Projects
We have three restoration projects underway at the museum! See the left column below for more details.
We have completed a number of restorations over the past seven years. See the right column below for more details.
We have completed a number of restorations over the past seven years. See the right column below for more details.
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Current Restoration Projects
South Shore Car 6
Car 6 came to the museum in 2010 via the National Park Service at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (now Indiana Dunes National Park). Restoration started in 2020 but stopped when we realized several wheels were out of specifications and would need to be replaced. New wheels for Car 6 are in house now, which will allow us to refurbish its trucks and continue the restoration. However the next priority for the museum will be Car 107 (see below). Car 6 needs its seats reupholstered, needs new flooring, some rewiring, and cosmetic work to restore its appearance. A new canvas roof and new trolley poles will also be installed. South Shore Car 107 Car 107 also came to the museum via the National Park Service at Indiana Dunes. The interior of this car has been stripped and the seats removed to prepare this car to become a reserve Dining Car for our Dinner Trains. It will also be equipped as a mobile classroom, where we can accommodate STEM classes, field trips and charters needing audio-visual capacities. This car is the next priority after we complete Car 228 (see below). 
North Shore Car 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. Quite a bit of work has been completed on the car since it was moved to the maintenance facility in early 2022. A new canvas roof still needs to be applied to the car, several doors must still be installed, plus new trolley poles will need to be added once the new roof has cured. We still hope this car can make its debut before the end of 2023. |
Completed Restoration Projects
North Shore Car 761
The East Troy Museum acquired Car 761 from a Michigan museum in 2001 and started initial work to restore the car soon afterward. Volunteers replaced the roof, had new doors made, and purchased fabric to reupholster the seats. Efforts ground to a halt when volunteers discovered structural deterioration on the north end of the car. When a qualified welder joined the volunteer team in East Troy, the Board agreed that it was time to restart the restoration work. In addition to the structural work, Car 761 needed body work, needed to be repainted inside and out, needed new flooring, needed the seats reupholstered, needed brake lines reinstalled to both controls stands, needed new doors, and needed stairways to be reinstalled on both ends. All this work was completed and the car was dedicated in June of 2021. 
ChicagoCTA Car 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 these cars, which were built in 1924. This car is scheduled to be dedicated on August 13, 2022 during Chicago Day at the museum. Older Restoration Projects: You can read about several other restoration projects completed over the last 7 years buy 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 |