NORM Gets Grant for Substation

A former Shaker Rapid car runs on the NORM demonstration track last summer.

A San Diego Foundation has awarded a $110,000 grant to the Northern Ohio Railway Museum that will be used to build an electric substation .

The grant came from the 20th Century Electric Railway Foundation, which awards grants to trolley museums throughout the United States.

The substation will enable NORM to draw power for its overhead trolley wire system from Ohio Edison.

Currently, the museum is using gas generator to create electricity to power its trolley line, which is expected to be expanded this year. The generator, though, is limited in how much power it can provide and that limits how many cars can operate on the line at one time.

An existing maintenance building will be extended to house the new substation building, which will in part convert AC power to DC.

NORM, which is based near Chippewa Lake and Seville, hopes to have the substation operating in advance of the beginning of its operating season in May.

The museum has three buildings that house its collection of trolley, interurban and rapid transit cars, most of which once operated in Northeast Ohio. It is open on Saturdays between May and October.

Tags: 20th Century Electric Railway Foundation, grants, NORM, Northern Ohio Railway Museum, Ohio railroad museums, Railroad museums