East Troy Railroad opens for the season
The East Troy Railroad kick offs its 2019 season Saturday.
Trains will depart on the hour from the East Troy Depot starting at 10 a.m. The last train departs at 3 p.m. Trains run every Saturday and Sunday through the first weekend in November. They will run three times a day on Fridays starting May 31.
The East Troy Electric Railroad operates on the last 7 miles of the original track from The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company interurban system, which used to have more than 200 miles of track in and around Milwaukee. For more than 50 years, starting in 1905, trains left from the
Public Service Building at 3rd and Michigan in Milwaukee and whisked passengers to and from cities and towns throughout southeastern Wisconsin, including Waukesha, Burlington, Port Washington, Sheboygan, Watertown, Kenosha, Racine and East Troy.
The Public Service Building is still there. It’s now part of the headquarters for WE Energies, which is the company that emerged from the original Milwaukee Electric Railroad & Light Company. But the tracks are gone, except between East Troy and Mukwonago, where you can still experience what it was like to ride interurban trains between Milwaukee and the cities and towns north, south, and west of the city.
Prices for the round-trip rides are $8 for kids, $12.50 for adults, and $10.50 for seniors. One ticket is good for rides on the trains all day. One round trip takes about 90 minutes.
Trains stop at the Elegant Farmer in Mukwonago, which is a popular spot for farm-fresh produce, cheese, and the famous Apple Pie Baked in a Paper Bag. The trains are heated and there are restrooms inside the East Troy Depot.
For more information, visit www.easttroyrr.org or call 262-642-3263.
