Approximately 200 people attended the Golden Spike ceremony last Thursday afternoon in Shipyards Park.

The ceremony celebrated the extension of the Waterfront Trolly to Spook Creek, near the intersection at Quartz Road and Chilkoot Way, close to the Wal-Mart store.

It is a 1,550-metre extension to the trolley line, which now covers 2.5 kilometres in downtown Whitehorse.

The line was initially opened in June 2000 and was only 800 m long. Since that time, it has slowly grown to its length today.

The extension was built through an almost $400,000-contract with Ptarmigan Tarmac. Construction began in August 2004.

The trolley car is originally from Portugal, but was bought by the Yukon government from a museum in Minnesota for about $156,000.

Pat Molloy, the senior project manager for the Department of Highways and Public Works, said Monday the trolley made about 12 full-length trips on the newly-extended line over the long weekend.

The trolley car is able to hold approximately 36 people, and Molloy said he had been told that it had been full every trip.

Looking out his office window, Molloy said he could see the trolley headed by and it didn't appear that the enthusiasm for it was dying down.

'It still looks pretty full,' he said.

It costs $2 to ride the trolley, no matter where you get off, he said.

Molloy said he suspects the trolley is starting to become a form of public transit for the tourists.

With its proximity to Wal-Mart, where a lot of people park their RVs, they're able to just walk over to the trolley stop and catch a ride into the downtown core, he said.

Last Thursday's celebrations at Shipyards Park also featured the unveiling of Alyx Jones' statue called Ravens House, as well as entertainment.