East Troy Electric Railroad
East Troy Electric Railroad | |
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Reporting mark | ETER |
Dates of operation | 1939–present |
Predecessor | The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
Electrification | 600 vDC |
Headquarters | East Troy, Wisconsin |
The East Troy Electric Railroad (reporting mark ETER) is a heritage railroad operating passenger excursions on a 7-mile stretch of track from East Troy, Wisconsin to Mukwonago, Wisconsin.
History
The line dates back to 1907, when it was a part of The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company line from East Troy to Milwaukee.
The East Troy-Mukwonago segment was transferred to the Village of East Troy in 1939, when the remainder of the line to Milwaukee was abandoned, and was operated by the village until 1985 when the Wisconsin Trolley Museum took over the operation of the railroad.
The Friends of East Troy Railroad Museum, Inc. purchased the rail line and rolling stock between 1995 and 2000 in stages. Museum operations began over the line as early as 1967 when The Wisconsin Electric Railway Historical Society (TWERHS) relocated its collection of electric railway equipment from North Freedom, Wisconsin to East Troy. TWERHS operated over the line using a trackage rights agreement with the village until 1985, when the trackage rights agreement ended upon the sale of the line. In 1989 the TWERHS collection was sold and the museum disbanded. By this time WTM, which had become the East Troy Electric Railroad, was operating historic interurbans and streetcars on the line.
Current operation
The East Troy Electric Railroad Museum operates a museum and several miles of the track offering rides on a weekly basis during the spring through fall season. The original substation building in East Troy, Wisconsin is used as a ticket office and museum, and visitors can purchase rides to the Elegant Farmer store at Phantom Woods, near Mukwonago. A collection of approximately 40 pieces of electric railway equipment is kept in storage barns in downtown East Troy and at Phantom Woods.
Route description
East Troy Electric RR | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Legend | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The railway itself is a standard gauge common carrier railroad that operates in interchange with Canadian National Railway (formerly a connection to Wisconsin Central Ltd.) This gives the East Troy electric railroad the ability to pick up and deliver freight (including fertilizer for the Farmers Co-op, sand for the local Ready-Mix, and lumber and steel tubing) to the village of East Troy.
Much of the track is original and the rail bed was refurbished during the mid-1990s. The line is completely electric, utilizing a 600V direct current system. Power is supplied to trolleys through overhead wires. The original 500 kW rotary converter motor-generator is no longer used and is on display at the museum.
Notable equipment
Original owner | Number | Built | Notes |
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Sheboygan Light Power and Railway | 26 | 1908 | fully restored wooden interurban car |
The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company | 846 | 1920 | Milwaukee streetcar |
Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee | 761 | 1930 | interurban coach undergoing rebuilding |
The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company | 200 | 1887 | body (only) of a street railway parlor car |
Chicago South Shore and South Bend | 24, 25 | 1927 | former interurban coaches converted by the museum to dining cars "Ravenswood" and "Beverly Shores" |
The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company | L-6 | 1911 | Utility Crane Car |
The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company | L-8 | 1935 | Electric locomotive used for hauling freight |
Milwaukee Electric Railway and Traction Company | L-9 | 1944 | Electric locomotive used for hauling freight |
See also
References
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to East Troy Electric Railroad. |
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