1) Jesus Luna, of LTM Industries, pilots the new natural gas powered 'Sand Tram' on its inaugural ride at Santa Monica Beach during the official countdown to the Santa Monica Pier’s Centennial on Tuesday, September 9, 2008.  2) Santa Monica Police Chief Timothy J. Jackman, Santa Monica Mayor Herb Katz and Mayor Pro Tem Richard Bloom take a ride on the new Sand Tram. 3) Santa Monica Fire Chief Jim Hone and Jean McNeil Wyner, Community & Physician Liaison of Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital, ride back-to-back during the test drive. 4,5) Community leaders, local personalities, and centennial celebration organizers enjoy the ride over Santa Monica Beach. The prototype Sand Tram, a 60-foot-long beach trolley capable of carrying 100-plus passengers, typifies the Centennial’s theme of “100 years in the past, 100 years in the future.”  The natural gas powered vehicle will travel on the sand and transport beachgoers between the parking lots, the Pier, and the new Annenberg Beach House; restoring popular beachfront transportation once provided by electric trams until the 1960s.