Wichita ? A nonprofit land trust is proposing a tourist train that would run from a popular Wichita entertainment district to Andover.

The train would run through east Wichita following the old Frisco line, which the city of Wichita is considering turning into a walking and biking trail.

Instead, the Sunflower Land Trust would like to run an old-fashioned streetcar on the rail line. The trolley would link Old Town, Wichita State University, Wesley Medical Center, the Wichita Clinic, Bradley Fair, the new Waterfront development and several miles of scenic open area to Butler Community College’s campus in Andover.

“The line has potential both for tourism and for a transportation source, bringing people into the Old Town area without the need for additional parking,” said Jim Michael, chief executive of the Sunflower Land Trust, which preserves open spaces for scenic, historical and ecological purposes.

“Just picture conventions and other events in Wichita with the opportunity to move people to the high-end shopping districts to the east.”

The trust’s interest springs from both the historic value and the economic potential of the rail line, Michael said.

The Frisco line is the second-oldest rail line in Kansas, established almost 125 years ago. Wichita’s transportation history provides an opportunity as a tourism base, he said.

“This city was built on transportation — first rail, then air,” he said. “It’s a heritage that continues today.”

The proposal is competing with a city of Wichita plan to develop a $3.8 million walking and biking trail on the old line, which was abandoned by Burlington Northern Santa Fe.

The city is currently taking comments from the public about the recreation trail.

Two City Council members — Sue Schlapp and Carl Brewer, whose districts include the old Frisco line — said they were interested in hearing more.

“I don’t think any of us have made up our mind about how to use that” line, Schlapp said.

Sen. Henry Helgerson, D-Wichita, a member of the Sunflower Trust board, thinks the tourist train idea should be explored.

“It is one marketable idea that’s been used in other towns that could possibly work,” he said.

“It would be nice to use that in developing a plan we have for the downtown and for tourism.”

Sunflower Trust said the tourist train would likely cost less than the $3.8 million the city intends to spend on a recreational trail.

The group hopes to get grants from governments and private foundations plus individual donations.

Michael said limited-service trolleys, such as the one proposed for the old Frisco line, have been successful in other cities, including Memphis, Dallas, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Tucson and Colorado Springs.