Celebrating 106 years of riding the rails through Southeast Wisconsin’s Kettle Moraine countryside, the East Troy Electric Railroad has planned a number of special events for the upcoming season showcasing its stable of interurban rail treasures.
This year the railroad will add a pizza train to its dinner train schedule allowing young rail fans the opportunity to dine aboard former coaches of the Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad.
A variety of antique trolleys and interurban coaches that once whisked passengers from major cities to surrounding towns and nearby summer retreats will be featured during the season, including Chicago’s workhorse “L” cars that debuted in the 1920s, a rare trolley built for the Milwaukee Transport Company in 1920 and a lavish interurban trolley from 1908 originally manufactured for the Sheboygan Light Power & Railway.
All special events are included in the daily unlimited ride fare of $12.50 for adults, $10.50 for seniors, $8 for children ages 3-11 and free for children younger than 3.
The 2013 summer events calendar includes:
North Shore Day
Photos and memorabilia of the North Shore Line, which ceased operation 50 years ago, will be on display Saturday, June 22, including a retrospective from noted railroad photographer John Gruber from the Center for Railroad Photography & Art in Madison.
North Shore Day will serve as the launch of a fundraising campaign to restore Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad coach 761, which will be on display during the event.
Chicago Day
Celebrate Chicago’s railway history during Chicago Day Saturday, July 27, as the East Troy Electric Railroad features its collection of rapid transit cars that once transported people around Chicago and its suburbs. Riders of Chicago’s “L” line prior to 1978 will remember the iconic 4000-series cars and historic Pullman-built cars of the famed Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad.
Milwaukee Day
Home to the last remaining streetcar from the Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company still in operation, the East Troy Electric Railroad will celebrate Milwaukee’s rich railcar history during Milwaukee Day Saturday, Sept. 21.
Joining the 1920 built streetcar, which once whisked residents from the greater Milwaukee area to the ballpark and shopping centers, is a 1907 line car equipped to respond to trolley emergencies. Also featured during the weekend is L8, a stately locomotive built in 1935 that once served as a secondary work car called on to help in track maintenance and brush cutting, as well as serving as a yard goat and backup locomotive.
Dinner Trains
Recreating the time when commuter trains offered lavish meals served on china atop white tablecloths, the East Troy Electric Railroad will offer guests a two-hour, four-course exquisite dining experience on June 15, Sept. 14 and 28 and Oct. 5, 12, 19 and 26. Tickets are $72 per person and prepaid reservations are required.
New this year, the railroad’s family-friendly pizza train will ride the rails on June 13 and Aug. 17. The two-hour casual dining experience, taking riders from the railroad’s historic depot to Phantom Lake in Mukwonago and back, includes pizza, beverage and garlic bread. Ticket price varies per number in party. Prepaid reservations are required.
The East Troy Electric Railroad’s dining cars are former coaches of the Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad. Built in 1927 and acquired by the railroad in the early 1990s, each Pullman car underwent extensive renovation by museum volunteers resulting in mahogany trimmed, Art Deco interiors complemented by an exterior color scheme featuring the railroad’s colors of red and silver.
For complete details on special events and dinner trains, visit www.easttroyrr.org.
