Trolley Car Project

A few months ago I was approached with an idea to make a large version of a child’s toy big enough for children to get into. It had to be light weight, mobile, and easy to store. The ladies who proposed this idea run a charity called Children of the Village. They donate time and resources to provide a safe place for young children in rural communities to come for some entertainment and education as well as giving the parents a little to themselves. I saw it as a challenge and agreed to give it a try.

The Trolley base is made of 1×4 and ¼ inch BC. Slots are cut and blocked into it to receive the 1×4 vertical boards that form the primary portions of the side and end panels giving them a sturdy anchor point.
All the panel sheeting is 1/8 inch Luanne as requested and features are trimmed in 1/4 to provide stiffening. The sides are hinged to fold in half and the vertical 1×4’s are bolded at the top and swing into notches incorporated into the seat braces. All of that is attached to the inside the panel.

The bench seat bottom and back are made of ¾ and ½ inch plywood built to lock into notches on the seat frames providing more rigidity to the walls.
There is a porters seat at the front with a bell and throttle lever so the driver has something to do.

The top frame is a copy of the base built of 1×3 and Luanne. The dome was done by making a series of scoring cuts to the Luanne and wrapping it over a 3×4 pine frame.
All joints are glue and screws or tacked in place and the finished project is coated in a industrial grade enamel for years of hard use.

It is equipped with p

The entire thing folds up on top of the base and is strapped down for storage when not needed.
The very nice thank you note I received indicates that the kids love it!

-- Terry Roswell, L.A. (Lower Alabama) "Life is what happens to you when you are making other plans."