PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — For the first time in years, a vintage trolley ride makes a comeback in Portland this weekend.

This time, however, the trolley will be running on clean, quiet battery power.

It took Dave Rowe, aka Trolley Dave, five years and 7,000 hours to retrofit the car. He’s been working on trolleys like this since 1980, but his love of trains started when he was just two years old.

“I remember this steam coming out of the wheels… And I still remember that today,” he said.

Even with the trolley upgrades, the tracks needed work too.

So TriMet and ODOT, plus the cities of Portland and Lake Oswego teamed up to fix it.

Former congressman Earl Blumenauer, who was honored at the relaunch, helped secure the tracks’ right-of-way back on Portland City Council nearly 35 years ago.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be here,” Blumenauer said.

Now the scenic 90-minute round trip ride from Lake Oswego to Portland’s south waterfront travels along trestles, tunnels and riverfront views.

“It’s just a magical thing that I think everybody should do, because we’ve worked very hard to keep it going,” said Anne Naito-Campbell, who was part of leading the charge to restore the trolley.

Her dad, Bill Naito helped shape several parts of Portland, including Waterfront Park. She hopes every rider feels her dad’s legacy of optimism and pride.

“My dad would be so happy today,” Naito-Campbell said.

The updated trolley returns this Memorial Day Weekend. Click here for tickets and information.