Courtesy Gomaco Trolley Co.

There's something about a train, or in this case the toyish-looking trolley, that can turn even grown men into boys again. Not to say that either Michael Rex or Allan Nichol is a kid. They're both accomplished Marin architects. But their enthusiasm for reviving this classic people mover — as a both practical and charming transportation alternative — is infectious.

How could you not be intrigued by transit that conjures the gems of yesteryear in style and bright colors but is completely new - and being considered or already adopted by 80 cities nationwide, from Portland, Ore., to Little Rock, Ark.

Seems people in Marin are in fact intrigued, so much so that Nichol and Rex are getting popular reviews — and growing support from local government, including a bit of funding — for a plan they call Corridors. Good timing, too: Nichol was recently reminded that a year ago he said trolleys wouldn't hit a chord until gas cost $5 a gallon.

Corridors would bring these new-but-design-true trolleys to Mill Valley and the Ross Valley, much of the route shadowing what existed before: Marin's topnotch railroad service. With the trolley system — the electric cars run on track embedded in the street, the juice coming from an overhead power line — Corridors could serve these inner-county, traffic-congested locations with transport to public transportation serving the 101 corridor, such as ferries or Golden Gate Transit, or Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District (SMART), the two-county rail service whose measure was defeated in 2006 and will be on the ballot again this November.

A trolley system, Nichol believes, would encourage bike riding — bikes serving as feeders to the trolley platforms — and it's tailor-made for commerce, providing nonstop delivery of potential customers, who get the benefit of doing their shopping without the cost of driving or the bother of parking. Trolleys travel constantly back and forth like clockwork, dropping folks off at their stops in a continuous motion. "Trolleys and streetcars promote pedestrian cities," says Nichol.

MarinLink, a nonprofit, is the trolley project's financial sponsor, and to date, Mill Valley, Sausalito, and Marin County Supervisor Charles McGlashan have each contributed $5,000 toward a feasibility study. San Anselmo and Fairfax councils have given thumbs up for further consideration. Nichol and Rex hope, at the least, to get funding to build a demonstration line for one of the two routes planned.

"We think it is a viable alternative to the car," says Rex, of San Anselmo, who met Sausalito resident Nichol at a meeting of that city's historical landmarks board. They didn't agree on the topic on the agenda, but did discover that they both were passionate about alternative transportation.

Cost for a system on the scale of Corridors would be in double-digit millions, but Nichol and Rex believe in looking at the big picture and their vision is long term. After all, says Nichol, "policy makers are looking for solutions."

For the past year, Rex and Nichol, on a voluntarily basis, have been shopping Corridors around to local government agencies and anyone else interested in their idea. "It's been gratifying," says Nichol. "Acceptance by the public has been profound." Smiles Rex, "It makes us believe we have a winner."

For More Information, visit Corridors > www.marincorridorsplan.com.