Poems and Songs - Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum

Poems and Songs

Trolley Car No.10 is back ... On track!

Piti Theater Company has released an album that includes a song about No. 10! You can listen to "The Electric Road" and their other songs at their Bandcamp site.

Here are some poems about trolleys and the Shelburne Falls and Colrain Street Railway.

THE TROLLEY
Author Unknown

The Colrain City Railroad was a marvel near and far.
Everybody, young or old, rode the trolley car.
Jangling through the villages, off to catch a train.
Nowhere in the country will we travel so again.

Errands were commissioned, infants tagged to ride.
When the windows frosted a stove was set inside.
In the sunny summertime open cars pertained.
Even in a thunderstorm nobody complained.

Folks with picnic baskets gaily climbed aboard.
Carfare was a nickel, which pleasure could afford;
Nothing for the young-ones, half for those half-grown;
Fastest ride and breeziest a child had ever known.

Various the commerce that shuttled up and down.
Yeast-cakes were delivered, freight-cars hauled to town,
Messages entrusted. Nobody can know
What was lost to Colrain when the trolley had to go.

Dear Trolley car Museum Folk:
About two weeks ago I first encountered your lovely museum, and had a ride all by myself (with Tom conducting) aboard No. 10, then followed up with Polly on the pump-car.
The whole time I was at the museum I had a sense of deja-vu. Then I remembered why. Years ago, in 1999, while working on a series of children´s book poems, I wrote a poem called The Yellow Trolley Car
Before you read it, please understand that I don´t mean to imply by any means that YOUR trolley car doesn´t move-though you have to admit it doesn´t exactly take you all that far. Anyway I wrote the poem BEFORE I rode No. 10.

(Editor's Note: This is a poem, the ride is not free and our conductors try not to yawn!)

The Yellow Trolley Car

This is the story of a Yellow Trolley Car
That takes you no farther than where you are.
It has wooden doors and seats of golden straw;
The conductor yawns: he´s taken this trip before!

The best thing about the Yellow Trolley Car:
It doesn´t need wheels, or an engine, or tracks--
There´s nothing in the world that it needs or lacks.
It never really goes anywhere, and never will
It knows all the advantages of standing still!

The ride is free-so sit back and relax
(the Yellow Trolley Car will never jump its tracks).
As for your timetable, you needn´t worry,
The Yellow Trolley Car is never late or early.

Of course you could take a bus, or a car;
That would make sense if you´re traveling far-
or a plane, or a rocket, or a train, or even a surry.
But if nowhere´s where you´re going . . .
Well, then there´s no need to hurry.

So-if you´re going places
Take the red trolley, or the blue.
But if right here is where you´re headed
Then the Yellow Trolley Car is for you.
Peter Selgin 1999

Trolley Car No.10 is back ... On track!

Go to Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum Homepage

14 Depot Street Shelburne Falls MA 01370 413-625-9443 trolley@sftm.org