American Car Company of St. Louis built this trolley in 1919, and although this particular one spent its career in Tacoma, a Bellingham Birney was a regular sight along Holly Street until the last day of 1938.

When the streetcar systems were replaced by buses across the country, the obsolete trolleys were often sold cheaply and transported to a farm for a second career as a chicken coop or storage shed. This trolley was discovered in a hay barn near Snohomish and skillfully restored by Tom and Vince Mendenhall, a father/son company in Arlington (WA) called Historic Railway Restoration, Inc.

If you happen to be heading past the corner of E St and Holly, take a glance at “Birney” — and a glimpse into the past.