Tia Lyons
Staff Writer
EL DORADO — It’s been three years since the city purchased its first trolley bus, and in that time, the 24-passenger vehicle has gotten plenty of use.
The trolley has become a familiar sight in El Dorado, zipping through city streets and shuttling local citizens and out-of-town visitors for tours, special events and even to conduct an annual survey to gauge the city’s litter index.
Now, “Molly the Trolley” — Mayor Frank Hash’s personal nickname for the street car — is undergoing a $30,000 facelift to help ensure many more years of good use. For the past several weeks, the trolley has been at Williams Body and Glass, Inc., in Camden, where crews are performing an ornately detailed refit, Hash said.
“It had some pretty serious body concerns. All the wood is going to be taken off, and its going to be completely refurbished,” he said.
The city bought the used, diesel-powered rig for $26,000 in April 2013. The 1992 model came with less than 30,000 miles and soon after its arrival in El Dorado, the city began fielding requests for its use.
Hash said the wooden panels on the trolley’s exterior had begun to deteriorate and the glass panels were fogging over — issues that are being addressed at Williams.
A new air conditioning/heating system is going to be installed, and the bus is going to get a new paint job.
“It’s going to be the same basic (green) color with different graphics. (Williams) was the only place that had a big enough paint booth for it to fit,” Hash said. “There’s a lot of detail work that’s going into it.”
Hash said the money to cover the cost of the work will come from the capital improvement budget of the department of public works.
“We’ve got $25,000 in it already, and it was a good investment. It costs $250,000 for a new one,” the mayor said.
He said the work is expected to be completed by the end of June.
Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-862-6611 or by email at [email protected].