Clang, clang goes the trolley. I took a trip on the Loop Trolley in St. Louis. It still has some kinks to work out, but if you want a chance to find some nostalgia in how people used to travel in St. Louis, this is the way.

The trolley has limited times right now and you can catch it Thursday through Sunday each week afternoon through evening. There are plans to expand it in the future. Before embarking the ride, I decided we should eat first.

Quick Lunch in the Loop

I tried to buy a ticket for the trolley before having lunch, but the message displayed that it was currently out of order. Not sure what the issue was, but maybe because I was purchasing it outside of the hours of operation?

I decided to eat at Fitz’s, which is a root beer bottling company that has a restaurant where you can watch it being done, which I thought Andrew would enjoy. Here you can have burgers, sodas—root beer of course—floats, shakes, hotdogs and lots of other diner food.

The hostess first pointed at the upstairs.

I thought to myself, “yeah, no, not with a little kid.”

I asked her if there were seats available on the ground level. She found us a booth near another parent and their kids.

Then something really neat happened a waitress said, “How would you like a root beer sundae with chocolate ice cream.”

She smiled then put it down right on our table. I assumed maybe it was a missed order, but no matter it was a nice surprise.

I said to my son, “Pretty cool.”

He looked at it for a moment, “You can have it.”

Then I remembered he is not a big fan of chocolate so I had it instead, lucky for me I thought.

I noticed that they were bottling the root beer and I asked him if he wanted to see it through the glass.

He shook his head “yes.”

We headed over there and we watched a machine pour the contents into a bottle, then cap it and on down the assembly line. Then it was turned sideways I assume to see if it is sealed then packaged. We watched the bottles go down the assembly line for a bit and the workers managing it all. Then he wanted to go back to the table to do some more coloring in the book they had given him.

Our waitress came over next and asked what would we like to drink, “I said Andrew would like a root beer since he watched them bottle it.”

He agreed.

She came back with some for him and I ordered us some burger and fries. I didn’t really get a chance to look over the menu, but I’d been there before and wanted to limit our time since the trolley would be at the main stop in under an hour.

We gobbled down the yummy burgers and fries. There is also a special sauce for the fries, which I really like. Luckily they followed my request for the kid’s burger with only cheese, Andrew likes without anything else on it.

I noticed the time getting short so I asked for a to-go box for the leftover kid’s burger and fries. They gave us a good amount of fries.

Taking the Trolley

As we came out of the restaurant I noticed the trolley go to the final destination, by the University City Library, where it makes the loop back to Forest Park where it originated.

I tried the machine again and had trouble, and then the trolley was there before I could figure it out. Then, I went to pay her but she said she couldn’t take the money directly but I could try again at the end of the train ride by the Missouri History Museum where the route ends. That worked for me and we got on.

There were only a few people on board and we headed out with the clanging of the trolley.

The trolleys that run here are historic. This one was filled with wood paneling and had a vintage look to it. I was glad it was not a super hot day since it didn’t have air conditioning and just open windows with blinds, which it made it a bit hard to see out of although we were up higher so you could see better than a car.

We passed a few stops without anyone and she had to clang once to get a guy to notice she was coming through when he was crossing the street.

The trolley stopped at another light and since it uses a clutch in pulled back a bit and then I heard shouts from the back “There’s someone on the rails back here.”

The conductor braked then got it going forward. I didn’t see this person and I don’t think the conductor did either. Luckily the person was not hurt and went about her way.

We then headed down DeBaliver and then to the history museum. It was not a busy day with cars so this went pretty fast.

I decided that we should just take the return trip right away instead of exploring the park.

Once we were at the history museum, I tried to get a ticket again. I was having trouble once more. Luckily a ticketing agent was close by and helped me. I think the issue with the machine is a mixture of push-button and touch screen, I wish it were one or the other, not both. I finally got my ticket.

Next, we got onto the trolley again where you have to get it scanned. Once more I was having trouble. The ticket agent told me this time you have to do it from the bottom and slowly. I tried doing this then she took the ticket and showed me that it had to be about halfway down. There was like this perfect level to get credit for the ticket.

The trolley engineers came on board here and we headed off. They said they were checking the trolley and the line.

“I’m listening to the trolley and the tracks both, to see if there are any issues. So far it is looking good.”

He said he was happy to get a job on the trolley; they had better working conditions then the train lines where he had worked earlier.

We headed to the Loop at a good speed.

Then as we were about to go to the last station a vehicle in the wrong spot stopped us. The person who had helped me with the ticket went out to find the owner of the car checking businesses and restaurants nearby.

I asked if we could get off here and she answered no.

Maybe it was a safety hazard or responsibility issue or regulation that stopped us from doing this.

While we were here a few families kept asking about riding and the conductor explained that they could pick it up at the platform down the road a few feet.

Finally, the person came out and moved his car and the trolley went a few feet and we got off.

Next, Andrew announced that he had to go to the bathroom. We headed to a nearby Starbucks. I asked if the bathroom was open to the public.

She said, “Yes, but you need to take this stick with the key on it.”

We headed to the restroom and then headed home.

Final Thought on the Trolley

Overall it was a decent experience with the kid. With the trolley, you do now have a transportation link through the full Loop area and back from Forest Park, which is a good thing.

The price of the ride was all right for me at $2 since we took the full loop and didn’t stay longer than two hours. Andrew was below the age of five and he was free, also.

If you ride longer you would have to pay $2 again or buy a full-day pass at $5. If you are age 5-12 you ride the trolley at half off with paying adult admission.

At the price we paid I did enjoy it and so did Andrew. If you like a short ride on a vintage trolley then this is a good idea. It works OK if you want to spend time at the Loop and Forest Park. I didn’t stay longer at the park since I didn’t want to have to deal with the extra cost or wait the 20-30 minutes for it to come back.

I do think they also still have things to work out when it comes to the ticketing machines as I explained above and with people parking in the way of the trolley. If they can work on a better customer experience then the trolley can have a brighter future.