Preserving
a Piece of
Pittsburgh’s Past
Franklin Park artist Kim Freithaler
helps keep trolleys on the right
track for years to come.
BY KATHY RUDOLPH
P
ittsburgh natives are no strangers to the nostalgia of
trolleys. From the iconic red trolley on “Mister Rogers’
Neighborhood” to a ride downtown to see the holiday
window displays, trolleys are a Pittsburgh tradition.
“I don’t remember riding trolleys because I grew up in New
York City, but the volunteers at the museum are passionate about
them,” says Franklin Park resident Kim Freithaler, a volunteer at
the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Washington County. “They
remember riding them and some can even remember specific
cars. It’s a big deal.”
Freithaler, an award-winning portrait artist, muralist and
executive director of North Hills Community Art Center in Ross
Township, paints letters, numbers, stripes and other decorative
finishes on trolley cars being restored at the museum.
Experienced in painting large-scale murals, some of her work
can be seen at Animal Friends in Pittsburgh, Ingomar Middle
School in Franklin Park and Garrison Mill Elementary School in
Marietta, GA.
“Painting trains using auto paint is not part of my background,
but I will paint on anything,” laughs Freithaler, who is the
only woman in the museum’s shop. A nonprofit educational
organization founded in 1954, the Pennsylvania Trolley
Museum boasts a collection of approximately 50 trolley cars, 150
volunteers and more than 3,000 visitors a year. Its mission is to
“keep the trolley era alive for generations to come.”
Bruce Wells of Washington County, a retired North Allegheny
School District Technology Education teacher, has volunteered
at the museum since 1965. One of his many roles is to help
coordinate the restoration projects and match the volunteers with
tasks that best suit their talents. “When we do restoration, we try
to focus on one thing at a time—one car at a