On the Wildwoods Boardwalk, visitors experience numerous sights and sounds, but no sight or sound is as iconic as the world-famous Sightseer Tram Cars and their signature recorded warning, “Watch the Tram Car Please.”
A staple in the Wildwoods for more than 70 years, there are currently eight Tram Cars that continue to service the two-mile boardwalk – transporting hundreds of thousands of passengers each year.
Whether you’re riding in the tram, or walking along the boards, it’s hard not to join along when you hear “Watch the Tram Car Please.” Recorded in 1963 by North Wildwood resident Floss Stingel, “Watch the Tram Car Please” has grown to become one of the most recognizable phrases in the tri-state area.
In 1949, a local businessman named Gilbert Ramagosa purchased the five original diesel Tram Car engines and trains that were custom built for the 1939 World’s Fair in Flushing, New York. The diesel engines were converted into environmentally friendly batteries before being introduced on the Wildwoods Boardwalk that year, and have been in continuous operation since. Each Tram Car can run for up to 12 hours on a single charge from their 2,000-pound electric batteries.
Saved from bankruptcy by the private, non-profit Wildwoods Boardwalk Special Improvement District Management Corporation (WSID) in 2004, the Tram Cars continue to be a most recognizable icon of the Wildwoods.
“The property and business owners who are members of the WSID and stepped up to make sure the Tram Cars would continue to serve the Wildwoods Boardwalk, are proud that we have been able to keep this 70-year tradition rolling on our great Boardwalk,” said Ken Schwartz, President of WSID and a third-generation boardwalk property owner.
In 2016, to show thanks and appreciation to long-time Sightseer Tram Car employee John “Gigi” Gigliotti, the WBID dedicated a new tram engine to service on the Wildwoods Boardwalk – the first new Tram Car Engine since 1963. A former railroad conductor, Gigi is safety director for the tram’s seasonal employees.
The Tram Cars have been a must-see attraction to all when visiting the Wildwoods. To commemorate their 71st year in 2019, Morey’s Piers & Beachfront Water Parks honored the iconic Wildwoods attraction with the opening of its ‘Runaway Tram Coaster.’ This fun sized coaster, located on Morey’s Surfside Pier, has families twisting and turning through a whacky summer seascape.
For additional information about the Wildwoods Boardwalk Sightseer Tram Cars, visit www.DOOWW.com/tramcar or call 609-523-1602.
For additional information about the Wildwoods, visit www.WildwoodsNJ.com or call 800-992-9732.
