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In addition to the constant upkeep of our historic trains, track, overhead wire, and buildings, volunteers also spend hundreds of hours each year working to restore our historic railcars to a historically accurate and safe operating condition. This allows future generations to experience travel on classic railcars once thought to never operate again!
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Current Projects
Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee #162
Car 162 was built in 1915 by the J.G. Brill Car Company of Philadelphia for the Chicago and Milwaukee Electric Railway (C&ME). The C&ME would become the famed Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee (the "North Shore Line") only a year later. Car 162 is a 58-seat coach car used by the North Shore Line (NSL) until only weeks before its final runs on January 21, 1963.
Car 162 was built in 1915 by the J.G. Brill Car Company of Philadelphia for the Chicago and Milwaukee Electric Railway (C&ME). The C&ME would become the famed Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee (the "North Shore Line") only a year later. Car 162 is a 58-seat coach car used by the North Shore Line (NSL) until only weeks before its final runs on January 21, 1963.
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Car 162 would regularly travel at speeds of over 80 miles per hour between Chicago and Milwaukee. 162 is the oldest surviving NSL passenger car and one of only four surviving C&ME cars.
Car 162 will require body, roof, and interior work along with rebuilt electrical and brake systems. The end floors will also need to be rebuilt as was done on Car 761. The restoration of Car 162 is currently our main restoration project. Restoration of the car will provide the museum with a second operational NSL passenger car, and when paired with Car 761, will provide the museum with a two-car NSL train, the first to operate in Wisconsin since the 1980s! This two-car train will also serve as backup to the two-car Bunny, Trick-or-Treat, and Christmas trains. To learn more about 162: click here. |
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Chicago South Shore and South Bend #107
Car 107 was built in 1926 by the Pullman Car and Manufacturing Company for the newly formed Chicago South Shore and South Bend (the "South Shore Line") Railroad. Car 107 is a combination (or "combine") car, a passenger car which also has a freight compartment at one end. Combine cars were once a common sight on interurbans across America, including the South Shore Line. Increased ridership due to gas and rubber restrictions during WWII caused the South Shore Line to lengthen and modernize all of its combines and some of its coaches. Car 107 operated until 1983, when it was retired and acquired by the National Park Service, which donated the car to the East Troy Railroad Museum in 2010.
Car 107 was built in 1926 by the Pullman Car and Manufacturing Company for the newly formed Chicago South Shore and South Bend (the "South Shore Line") Railroad. Car 107 is a combination (or "combine") car, a passenger car which also has a freight compartment at one end. Combine cars were once a common sight on interurbans across America, including the South Shore Line. Increased ridership due to gas and rubber restrictions during WWII caused the South Shore Line to lengthen and modernize all of its combines and some of its coaches. Car 107 operated until 1983, when it was retired and acquired by the National Park Service, which donated the car to the East Troy Railroad Museum in 2010.
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The interior of this car has been stripped and the seats removed to prepare the car to become a mobile classroom, where we can accommodate STEM classes, field trips and charters needing audio-visual capacities. It will also be equipped as a reserve Dining Car for our Dinner Trains. In addition, Car 107 will receive trolley poles and a new air compressor due to differences between the South Shore and the East Troy railroads' power sources.
While CNS&M Car 162 (above) is our main priority, restoration experts will continue to make steady progress on Car 107. To learn more about Car 107, click here. |
Recently Completed Projects
Since 2020, our dedicated restoration experts have completed the restorations of three historic railcars! The most recent two are listed below.
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Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee #228
The East Troy Railroad Museum acquired Car 228 from The Wisconsin Electric Railway Historical Society in 1988. At that time volunteers did preliminary work to restore the car, but did not complete the work. Starting in early 2022, restoration work began again and the car left the maintenance facility under its own power for the first time in over 50 years in April 2024. The car looks practically new and is a showcase of both midwestern interurban and East Troy Railroad Museum history. 
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Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) #4439
This car was acquired from the Toledo, Lake Erie & Western Railway and Museum in 2020. The car has been completely restored, inside and out, and was painted to match the final color scheme worn by this car when it was retired from service in November of 1973. Photographic evidence suggests that this car ran on the last day of operation for cars of this type, which were built in 1924. This car was dedicated on August 13, 2022. 
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Earlier Restoration Projects:
You can read about several other restoration projects completed over the last few years by clicking on the name of the car below. These articles were published in First & Fastest, the magazine of the Shore Line Interurban Society, and are used with permission.
Chicago South Shore Car 9
Chicago South Shore Car 33
The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Co. Car D23
Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee Car 761
You can read about several other restoration projects completed over the last few years by clicking on the name of the car below. These articles were published in First & Fastest, the magazine of the Shore Line Interurban Society, and are used with permission.
Chicago South Shore Car 9
Chicago South Shore Car 33
The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Co. Car D23
Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee Car 761