A Nuts and Bolts Overview
of the East Troy Electric Railroad

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    The East Troy Electric Railroad is a standard gauge, common carrier railroad, operating in interchange with the Wisconsin Central Lines. Its reporting mark is METW, representing Municipality of East Troy Wisconsin, reflecting its former ownership.  It was built in 1906-7 by the Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company, TMER&L, as part of their 200-mile system of streetcar and interurban service.  East Troy was the terminus of one line that ran from Milwaukee.  This segment survived the abandonment of the rest of the East Troy line owing to a need for freight service to sustain the industries located in the town.

    Much of the mainline is original 80-pound rail, which was laid in 80-foot lengths with parallel joints.  There have been several rebuilds of the roadbed over the years, the most recent in 1995-6, during which nearly all of the joints were staggered to reduce wear.

    It is completely electrically operated, with a 600 volt direct-current overhead system powered by two solid-state substations of 800 (main) and 300 (barn) kilowatt capacity. The mainline is covered by a simple catenary of the messenger/contact type hung from line poles every 100',  fed every fourth pole from feeder drops.  The yard and siding areas are equipped with simple single-wire trolley.

    The original Milwaukee Electric 500KW rotary converter motor-generator set, still capable of operation, is on display in the East Troy Depot at 2002 Church Street.

    Also in the Depot is the gift shop and main ticket agent. Parking is two doors north. The main Shop and Carbarn is located west of Division Street in East Troy.   This is where the volunteer workforce maintains and restores the rolling stock.   The main Shop area includes a five-track yard and a 60x250' carbarn.

    The line roughly follows old Wisconsin Highway 15, now County ES, which is paralleled by Interstate 43.  It was first surveyed as a steam road before the civil war.  It was many years before TMER&L began actual construction.  It features original rail and catenary dating back to the building of the line.  There are grade crossings, overpasses, and a passing siding east of the high fill in the Beulah Lake area.  Also, in the East Troy area, there is a mile-long electrified industrial spur running south through the East Troy Industrial Park, known as Trent for the once-major freight customer of the line.  This produced over seven hundred carloads a year in the Sixties and Seventies.  Currently, the railroad’s largest shipper, Burlington Co-op, unloads its farm products on a purpose-built spur at the south end of Young Street in the East Troy Industrial Park.  Trent Tube, manufacturers of specialty stainless-steel tubing, also ships via its spur off Young Street.

    At  Highways J and ES, the Phantom Woods carbarn houses more equipment on the site of the planned future Museum Visitor Center.

    The Elegant Farmer Market is across the road, and the eastern passenger station is located there.

    The Mukwonago Interchange with the Wisconsin Central Lines is a two-track 800' runaround siding.  ETER electrification ends at the WCL derail.

Also see: Line Map