#61 is the oldest surviving street railway vehicle built as an electric car.  It was delivered with open platforms and a red paint scheme which identified it as an Elmwood Avenue car.  Other cars had different colors:  purple for Branch Ave., red & green for Cranston, etc.  The car colors are duplicated in the clerestory windows and the route name and destination were painted on the front dash.  The end platforms were later enclosed.

After the First World War, 26 now-elderly single truck cars were converted into service cars.  #61’s seats were removed and it became sand car #1567.  Streetcars typically carry sand in a hopper (usually under a seat near the front end) and drop it onto wet or slippery rails to prevent sliding.  As 1567, the car brought sand from a sand pit to the various car barns for distribution.

#1567 was in use until Rhode Island trolley operations ended on May 14, 1948.  After acquisition by the museum, the car was given a dark green paint job.  In 1978, #61 was repainted into its color scheme of about 1907, after the platforms were enclosed. The car was repainted again in 2013-2014.