News Release

Ride Historic South Shore Railroad Cars at East Troy Railroad Museum

Date: July 10, 2024

INDIANA DUNES NATIONAL PARK: Join rangers from the National Park Service and volunteers from Indiana Dunes National Park on July 13th for the annual Chicago Day program at East Troy Railroad Museum in Wisconsin and learn about the story of the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad and it’s part in the Indiana Dunes. The East Troy Railroad Museum owns nine South Shore cars, with six of them in regular service, and a seventh being restored now. Visitors will have the chance to ride on the restored South Shore cars, several of which were donated to the museum by the National Park Service in 2010. Younger visitors can earn a Junior Ranger award and East Troy Electric Railroad pin after completing a Junior Ranger program during the event.

During Chicago Day, experience what it was like to ride interurban trains in and out of Chicago 100 years ago. Electric interurban trains were a very common way to travel between cities before the automobile became affordable and roads were improved for travel. Early visitors and advocates of creating a Dunes National Park used the South Shore Line to visit the dunes. Tickets are $16 for adults, $10.00 for children and $13.50 for seniors. Children 2 and under are free. Cake and punch will be served in the East Troy Depot around noon. Special souvenirs will be available for sale in our gift shop in honor of these cars.

The East Troy Electric Railroad operates on seven miles of track that has been in continuous operation for over 116 years. The tourist railroad has been in operation since 1972 and is the only museum in the country that regularly operates historic South Shore Railroad Cars on an electric interurban line.

The East Troy Railroad Museum is located at 2002 Church Street in East Troy, Wisconsin, approximately 15 miles north of Lake Geneva via Highway 120 and 35 miles southwest of Milwaukee via I-43. When traveling to East Troy from Milwaukee on I-43, please use the Highway 120 exit, since the Highway 20 exit is under construction.

www.nps.gov

The Indiana Dunes National Park is one of more than 400 units of the National Park System ranging from Yellowstone to the Statue of Liberty. Located in Northwest Indiana, the park includes 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and 15,000 acres of biodiverse beaches, woods, prairies, and marshes. Over 3 million visitors come to the Indiana Dunes each year.