Nelson Electric Tramway Society opens new museum

The grand opening of the Car Barn Museum, a project spearheaded by the Nelson Electric Tramway Society, was held August 3rd.

— July 30, 2015

Picture of Jim Robertson, the project manager of the Nelson Electric Tramway Society.

The Nelson Electric Tramway Society's Car Barn Museum is now officially open, showcasing the history of Nelson's streetcar era. — Photo courtesy NETS

Nelson BC – The Nelson Electric Tramway Society (NETS) has officially opened their latest project, the Car Barn Museum, dedicated to showcasing the history of Nelson's streetcars.

NETS have been working toward this goal ever since they rolled out Streetcar #23 in 1992. The idea was to create a working museum of Nelson’s history. The first phase of this project was to get Nelson’s original streetcar operational and then over time create additional opportunities to enrich and educate the community. The goal of NETS recent history was to create a dedicated space for displays and historical artifacts. Over the past two years the Car Barn, with the help and love of volunteers, has been renovated to include a dedicated museum space and displays throughout the barn.

Over the years, many artifacts and photos have been entrusted to the Society by community members who wished to keep Nelson’s streetcar heritage alive for future generations. The Museum project has given the society an opportunity to present these items to the public. The artifacts are now housed in a dedicated museum space with additional equipment displayed throughout the car barn.

“The Car Barn Museum will have many benefits for the community, from keeping our history fresh and accessible to tourists and students, to giving retired people an opportunity to still be engaged with the community.” says Jim Robertson NETS B.O.D./Project Manager, “The best thing about this project is that it will always be growing and developing, we are looking forward to helping keep Nelson’s history alive.”

For more information call 250.352.7672, [email protected] or come on down and visit them in Lakeside Park, right beside the soccer fields and next to the Nelson Rowing Club.