The Trolley Museum of New York, Kingston

Whether you know them as streetcars, trolleys, or trams, one thing is certain: since their emergence in the 19th century, these iconic vehicles (and their successor, the subway) helped generations of people get where they needed to go in the great cities of the United States and Europe. The Trolley Museum of New York honors the history of these urban workhorses, with a special focus on their heritage within the Hudson Valley. Read on to learn more about the museum and its collection.

• The Trolleys: The museum's trolley collection spans centuries, continents, and railway styles; highlights include trams from Norway, Sweden, and Germany dating back as far as 1897, as well as vintage subway cars and diesel locomotives from the golden age of 20th century train travel.
• The Collection: In addition to the trolleys themselves, the museum houses an extensive collection of trolley artifacts and paraphernalia. During a visit, you might see drivers' caps and badges, vintage trolley tokens, or even an intact subway turnstile. The museum is also home to a large archive of photographs, postcards, and books that document the days when trolleys rules the streets.
• The "Last Train": The Trolley Museum of New York is home to a car from the last PATH train to travel to the World Trade Center. The train was trapped beneath the World Trade Center when the towers fell on 9/11, but two of the cars survived. One of these cars now rests at the Trolley Museum of New York with its advertisements and original signage still in tact.
• The Ride: For a few of trolleys here, there's more to life at the museum than just being a stationary exhibit. The museum operates a functional 1.5-mile trolley line, which runs between the museum's waterfront location on Kingston Point and downtown Kingston with an intermittent stop at T.R. Gallo Memorial Park.