How do I get tickets to California Trolley and Railroad Corporation?

Tickets and current schedules are available on the operator's official website at https://www.ctrc.org/.

Photo by Grey3k, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

California Trolley and Railroad Corporation

SAN JOSE, CA

5.0· 4 Google reviews

Upcoming Events

No ticketed events are currently listed for California Trolley and Railroad Corporation. Many heritage operators publish schedules seasonally or run on regular open hours instead of dated events.

Check the operator’s website for current hours and special runs, or subscribe to event alerts and we’ll email you when something is scheduled.

About California Trolley and Railroad Corporation

Rides run free each weekend on the museum’s operational trolley line, looping through Kelley Park and extending to the Japanese Friendship Garden and Happy Hollow Zoo via the Happy Hollow line opened in August 2009. Historic streetcars—such as cars 73, 124 and ex‑Melbourne car 531—travel the short circuit that showcases Santa Clara Valley’s rail heritage, while the Lenzen Roundhouse and turntable, donated by Southern Pacific, await relocation to the Niles Canyon Railway.

📍 SAN JOSE, CA 92513

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History

The California Trolley and Railroad Corporation (CTRC) is founded in 1982 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to preserve rail transportation in the Santa Clara Valley. Historic trolley service begins on November 18, 1988, runs seven days a week, then weekday service ends in the fall of 1992, the schedule is reduced to summer months only in 1994, and by 2004 service operates solely during the Christmas and holiday season, a pattern that continues through 2008. Service is suspended from 2009 to 2011, resumes for holiday‑season operation in 2012, and in 2019 the “Holly Trolley” runs Fridays‑Sundays from December 6‑22 (it does not operate in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID‑19 pandemic). In August 2009 the corporation opens the Happy Hollow line extension to the Japanese Friendship Garden and Happy Hollow Zoo, while earlier milestones include ex‑Melbourne car 531 entering service in January 1990, ex‑Milan car 2001 in October 1992, and the sale of car 129 to Sacramento Regional Transit in 1999. After receiving county approval in 1992 to build the San Jose Steam Railroad Museum at the Fairgrounds, the Lenzen Roundhouse and turntable are donated in 1994, county support is rescinded in 2002, and on July 4, 2021 the CTRC reaches an agreement to relocate the roundhouse, turntable and Southern Pacific 2479 to the Niles Canyon Railway.

The Trains

The CTRC’s operational fleet includes historic streetcars such as San Jose cars 73 and 124, the similar car 129 (sold in 1999), Melbourne‑built car 531 (entered service January 1990) and Milan‑built car 2001 (entered service October 1992). Since August 2009 the museum’s trolley line runs on a free‑ride track that extends from the trolley barn in History Park to the Japanese Friendship Garden and the Happy Hollow Zoo in Kelley Park.