Trolley

[xxlatinogueroxx]

Remembering that Marriotts Great America had a Trolley system once the park first opened. Does anybody remember where they had the loading for the Trolley. I heard that you can get on the cart anytime you wished but was there a station where you can get on before the Trolley left? I believe that one was in Hometown Square next to the Triple Play but was there another one like in Orleans Place?

Also what uniforms did the Trolley ops. wear ( similar to train ops? )

[Santa Cruisin]

I think there were three stops. One in the Hometown Square turn-around loop near Triple Play, one in the Orleans Place turn-around loop near A la Burger, and one behind the Columbia in Carousel Plaza. In SC MGA they called it Hometown & Orleans Street Railway.

[xxlatinogueroxx]

Was the station for the Hometown Square stop next to the Triple Play with the wooden gate? Would they have one that would start at Orleans Place?

[BrianPlencner]

In the Gurnee park, I only remember two stations, and they were in the same place that Santa Cruisin said they were in the CA park. The Trolley line was called the same thing as well, Hometown & Orleans Street Railway

I don't know if the CA park still has their Trolleys or not. Gurnee no longer runs them as an attraction, but they are used during the nightly parade in the summer. Park guests have the chance to ride on them during the parade. The way guests did this was they were "picked" out during the course of the day by park employee's. If that happened, you were given a trolley ticket good for that night only. The other way is that in the SFGAm season pass book is a trolley pass, good for one ride during the parade.

Below is a picture of me on one of them during the Media preview for the new Mardi Gras section in May of 2004. No rides were given, but the park did take it out and have it on display.

[xxlatinogueroxx]

Nobody remember's the uniforms that the operators would wear?

[steven]

I don't remember what the trolley operators wore. In old MGA commercials, however, there is a shot of a trolley and the operator is wearing an Orleans Place costume.

In Brian's photo you see "Allie's Trolley" on top of the car. If I recall correctly, Allie was Alice Marriott.

Steven

[xxlatinogueroxx]

I don't remember what the trolley operators wore. In old MGA commercials, however, there is a shot of a trolley and the operator is wearing an Orleans Place costume.

In Brian's photo you see "Allie's Trolley" on top of the car. If I recall correctly, Allie was Alice Marriott.

Steven

Its creative on how Marriott's Great America tied in names to their operations. Such as Willards Whizzer and this. There were two Trolley's...I think one was green and the other red like in the pickture. You see those holders on the pole underneath the bell, were flags put in there?

[twixmix0303]

My guess is yes, although it looks like they haven't been used in a long time, since one of them is crooked.

[Nystagmus]

During the 4th of July, SFGAm puts American flags in the holders. I know that much. Plus, I remember riding the trolley when I was little. It was so much fun back then!

In the park (HTS, OP, etc.) it looks like there used to be more tracks for the trolley. I'm assuming this is true because if two trolleys were running, one had to (at one point) move for the other. So, in OP, it looks like there was a switch to move a trolley on a side track and reconnect it with the main track not too much father down.

Same thing in what is now Mardi Gras and Hometown Square; it looks like there used to be track that looped around the gazeboes.

[BrianPlencner]

In the park (HTS, OP, etc.) it looks like there used to be more tracks for the trolley. I'm assuming this is true because if two trolleys were running, one had to (at one point) move for the other. So, in OP, it looks like there was a switch to move a trolley on a side track and reconnect it with the main track not too much father down.

Same thing in what is now Mardi Gras and Hometown Square; it looks like there used to be track that looped around the gazeboes.

That is correct. As others have mentioned, the tracks actually made a loop around the gazeboes in both Hometown Sqaure (in front of the Firehouse), and in Orleans Place. There were switches in the track right before the loops, so the trolley would always go the same way around the loop.

Also, there was a place in the park where there was two tracks running side by side, to allow them to pass each other. That was in Orleans Place, and it was located near the bumper cars.

I forget what year normal operation ended on them in Gurnee, but I know the tracks were left in place for a few years after that. Probably 5 years ago now, when the park did some repairs to the midways, they removed the switches in the park (near the gazeboes), and they also removed the passing area in Orleans Place.

There were two Trolley's...I think one was green and the other red like in the pickture.

That is correct. The other Trolley was green, and looked just like the red one shown in my picture. The Gurnee park still has both of them, and as I said in a post above, they are both used duing the summer months for the nightly parade.

[redfishpaw]

Nobody remember's the uniforms that the operators would wear?

I do not remember exactly what the trolley operators wore, but I can say that the costumes would not have been from one of the themed areas. Employees who wore a costume from one themed area could not enter another themed area, not even if they area going to a nearby service corridor. A few costumes where nonthemed/universal, so if an employees job required them to be in two different themed areas, they would wear this costume and not look out of place. This is probably the case for trolley operators. Another instance of this would for be for the character escorts.

[coasterboy]

The trolly tracks remain in Gurnee because the parade floats use them.
Or, at least they did the last time I was there.
It was actually a rather cleaver design, so the floats could be built to maximum size and not have to worry about having float drivers hit anything.
I recall that some of them barely fit throught the train tressles!

The trolly tracks and parade have long since departed PGA.

[redfishpaw]

Did the trolley tracks have to be altered in Orleans place with the Mard-Gras updates last year. i.e. around the Big Easy Ballon Ride. I was there in 2004 but did not pay much attention to the trolley tracks.

[BrianPlencner]

Did the trolley tracks have to be altered in Orleans place with the Mard-Gras updates last year. i.e. around the Big Easy Ballon Ride. I was there in 2004 but did not pay much attention to the trolley tracks.

No they did not. In that area used to be a bunch of benches, and a gazbeoo that had shows on it. They did character meet-n-greets, and small bands. So, the trolley tracks went around that area already. All they did do, and this was a few years back (maybe 5 or 6 years now) is to remove the rest of the "Loop" that went around that area, and the Gazbeoo in front of the Hometown Square Railroad station. They did this to remove the switches, as I know the parade floats had issues going over them, as they were a bit bigger then the Trolley's were.

[Shockwavegirl]

I do not remember exactly what the trolley operators wore, but I can say that the costumes would not have been from one of the themed areas. Employees who wore a costume from one themed area could not enter another themed area, not even if they area going to a nearby service corridor. A few costumes where nonthemed/universal, so if an employees job required them to be in two different themed areas, they would wear this costume and not look out of place. This is probably the case for trolley operators. Another instance of this would for be for the character escorts.

That's not true anymore though....when I worked there I worked majorily in Orleans place, wearing the olive pants and white ruffled shirt....and I was getting sent to work at different rides at different areas of the park....most often to Space Shuttle America and was rarely told to change into the astronaut costume....the only time I wore the right cotume is when I knew before my shift started that I was to go somewhere else....more often times there was never an extra time.....I even got sent back to Shockwave one day wearing the astronaut jumpsuit.....man was that HOTTTT!