trolley barn
• Serving as a conductor on trolley cars

Docents, Greeters, Educators

• Volunteers are needed at the Transportation Museum and during special educational charters on the trolley to interpret the history of transportation and transit in Tucson.
• Those working on restoration, or operating and conducting on the trolleys are trained to meet the public and share our story!

Historical Research

•  There is considerable research still to be done on the history of transit and transportation in Southern Arizona. With a wealth of material available, we need volunteers to take on assignments to research particular questions and help publish the results.

Publications

• Old Pueblo Trolley Inc. publishes a monthly newsletter entitled “Livewire” which is mailed to all members and Volunteers. “Livewire” keeps our Volunteer Team up to date on activities and scheduled events.
• We also publish a quarterly newsletter entitled “Trolley Tracks” which is distributed to members and Volunteers. “Trolley Tracks” is mailed to other historical transportation museums and interested organizations to keep them up-to-date on Old Pueblo Trolleys activities.

Fund Raising

• As a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit museum, we have the authority to raise funds for our operating, acquisition, and restoration expenses. We need grant writers, community leaders, and other creative people to help us raise funds to meet our goals.

Training and Docent Education

• All volunteers for Old Pueblo Trolley are oriented and trained in the volunteer activities. Some training is one-on-one, other training is group training.
• Docents are provided with education and training directed toward elementary schools, the general public, retired groups, and other specialized groups.
• We are always looking for volunteers with a background in education and/or training to help us design training for these particular purposes.

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When are Volunteers needed?

Old Pueblo Trolley’s current operating schedule is:

• Friday evenings 6:00 - 10:00 PM.
• Saturdays from 12 noon to 12 midnight.
• Sundays from 12 noon to 6:00 PM.

Trolley operators, conductors, dispatchers, and docents are needed during these operating hours. Charters and educational sessions during the week require similar Volunteer staffing.

Restoration and maintenance activities are normally scheduled on Fridays and Saturdays although these activities can be accomplished when Volunteers are available.

The Museum's hours of operation are:

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
11am - 3pm
Friday, Saturday
10am - 4pm
Sunday
11am -3pm

The Bus Division does not have set hours, but volunteers set their own schedules in cooperation with the Division management.

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What is involved?

If you have an enthusiastic attitude, an interest in history and transportation, and are willing to make a regular commitment of your time, volunteering at Old Pueblo Trolley provides many learning opportunities through regular training and the opportunity to work with professionals and other Volunteers.

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How do you start?

To find out how to join our Volunteer Team,fill out and mail this volunteer application form, or complete this on-line form and send it to our coordinator, or call (520) 792-0225 for more information.

Training Schedule

Training for all volunteers begins with an orientation class, generally scheduled the first Saturday of the month. Your volunteer coordinator will discuss this with you.

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