Arkansas Downtown Electric Trolley

Electric Trolley


Trolley


This trolley is the latest and greatest thing of the Central Arkansas Transit Authority today. It circles downtown and North Little Rock. The last trolley went out of commission in the 1940's ending with the number: 407. In 2004, the newest trolley started as 408. Pictured here is 410. It is a replica of the old one with modern technology such as leds for brake lights, but the windows, horn, interior and manual drive is the same old stuff. Each trolley cost the city about 820,000 dollars and admission is 50 cents a person. It may pay for itself in 20 - 50 years. Although the population of the capital city hasn't made significant growth in the past 20 years, it continues to attract visitors.

While I was riding in the trolley, an old man tapped on my shoulder on the trolley and asked me, "Are you from China?" I told him that I was born in Little Rock. His wife chuckled and I stared out the window. It reminded me how backwards and ignorant some of the people are in Arkansas, but also the friendliness of the people here who are eager to strike up conversation and engage in small talk. Coming back from California, I find small talk a bit shocking, because while I was there, I usually ignore strangers except when they have something to do with me. There's just so many people there! But here, I do realize that life here is simple. People come here to retire and raise children with strong Christian values. It is the bible belt. In my conversation, he told me that him and his wife drove to Little Rock all the way from Stuttgart (roughly 50 miles away) to go see the trolley and see what all the commotion is about. He told me some stories about his experience in the Phillipines during WWII. Him and his wife were married in 1949. My mom told him about how divorce in this country is as common as changing bed sheets. The trolley stopped. As we got off, the 85 year old man changed out his batteries in his hearing aid complaining how they only last five days. He walks off amused that people from China travel all this way to go see the trolley.