David Douglas Express gathers dust

Students and staff at David Douglas High School pass the DDX signs in the breezeway every day. A windmill and a set of solar panels stand high by the station where the project had once been powered. But what is it?

According to an article on djcoregon.com, the trolley tracks spread 720 feet across the breezeway. “Eight 12-volt batteries, wired in series, power the trolley’s engine,” the article stated. “Two more batteries, wired in parallel, operate the lights, horn and windshield wipers.” The tracks are now buried beneath grass, and the trolley locked up. The reason for the trolley’s closure is a mystery to most. “It got put away almost immediately,” Ms. Lind, a US Governor and Psychology teacher, said. “I remember they tested it out, it worked and then it wasn’t really open for business.” Ms. Lind said that safety might have been a factor of the trolley’s disappearance.

According to an article in the Daily Journal of Commerce (DJC), the trolley was to be a “first of its kind” and a “learning experience” for student engineers. “I was trying to come up with an idea that was simple,” Mark Haner, a teacher, said. “I thought maybe the students could work on a golf cart shuttle that would carry students between the buildings.” His idea had transformed to a trolley, which ended up taking the team of students from 1996 to 2000 to complete through funds from other businesses. “There were times it was frustrating,” said Lee Tran, a 1999 graduate. “What kept me going was the thought of achieving a feat that had never been done before.”

A graduate from the school questioned the practicality of the trolley. “I don’t remember even seeing it move,” Chris Conklin, a graduate, said. “Everybody talked about it like it was a joke.” The student felt the project was a “waste of money.” “I bet it would be faster to walk instead of taking the trolley,” he said. Few got chances to ride the trolley. “I wanted to, but did not!” Ms. Lind said. 

In 1957-1958, the team of students spent an entire Christmas break hammering by hand more than 1,000 spikes for the track. According to the DJC article, the students felt “the years of frustration, brainstorming and hard work paid off as a group of visitors stepped aboard the first official run of the David Douglas Express.”