Why volunteer at Old Pueblo Trolley?

• 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?
• Training Schedule
• Volunteer Application Form

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!

Who are Old Pueblo Trolley Volunteers?

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

• seniors, juniors and in between
• students and former students
• professionals, technicians, trades and crafts people
• working people and retirees
• "year rounders" and "snowbirds"

As long as you are 14 years or older, can freely navigate the facility (for activities requiring such) and have a desire to learn, grow and work with interesting people, you qualify.

Where can you help out?

There are more than 35 categories of possibilities where Volunteers can benefit Old Pueblo Trolley. Some of these are:

Restoration

• Woodworking
• Welding
• Electrical
• Track building and maintenance
• Mechanical

Operations

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

Docents

• Are available in the trolley barn area and on the vehicles to provide information and a historical perspective to what we do and why
• Special tours, school children, and others may request an educational tour.
• Speakers for community groups

Historical Research

• A vast number of historical documents require cataloguing and filing. Specialists and workers needed here.

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 have published a quarterly journal entitled Trolley Tracks, 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 Trolley's activities. This journal is looking for a volunteer to gather material and create the journal.  Training for this is available.

Fund Raising

• There are many fund raising and other public relations opportunities available, including participation in the bi-annual Fourth Avenue Street Fair and speaking at various community organizations, and other events.

Training

• Training is necessary for many of the volunteer positions with OPT. Those who have skills are encouraged to take on leadership and mentoring tasks for newcomers. See description below.

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.

Many volunteer activities, such as publications, research, public speaking, are scheduled separately from the "barn" activities.

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.

How do you start?

To find out how to join our Volunteer Team, contact the Volunteer Coordinator or call (520) 615-9286 or fill out and email this volunteer application form.

Volunteer Training

Old Pueblo Trolley offers free training to conductors, operators, and dispatchers.

There are eight levels of training:

• Levels I & II qualifies you to become an OPT conductor
• Levels III & IV classroom training for operators
• Level V preparation for a commercial drivers license. Old Pueblo Trolley operators must have a commercial drivers license with a passenger bus endorsement.
• Level VI motor bus training at SunTran
• Level VII training on the streetcar
• Level VIII streetcar certification test

Training Schedules will be announced in the "What's New" section of the Website.

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