Riding the Rails Start Date: Friday 1/17/2020 — End Date: Sunday 4/19/2020 Admission:free Riding the Rails A new exhibit, "Riding the Rails" opens on January 10 and runs through April 26 at the Saratoga History Museum. One of the highlights of the exhibit is a rare, restored Interurban passenger stop. The interurban was in use from 1903-1933 and provided a transportation solution for enabling travelling between the cities of San Jose, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Campbell, and Palo Alto. The Interurban was part of a technological breakthrough in the early 1900s across the US. At that time paved roads were uncommon and automobiles were still a twinkle in Henry Ford's eye. Railroads did not service many of the small towns so the Interurban provided a convenient, economical service. The Peninsular Interurban connected San Jose, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Campbell and Palo Alto using rail and electricity. The sleek, red cars ran every hour and every 2 hours in the evening. The clanging of the trolley lured passengers to travel in comfort at 30 mph for dentist appointments in San Jose, to attend school at Stanford University, or go to Congress Springs for recreation. The cost to ride from Saratoga to San Jose was .35 cents or about 3 cents per mile. Prior to this service residents would travel by horse and buggy which could take up to an hour alone to reach San Jose from Saratoga. In the spring 65-mile long blossom tours brought people to Santa Clara Valley to enjoy the wonderful scent and see nine million blossoming trees for just $1.00. The Interurban could also be used to haul freight such as: oil, fruit, gravel and other cargo. The exhibit will include many photos and artifacts from that timeframe on the interurban. The Interurban Stop which provided passenger comfort is believed to be the sole one in Northern California. The passenger stop was located near Nippon Mura, a popular resort at that time and located on Saratoga-Los Gatos Road. The Saratoga History Museum is located at 20450 Saratoga-Los Gatos Road in Saratoga. The museum is open from 1-4 Friday, 10-4 on Saturday and 1-4 on Sunday. Admission is free. For more information go up to www.saratogahistory.com or call 408-867-4311. Location: 20450 Los Gatos-Saratoga Road Saratoga Contact: Annette Stransky annette022003@yahoo.com URL: http://www.saratogahistory.com