Men Working To Restore, Display Historic Tulsa Trolleys

There was a time when Sand Springs, Sapulpa and Tulsa were connected by trolley cars. Those days are long gone, but a local group found a few of the old cars and they’re restoring the pieces of history.

Roy Heim and Steve Savage have gotten themselves into the project, and finding an old trolley bell has just renewed their enthusiasm.

They were stripping the wood off the car to get down to the skeleton when they made the discovery.

"We thought, ‘what is that thing,’" Heim explained.

They are all in now and have lots of work to do.

The trolley's had their hay-day back in the early 20th Century - the last one ran in Tulsa around 1932.

"Ridership was pretty good at first; it was a novelty at first. People could get back and forth, then, when the buses started, they realized they could get back into the neighborhood and they didn't have to walk to the trolley track," Heim said.

That was the beginning of the end.

Now, the cars will never ride the rails again, so the guys plan to restore two and put them at the Route 66 Village on Southwest Boulevard, and others might follow.

Heim said, "Go back in time and let people remember when trolley cars ran here all over the downtown area of Tulsa."

When you think of what's ahead, and all the work it'll take to get it done, it's mind boggling; but they've got no timeline and are in no hurry - they're just up to their hip pockets in the project, and they’re hooked.

"We can't stop. It's like the potato chips, you can't do one, you gotta keep going," said Heim.

If you want more information, or would like to help you can learn more on the Route 66 Village website.