East Troy Electric Railroad Facts for Kids

"METW" redirects here. For the collectible card game, see Middle-earth: The Wizards.

Quick facts for kids East Troy Electric Railroad

Ex-Milwaukee streetcar 846 in 2021
Locale	East Troy, Walworth County, Wisconsin
Connections	Canadian National Railway
Commercial operations
Built by	The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company
Original gauge	4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Preserved operations
Reporting mark	ETER - Formerly METW
Stations	3
Length	7 miles (11 km)
Preserved gauge	4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Preserved electrification	600 V DC
Preservation history
Headquarters	East Troy, Wisconsin

A steeplecab electric locomotive outside the storage barn in East Troy

The East Troy Electric Railroad (reporting mark ETER) is a special kind of train line. It's a heritage railroad, which means it keeps old trains running for people to enjoy. The East Troy Railroad Museum owns and runs it. You can take fun train rides on a 7-mile (11 km) track. The journey goes from East Troy all the way to Mukwonago, Wisconsin.

History of the East Troy Railroad
What the Museum Does Today
The Train Route Explained
- How the Railway Works
- Powering the Trains
Special Trains and Equipment
Gallery
See also

History of the East Troy Railroad

How the Line Started

This train line has a long history. It began way back in 1907. At that time, it was part of a bigger train system. This system was called The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company. It connected East Troy to the city of Milwaukee.

Village Takes Over

In 1939, the part of the line between East Troy and Mukwonago was bought. The Village of East Troy purchased it. The rest of the line to Hales Corners was no longer used. For ten years, the original company's crews still ran the trains.

In 1949, the company decided not to continue running the trains. So, in 1950, the village hired its own crew. They operated the railroad themselves until 1985. During this time, the railroad was known as the Municipality of East Troy Wisconsin Railroad. Its special symbol was METW.

Museum Steps In

In 1985, the village asked the Wisconsin Trolley Museum for help. They wanted the museum to take over running the railroad. The museum agreed and moved all their old trolleys to East Troy.

Even before this, museum operations had started. The Wisconsin Electric Railway Historical Society (TWERHS) moved its electric train collection to East Troy in 1967. They used the line by agreement with the village. This agreement ended in 1984. Then, the Wisconsin Trolley Museum officially started running the line as the East Troy Electric Railroad. Later, between 1995 and 2000, a group called Friends of East Troy Railroad Museum, Inc. bought the rail line. They also bought a large collection of trolleys from Paul Averdung.

What the Museum Does Today

The East Troy Railroad Museum is a fun place to visit. It has a museum and offers train rides. The track is just over 7 miles (11 km) long. You can take rides weekly from spring through fall.

The old building where the power used to be is now the ticket office and museum. From there, you can buy tickets for rides. You can travel to the Elegant Farmer store at Phantom Woods. You can also go to Indianhead Park in Mukwonago. The museum has about 30 pieces of old electric train equipment. These are kept safe in storage barns in East Troy and at Phantom Woods.

The museum is a non-profit group. This means it's run by volunteers and helps educate people. The old power building is also a special place. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Train Route Explained

How the Railway Works

The East Troy Electric Railroad is a standard gauge railway. This means its tracks are the same width as most other train tracks. It used to connect with the Canadian National Railway. This connection allowed the East Troy electric railroad to carry freight. They would pick up and deliver things like fertilizer, sand, lumber, and steel tubing to East Troy. However, the railroad has not carried freight for at least ten years now.

Powering the Trains

Most of the track is very old, but it was fixed up in the mid-1990s. The entire line runs on electricity. It uses a 600-volt direct current system. The trains get their power from overhead wires. There used to be a large machine that helped provide power. This machine is no longer used and is now on display at the museum.

Special Trains and Equipment

The museum has many interesting old trains. Here are some of the notable ones:

Original owner	Number	Built	Notes
Sheboygan Light, Power and Railway Company	26	1908	A wooden interurban car that has been fully fixed up.
The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company	846	1920	A streetcar from Milwaukee.
Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee	761	1930	An interurban car that has been fully fixed up.
The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company	D-23	1907	A special "Line Car" used to fix and maintain the overhead wires.
Chicago South Shore and South Bend	24, 25	1927	These used to be regular interurban coaches. The museum changed them into dining cars named "Ravenswood" and "Beverly Shores."
The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company	L-6	1911	A utility crane car.
The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company	L-8	1935	An electric locomotive used for pulling freight.
The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Traction Company	L-9	1944	Another electric locomotive used for pulling freight.
Chicago South Shore and South Bend	6, 9, 13, 23, 30, 33, 107	1926 1929	Steel interurban coaches.
Twin City Rapid Transit Company	1583	1913	A streetcar with two sets of wheels from Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Gallery

The East Troy Railroad Museum lines up former Chicago, South Shore and South Bend cars for a photo shoot.
A 1924 elevated car from the Chicago Transit Authority (left) and a 1913 Twin City Rapid Transit Company streetcar (right)
Chicago South Shore and South Bend No. 13 at The Elegant Farmer in Mukwonago
Chicago "L" No. 4420 and 4453 at East Troy
North Shore Car 761 on its first public run in East Troy in July 2021
Outside the East Troy Railroad Museum
Inside the East Troy Railroad Museum
An old Milwaukee streetcar 846 running on the East Troy line in 2006