Wildwood boardwalk is not replacing its tram cars with trucks. At least not yet.
Reports online that suggested that the boardwalk was replacing its towing cars with hybrid trucks are inaccurate, but the boardwalk will test one this summer.
Spring is a season of change — a conclave met to pick a new pope, tariffs could slash the number of dolls you may own, and now, rumors swirl that hybrid trucks are replacing the lead tram cars at Wildwood boardwalk. Are they true?
Not quite. Here’s what you need to know about the fate of the beloved yellow and blue tram cars:
Is Wildwood replacing the tram cars?
Last Sunday, the Wildwood Boardwalk Facebook page, which is not affiliated with the organizations in charge of the boardwalk, posted a video of what it said was the new tram car truck — a yellow Ford Maverick pickup truck painted like one of the lead towing tram cars. The voice-over in the video, attributed to a man named Timmy Smith, said that the truck would be “taking over” towing duty for the tram cars this summer.
Then the next day, the Wildwood Video Archive website wrote about the truck and called it a “major transformation” for the tram cars, suggesting an overhaul of the system.
Some of the tram cars’ loyal fans were upset with the idea of the change and the erasure of the boardwalk’s nostalgic charm. “WHAT?!?!! I checked the date to see if this was an April Fools joke,” said Megan Thiry Arnold in a comment about Wildwood Boardwalk’s Facebook video.
“It’s like putting the hot dog on a hamburger bun,” said Dennis Mole in another comment.
But Patrick Rosenello, the executive director of the Boardwalk Special Improvement District, said those posts and articles went too far.
“We haven’t made any decision to change out the tram cars,” he said.
Rosenello said that the boardwalk has used this one Ford truck before, primarily as a service vehicle, and it was not ordered specifically to replace tram cars. The boardwalk does intend to test it this summer as a towing vehicle, but there are no firm plans beyond that, Rosenello said.
“Don’t always believe what you read on social media,” he said.
Why are they testing the truck? The tram cars are perfect as they are.
The tram cars originally debuted at the World’s Fair in 1939, before they were purchased and repurposed for Wildwood a decade later. Ever since, the Sightseer Tram Cars have transported passengers up and down the two-mile stretch.
Rosenello said the tram cars still have technology and parts that date to 1939, making them impossible to replace today. Last year, BSID priced what it would cost to build replacement towing cars from scratch, and quotes came in at over $200,000 each. Those battery-powered vehicles also wouldn’t be able to hold a charge long enough to seamlessly fit within the current operations schedule for the tram cars, he said.
“It was economically and practically infeasible,” Rosenello said. So in planning for the future, the boardwalk will begin testing towing the cars with the Ford truck.
Wasn’t there a lawsuit about the tram cars?
Not as much about the tram cars themselves, but their iconic “Watch the tram car, please!” announcement.
Last year, Floss Stingel, the woman who recorded the phrase more than 50 years ago, sued the City of Wildwood and other entities involved with the boardwalk because she never got paid for it. The lawsuit is still ongoing, but there have not been significant updates recently.
The tram cars are returning for their 77th season in service on Saturday. For ticketing and schedule information, visit the boardwalk and Downtown Wildwoods’ website at dooww.com/tramcar.