The Wildwoods Boardwalk Tram Cars undergoing huge change

If you grew up at the Jersey Shore, there are some sounds that instantly throw you back. The click-clack of flip-flops on hot boards. Skee-ball tickets spitting out. The seagulls stealing funnel cakes. And of course, that voice: “Watch the tram car, please. Watch the tram car, please."

Now one of the Wildwoods’ most iconic attractions is quietly changing in a pretty large way. The famous Sightseer Tram Cars are getting help from something you probably never expected rolling down the boardwalk...electric Volvos.

The tram cars themselves aren’t going away.

You’ll still ride in those familiar yellow-and-blue passenger cars. The difference is what’s doing the pulling.

For decades, the tram system relied on its original battery-powered tractor units. Basically, the front “engine” that tows the connected passenger cars behind it. Some of those mechanical units date back generations and are becoming harder and way more expensive to maintain.

So this summer, three fully electric Volvo EX-40 SUVs are joining the fleet. Technically, they’re replacing the towing unit, not the tram itself. Think of it like swapping the locomotive while keeping the train cars.

The Volvo will hook up to the passenger trailer and pull it along the boardwalk route.

It’s a clever fix: the original ride experience stays, the famous warning stays (in that oh so pleasant voice), but the power source becomes far newer and much more reliable.

There’s a practical reason too. The old tram batteries reportedly weigh over 2,000 pounds and need to be physically removed for charging. The new Volvos can run for a couple of days before needing a recharge. That’s a huge maintenance break in the middle of summer crowds.

So yes, this is weird. Seeing a sleek Volvo towing a piece of Jersey Shore history may take some getting used to.

But if it’s any consolation, according to nbcphiladelphia.com Volvo’s American headquarters are based in the Garden State and the partnership came about because of one Volvo executive’s ties to Wildwood.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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