Issue 03-1, Spring 2003

Building the Fox River Line

Editor's Note:

Part 4 of the construction and early years of the Aurora, Elgin & Chicago RR and predecessor companies continues as part of a six part series. The series is based upon and includes extensive quotes from the local press, thus giving a different flavor than that found in more scholarly texts. The history is provided for both our visitors who will learn it from our crews while on our trains and casual readers or history buffs in our readership.
A history of the Aurora, Elgin and Fox River Electric Company including the street car lines replete with numerous pictures can be found in Hopkins Peffers' Aurora, Elgin and Fox River Electric Company, Volumes Two and Three. The books are available at the Museum's Gift Shop during the operating season.

The Aurora and Geneva Ry. paralleled the Fox River. The Fabyan home and gardens were off to the left, center of the picture. Note the windmill to the right of the house. The Fabyan estate was north of the town of Batavia, also known as the windmill capital of the world.

North from Batavia to Geneva

AE&FRE (Part 4)

On June 6, 1896, the Aurora and Geneva Railway Company announced that it would build at once from Aurora to Batavia after a year of negotiating deals for land acquisition and franchises to operate on public street right of ways. The railway announced construction would initially stop at the north side of Batavia. They still were experiencing problems securing a track alignment from Batavia to Geneva.

Property owners along Batavia Avenue (known today as Illinois Route 31) filed a petition with the Kane County Clerk on June 7, 1895 and another similarly worded second petition on September 8, 1896. The petitions read, "The undersigned property owners on Batavia Avenue, between Geneva and Batavia, owning frontage respectfully as stated below, protest against the establishment on that highway of an electric or other railroad, and respectfully ask that any application to your board for right of way for that purpose over any part of said road between said cites be denied. The undersigned are not opposed to such a railroad in a proper place, but submit that the avenue in question is a favorite and convenient driveway, in constant use as such both for pleasure and for business by the inhabitants of the county, as well as by strangers visiting among us; and there is not other avenue between said cities at all suitable or convenient for such uses. The tracks, poles, wires and cars of a railroad would render such a highway, which is not a wide one, not only unsightly and unattractive, but dangerous. It is believed that a right of way not materially less convenient for the railroad and far more consistent with the best interests of the county in general, could readily be secured. Signed: Charles Pope, Henry Fargo, J.H. Wadsworth, Annie Peckman, Sarah Crittenden, Joel Harvey, W.A. Freeman, Martin White, Mrs. W.J. Davis, Mrs. Emma Curtis, Catherine White, Mrs. A.W. Gridley, Jenney Harvey, Mrs. Margaret Sickler, George Skinner, Mary Emma Bennett, John Gunzenhouser, W.P. Fraizer, Joel McKee, E.M. McKee and J.E. McKee". These wordy petitions were only the beginning of a long battle between the land owners and the railway.

Shortly after the track was built and trolleys running from Aurora to north Batavia, the Geneva Republican newspaper reported "We learn that one proposed route of the Aurora & Geneva Electric R'y is to come up Batavia Avenue and across the C&NW R'y track of the Aurora Division, then east to the river bank and follow along the edge of the river, under the highway railroad bridge and up James Street, thence west to the side of the new public hall building, south one block on Second Street and back to the River. Another proposed route is to go west from the point near the railroad track to the Van Nortwick shops, west over the railroad tracks and to a point near the court house from the west. The latter seems to us to be the most practical route, for it would be a great convenience to Van Nortwick, the future manufacturing centre of the Fox River valley". A January 16, 1897 article reports further progress on the proposed routes, "Surveyors have been running lines up various streets in the southern part of town, evidently in the interest of the Aurora electric line. One of them runs west from the south side of the court house on Campbell Street to 6th Street and then south. This would just exactly accommodate us, but we hardly think it the best line for all concerned. There are all sorts of rumors about the company purposes to do, from that of coming directly up Batavia Avenue regardless of injunction of anything else, to running a street of their own through Van Nortwick's. We have always believed that the company would get more patronage from Van Nortwick than from avenue people and by coming that way, could avoid a grade crossing of the Northwestern, as there is quite a cut where the electric road might build a bridge overpass".

The Aurora & Geneva petitioned Geneva for permission to build the aforementioned Campbell Street route in February 1897. However, residents along the Campbell Street route complained as loudly as the Batavia Avenue residents had complained about the Batavia Avenue route. Geneva thus denied the railway's petition.

Aurora & Geneva's General Manager Mr. David Beldon and his staff went looking for alternate routes after being rejected. The new route option was printed in the April 10th newspaper, "It is a question of some of our people whether the management of the Aurora Electric Railway have gone daft or are making a great big bluff. The idea of skirting the river bank and then cutting across some of the best residential property in town, and diving under the North-Western track just to stop at Hogan's pasture, is absurd. If the engineer is sincere in recommending that route, he evidently has not studied the upper topography of the county, and is unacquainted with the prospects for swimming that his car would have at certain seasons of the year. A remonstrance against the proposed route was circulated Thursday, and signed by nearly every business man in town. Every man who kicked against the Sixth and Campbell streets route will double his protest against this plan. Nor will it suit their out of town patrons to be dropped at the depot, and they can not get to the depot without using some street. D. J. Hogan, who found Chicago too warm for him some eight years ago, and coming to Geneva secured a seat in the city council, is now a candidate for mayor, having again missed his foot in larger politics".

The railway route battle became so large an issue that it was reported in the Chicago Record newspaper in late April, "Trolley Fight in Geneva-Condemnation Proceedings to be an Election Issue-A hot fight is being waged in Geneva between property owners and the Aurora & Geneva electric railroad company over the road's right of way. The company wished to follow the street from Batavia, but being unable to secure requisite frontage, it had definitely decided upon another route along the river bank. For more than a mile between Geneva and Batavia the road would cross valuable residential property.

Where the company cannot buy, it intends to condemn the land. This will run the line through beautiful groves which the owners assert are large factors in making the properties desirable and valuable. In one case, highly improved truck gardens will be crossed. This route is chosen as being more direct than another, otherwise better, which is offered the railroad.

A petition setting forth the hardships of one route and the advantage of another and signed by 200 residents has proved so unavailing that if the city council does not refuse a franchise the condemnatory proceedings will be begun immediately. This, therefore, was at issue in the municipal election held Tuesday, April 20, 1897".

The railway's new proposal to build along the river and condemn land resulted in a legal battle in the courts. The July 15, 1897 Batavia Herald reported, "Aurora & Geneva electric-The Condemnation Suit Likely to go clear through the courts causing much delay; No progress has yet been made in the electric road condemnation suite and there is little prospect that anything will be done before the September term of court and even after judgement is rendered, we see no prospect that work can be done. Whether or not the contention of the land owners is right, that incorporation under the horse and dummy act does not give power to condemn land for track purposes, that point will be made in the appeal proceedings, and until a final decision is reached, the railway people certainly cannot move a shovelful of dirt on private land".

One of the projected routes in this area proceeded along what is now IL Route 31 which would necessitate crossing the C&NW at grade at two places. The line as built proceeded along the Fox River through the Fabyan estate thus avoiding the two railroad grade crossings. Pictured here is the line going under the C&NW Geneva-Aurora branch.

The legal battle continued through the summer culminating in trials at the end of August. The August 26th Batavia Herald reported, "Condemnation cases-One of the Most Costly and Fiercely Contested law Suits in the History of Kane County; The condemnation cases which are being tried in the circuit court, have been as fiercely contest as any legal controversy ever known in the history of the county. The Aurora & Geneva Railway Company persists in its design to run through the lands of the residents of the south part of Geneva township and the property owners are equally persistent in their determination to keep the corporation form their back yards and river frontage.

First a change of venue was taken from Judge Willis. Next a determined effort was put forth before Judge Brown to overthrow the right of the railway company to the privileges of "eminent domain", without paying reasonable compensation thereof, the attorneys for the defendants maintaining that street railways are not entitled under the law to the broad privileges of steam railroads.

Judge Brown decided in favor of the railway company, whereupon the property owners endeavored to secure a supersedeas from Judge Magruder of the Supreme Court. Being denied this, they came back on Wednesday and began the work of securing a jury. The jury was censured on Friday, open statements made and on Saturday the jury reviewed the premises." The railway won the four week long court battle. Counsel for the railway secured an order for possession of the condemned property and the work of building the railway was announced to begin at once. Counsel for the property owners made no motions for a new trial or appeal. It is through, however, that the property owners will take the case direct to the Illinois Supreme Court".

Construction started on the Calumet Stock farm just north of Batavia in September. This is the location where the trolley line left the Batavia Avenue right of way (today, this would be just south of the intersection of Route 31 and Fabian Parkway). The Batavia newspaper reported in October that dynamite was used to excavate the limestone rock to tunnel under the C&NW branch line to Aurora. "The departure from the road necessitate a cut several feet deep about six and one half of which is in rock where a great amount of blasting will be necessary. The cut is being made from both directions to tunnel under the C&NW Aurora Branch. Many men and teams are engaged in the work". This work was done at an estimated $10,000 which was a big cost at the time. A dynamite blast on Tuesday (Oct. 30th) used 45 pounds of dynamite placed in nine seven-foot deep holes. The explosion heaved-up and broke nearly 2,000 cubic feet of rock when detonated. Construction came to a stop shortly after this work was done and another legal battle with the land owners ensued for another year.

On Thursday September 1, 1898, the Batavia Herald reported, "Victory for the Railway-Circuit Court at Aurora Favors the Proposed Trolley Line into Geneva; Judge Brown of the Circuit Court decided Tuesday, that the Aurora & Geneva Electric railroad company can amend its petition in the proceedings to condemn a right-of-way into Geneva and show that it is necessary to leave the highway.

This is a continuation of a bitter fight in which the wealthy owners in the outskirts of Geneva sought first to prevent the streetcars from using the highway, and secondly, from passing through their grounds.

The Supreme Court decided recently that a street railway cannot leave the highway without first showing the necessity in its petition. The case will now be re-tried along those lines, and will be decided on September 27th, in time for the October term of the Circuit Court". The legal battle continued through all of 1899 and into 1900 as well. In April of that year, Geneva refused a petition and $10,000 tender from the Aurora & Geneva Street Railway for right of way. The City Council contended that it would be more valuable to the City of Geneva to continue the railway to the highway than to have it run along the river bank through private property. In 1900, the railway finally succeeded in building to the south Geneva City Limit line at the east edge of Batavia Avenue, but not into the City of Geneva proper. The first trolley ran over the new track on September 1, 1900. The St. Charles newspaper reported, "After four years of digging and waiting and of lawing it from the justice's mills to the Supreme Court and back again, the first street car of the Aurora & Geneva electric line on Saturday afternoon bowled merrily over its newly-won and hard-earned right of way from Batavia to the forbidden City of Geneva. Down through a tunnel of rock under the Chicago & Northwestern' Aurora line railroad tracks and over the sacred precincts where the backyards of Chicago's millionaires' country residences in Geneva slope down to the river, rushed the horrid plebeian car. The City of Geneva has a watchman on guard to prevent the cars from coming onto the highway within the city limits. At present, passengers have to walk a couple of blocks to the station of the Elgin trolley line. The cars leave Aurora every forty minutes from 6 o'clock a.m. till midnight".

The Batavia Herald printed information on November 12th announcing how the railway would be able to build into Geneva, "Secured Right of Way, Aurora & Geneva Electric Railway can now be built to the County Court House; The Aurora & Geneva Electric Railway company has at last secured an entrance into Geneva, after many years of litigation. A settlement was made Nov. 15th, with Dennis Hogan, Mayor of Geneva and as the owner of property through which the company now owns a right of way as far as the County Court House.

Hogan was a hard fighter, both as mayor of Geneva and as a the owner of property through which the company wished to build, and it was not until a few days ago that the attorneys for the railroad discovered an effective way to bring him to terms. They ran across the fact that some years ago there were several streets through the Hogan property which had afterwards been vacated. Now, the law declares that vacated streets do not necessarily become a part of the adjacent property, but revert to the original owners at the time the streets were laid out.

The representatives of the railway company, therefore, quietly slipped around and bought the vacated streets of the heirs of these original owners. A settlement with the redoubtable Hogan was afterwards made for the remainder of the right of way by the payment to him of $1,750. The railway company now runs its cars as far north as Batavia Avenue in Geneva and has a right of way from there to the County Court House, including an agreement with the C&NW railway for the construction of a tunnel of a hundred feet long or more under its tracks west of the Geneva Station. The tunnel will be build by the C&NW for its own protection. C&NW officials have agreed to accomplish it as soon as possible.

The second crossing at grade of the C&NW in Geneva was avoided as seen in the picture above. Going north the track made an abrupt turn to the west and headed towards Third Street. Seen in the picture below is the curve onto Third Street. The building in the picture still remains, and the Geneva Car Barn seen on the right is now a commuter parking lot.

Aurora & Geneva Railway general manager David Beldon would not be the one to complete his line into Geneva. A new company arrived in the Fox River valley in 1900 which was a group of capitalists, referred to as "the Cleveland Syndicate" The Geneva newspaper reported on December 13, 1900, "The Elgin City Railroad Company sold its entire system to a Cleveland syndicate. The Elgin Company was incorporated for $500,000 and the price paid was $110 per share of $100. The deal was closed on Dec. 11th. It is said to be the intention of the new owners to secure the necessary rights to extend this property from Geneva through Batavia to Aurora on the east side of the river and enter Aurora over the tracks of the new Aurora-Chicago Railway company. "The Elgin December 15th newspaper reported, "It is rumored that the same syndicate that bought the Carpentersville, Elgin & Aurora electric railway is trying to get hold of the Aurora City, the Aurora & Geneva and the Aurora, Yorkville & Morris lines".

In February 1901, the Cleveland Syndicate created the Geneva, Batavia and Southern Railway Company and the Batavia and Eastern Railway Company, both licenced in the State of Illinois. The officers of the Railways included L.J. Wolf of Cleveland, Ohio; Charles Jones of Wheaton, W.T. Hapeman and A.T. Long of Chicago. On February 23, 1901, the City of Geneva granted the Cleveland syndicate, represented by Mr. L.J. Wolf, a franchise to extend the Elgin line from the car station in Geneva east to the river under the C&NW and across the river for the amount of $500. This franchise authorized an additional railroad track route to connect the Elgin electric line with the Aurora & Geneva but it stated, "The said L.J. Wolf for himself and his assigns agrees that this second route shall not be built for the purpose of giving the Aurora & Geneva Railway or any other railway access to Geneva unless the said L.J. Wolf or his assigns shall first purchase the said Aurora & Geneva Railway". The newly issued Geneva franchise to the other street railway was noticed by the owners of the Aurora & Geneva Electric Railway. The Cleveland Syndicate's actions to build a line to compete with the Aurora & Geneva Electric Railway may or may not have been an elaborate bluff. In either case, the Cleveland Syndicate announced one month later, on March 22nd, that they had purchased the Aurora Street Railroad, the Aurora & Geneva Electric Railway and its associated electric lighting franchise in Aurora.

The March 27th Aurora Beacon reported that the local management of the Aurora Street Railroad and the Aurora & Geneva Electric Railway from general manager David Belden down have been asked for and given their resignations. No changes in the working force were planned. Thus the task of connecting the Elgin and Aurora electric railways was taken away from the original investors and managers of the Aurora companies.

Andrew Roth

What is a Museum?

One of the best times of our Museum year is spring. That is when activity at the Museum ramps up to get ready for opening day. The time goes fast, and, before too long, we are running our first Mother's demonstration trolley ride. In a couple of months we get ready for our season. There is a lot to do. Lubricating equipment, checking electrical systems, getting our train crews signed-up and scheduled, operator training, track maintenance and car and grounds cleanup. Spring work reaches its crescendo on the last Saturday of April-Spring Cleanup Day. It is a time when we invite all of our Members to come out to South Elgin and lend a hand. It is exciting to see old friends, and it is exciting to meet and make new friends. The day is full of energy and promise for the season to come. Everyone works together to do his or her part to get the Museum ready to open. Everyone pitches in to get ready for our Visitors.

Our Museum is a pretty special place to us, and it's a special place for the 1000s of Visitors that we host each season. But, what makes it special? What makes it a museum? What is a Museum?

Not too long ago, a museum was simply defined as a building or place where works of art, scientific specimens, and other objects of permanent value were kept and displayed. It's a simple and concise definition. More than likely, you probably have been to a museum just like that. You looked at display after display of specimens and objects that someone else thinks are valuable. Also more than likely, you only visited that type of museum once-maybe twice at the most. This kind of "museum" seems to hold little interest to most people. It doesn't touch people, so they rarely come back.

But here is an interesting statistic. According to the American Association of Museums, there are an estimated 16,000 museums in the United States that receive over 800 million visits a year! That is a lot of people to just look at displays of specimens and objects. There must be something going on in the museum community that attracts and holds people's interest. There must be something that brings museum visitors back for visit after visit, because those 800 million people are not rushing out to simply look at dull dry displays.

There is something else. Those 800 million annual museum visitors along with the 1000's of annual Fox River Trolley Museum Visitors are visiting museums for an important and powerful reason. They come to museums, because today a museum is to a place of participation, a place of excitement and a place to connect with the world around them. Museums today are not just buildings and places with stuff; they are community-centered places where visitors can remember, discover and learn. And whom do they learn from; they learn from us-the Members and Volunteers. We are the real reason that Visitors return again and again. Our collection, as unique and as exciting as it is, would just be stuff on display without our Members and Volunteers creating an experience for our Visitors. Our work and effort has created a very special place where our Visitors can remember, discover and learn, again and again.

This concept of a museum is not that old-it seems to have gotten its start in the early to mid-1970s. It's a new concept to many museums, but not to us. Since 1966, the Members and Volunteers of the Fox River Trolley Museum have been creating a community-centered place. Our Visitors and Members participate together to create a place of remembering, discovering and learning. It's Education through Demonstration! So as we get ready for the 2003 season, think back on how our Museum was a pioneer in a new way of thinking about Museums. That's pretty special.

Edward Konecki

Mission

To preserve and interpret Chicago's electric transport era that began in the 1890s and peaked before 1950. The electric transport era is significant because electric railways, including interurban, rapid transit, and streetcars, helped the Chicago region grow to be one of North America's great metropolitan areas. The Museum strives to show that electric railways were more than convenient, they were and are a way of life for generations of people from all walks of life.

The Museum fulfills this mission by preserving, interpreting, and operating historic railway vehicles on its demonstration electric railway, over the Aurora, Elgin and Fox River Electric route at South Elgin, Illinois. Furthermore, the museum preserves, displays and interprets smaller artifacts, photos, oral histories, and documents which help relate the importance of electric transport in and around the Chicago Metropolitan Area, putting them in context with their surroundings and era.

2003 Museum Calendar

Mother's Day, Sunday, May 11

Memorial Day, May 26 - AE&C Elgin Branch Centennial

Spring Caboose Day, June 1

Father's Day, June 15

Red, White and Blue - Dollar Day, July 4

Trolleyfest, August 16-17, and South Elgin's Riverfest Express, August 14-17

Fall Caboose Train Rides, Oct. 5 and 12.

Pumpkin Trolley, Oct. 18, 19, 25 and 26.

Board of Directors

Saturday, May 17, 2003 at 1pm, South Elgin Village Hall

Saturday, July 19, 2003 at 7pm, South Elgin Village Hall

Saturday, September 27, 2003 at 1pm, South Elgin Village Hall

Saturday, November 15, 2003 at 1pm, South Elgin Village Hall

Cash Income and Expenses
2001 vs. 2002

2001

2002

INCOME

DUES

DONATIONS

MISCELLANEOUS INCOME

STORE SALES

TICKET SALES

TOTAL INCOME

$5,970

$8,438

$1,788

$8,821

$14,693

$39,710

$6,408

$29,049

$415

$12,013

$18,965

$66,850

ADMINISTRATION

CAR MAINTENANCE

ELECTRICITY

FACILITIES MAINTENANCE

MEMBER SERVICE & PROMO

STORE STOCK

TRACK MAINTENANCE

TOTAL EXPENSES

EXPENSES

$11,998

$3,100

$3,099

$1,277

$11,328

$6,027

$12,419

$49,248

$17,074

$5,879

$2,214

$2,201

$13,826

$6,426

$5,304

$52,924

INCOME LESS EXPENSE

($9,538)

$13,926

Chuck Galitz

Master Museum Member Program

Greetings to all! I am happy to announce that a brand new program will be started this year, the Master Museum Member Program. It is a program in which a member, such as yourself, can volunteer a set number of hours at the museum in the following four areas: Museum Operations & Depot, the Car Department, Buildings and Grounds, and Maintenance of Way. The program has been designed to provide a fun and exciting experience at the Fox River Trolley Museum that will be complemented, with proper supervision, by an exciting, in-depth education on specific areas of the Museum. What is most exciting, however, is that upon completion of the specified number of volunteer hours in each of the four areas, the participant will be awarded the title of Master Museum Member and given several honorary awards in the presence of other members at the Fall Membership Day! If you would like more information about this new program, please feel free to call me, Robert Taylor the Museum Development Coordinator, at (815) 754-5997.

Robert Taylor

We All Have A Stake

I have been a member of the Fox River Trolley Museum for a few years. I live in New Jersey and can't get out too often.

While I have always felt that the FRTM was a top shelf organization, I knew that I had no say. This changed this year when a questionnaire was sent out to all of us. I stated my feelings about voting rights and sent it back. Apparently, many other members did the same. And this board listened and so did the regular membership.

People like me now feel that we are members of "our museum" instead of "their museum." We now should all believe that it is time to do a little more. I am going to try to be out at the museum a few times. Besides, I would like to see one of our 5-50 cars painted in 1959 colors. Maybe I can help.

We all have a stake in our electric line and our favorite cars. We must make a great museum even greater.

Jack Grasso

Gift Shop

The 2003 Fox River Trolley Museum season is just about to begin and so is the Gift Shop at the Museum. We had a very successful 2002 season for the Gift Shop and will be looking for another this 2003 year. We will be carrying many new items this year, such as pins, new postcards, many children's books and other items of interest. We will also have many of the popular books of the past and of the present, along with the 2003 Steam Guide. We plan for some sales on different merchandise also this season. Our Members, Families, Rail Fans, and Visitors are important to the Fox River Trolley Museum. We want to see you and your Family this year at the Fox River Trolley Museum and besides taking a ride, come and stop in the Gift Shop to see if you could by that extra gift you forgot to buy someone or just to treat yourself today. Remember if you are a Member, your Membership card will get you 15% discount on most items sold.

Laura Taylor

Membership

Our Membership at the Fox River Trolley Museum has been growing each year. We plan for the same this coming year also. Our Members have been important to the Museum and always will be. If you know of someone who would like to be a member at our Museum, or you would like to give this as a gift, just let me know and I will get a membership application to you. Many new and long time members look forward to our spring clean-up day, with a lunch provided. We will be having this again this April 26th starting at 11:00 am at the Museum. We will also have an evening get together at the South Elgin Village Hall at 7:00 pm. We want all our Members and your family to come help at the Museum to get our cars, buildings and grounds, etc. ready for the start of the 2003 season. Some of our Members will be getting a note with their Member's Day letter, but not all members will. Please read, it has to do with your Membership dues. See you in April and watch for more information on our Members and your families 2003 events.

Laura Taylor

Operations

Operations will begin on May 11, 2003. We look forward to providing the resources this year to provide the standard operations plus a number of charters that have pre-scheduled their events. Each of you should have received your new schedule requirement sheet and will receive your new schedule by April 27. If not, please give me a call and I will see that you receive yours. We have a number of new members that will be taking their hand at the throttle this year. Please give these new people the assistance and support to doing a good job. Please continue to enjoy working as a motorman and conductor in expressing your joy with the operation. We continue to need more people to make this operation a success.

As in the past, any one wanting to be part of the operation in either working at the depot or operating the cars, please give me a call so that we can start your testing and training. Be courteous and safe this year.

Jim Gonyo

Equipment Project Guidelines

The Museum's Board of Directors at their November 9, 2002 meeting adopted the following "Project Guidelines" for equipment projects.

Project Member(s):
(Include all those involved, including designating at least one individual who will complete the project if the team leader in not capable.)

General Scope of Project:
(Such as Entire rebuild of a specific car or Repair & rebuild a station platform, etc.)

Specific details of this project:
(Example, if you intend to restore a car, what do you specifically intend to do as part of that restoration? Drawings can be included. Will you repair, restore, rebuild or replicate in your work? What combination of above?) Will this project be a static or operating display?

Material Requirements:
(State whether materials are to be purchased or are from existing museum stock. Please be detailed. If you intend to use materials previously obtained by the museum, have you made sure that its not intended for another project?)

Time line for project completion:
(Should be as detailed as the complexity of the project.)

Estimated Cost of Project:
How will this project be paid for? (If you intend to raise outside funds, have you discussed this project with the fund raising committee?)

Restoration Guidelines:
Our Restoration Philosophy and guidelines are under development. They consist of two parts, a philosophy of restoration, and a set of guidelines to be considered during the course of a restoration, to guide the many decisions which must be made. This philosophy and guidelines have not been formally adopted by the FRTM.

Our Restoration Philosophy:
We are preservation organization, and preserving the artifact comes ahead of allelse. The process of restoration is as important as the product. Restoration as interpretation. Preserving skills and knowledge is as important as preserving artifacts. All restoration decisions are based on research. All restorations must be fully documented. Each restoration will be documented in a Restoration Report. Equipment is restored to operate if possible... but we may chose not to. Restoration is not a stand-alone activity. All members must understand that a policy exists.

The following are questions we need to ask, and concepts, which we need to use. (But they are not by themselves a restoration Philosophy) Do it like the Railroad did it, and its corollary, You can't do it like the Railroad, they already scrapped it!

• Understanding the device.

• Identifying a target year,

• Removing updates (what is your target year, justify the decision)

• These are complex technological artifacts

• You do not have to take it back all the way, or you may chose not to remove updates

• Restoration target decisions may not be rational.

• Let the artifact be what it wants to be.

• Replacing missing parts. (How do you decide what to use, documenting your decisions)

• Saving and cataloging removed material.

• Now that you have restored it what are you going to do with it?

• Use controls.

• The interpretive message(s) (This never stops changing.)

Mark Petersen

What are we as members of the Fox River Trolley Museum? We are "Trustees in The Public Interest." The artifacts, cars, equipment and operation of the entity called the Fox River Trolley Museum or Fox River Trolley Association are entrusted to us to preserve, maintain and operate. Beyond our "Mission Statement" this is the most important part of what we are. Our "Mission Statement" and being "Trustees in the Public Interest" is expressed in terms of our "Persona" - the perception the public has of us. Thus it is most important in the way we represent ourselves to the public as individual Museum members. If we are to progress with funding to save, restore and preserve "cars" and "track," operate trains, maintain "trolley wire" AND to have "fun" doing it we MUST establish, maintain and enhance that perspective in our deportment and contact with the "public."

We have, at this time very strong support from the "community" as represented by various governing bodies including the State of Illinois, Kane County, Elgin and St. Charles Townships and the Village of South Elgin; South Elgin Chamber of Commerce, South Elgin Lions Club and the Elgin Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and other businesses, community organizations and the public at large - many of whom we have not met and may never see at the Museum. As "Trustees" we are to be "inclusive" rather than "exclusive" in terms of our attitudes toward people - visitors - donors - residents - passersby.

How do we do this . . . attitudes, demeanor, functioning, behavior, speech, advertising, promotions etc. are examples of the "how". We have experienced an extremely good year in 2002 in terms of safely educating visitors, ticket and gift shop sales, new services and equipment maintenance. Let us build on these successes by encouraging more involvement and participation. The results for us as individual trustee Museum members are attainment, fulfillment, gratification, pleasure, enjoyment, satisfaction AND FUN.

Don MacBean

Fox River Lines Staff

Managing Editor—Don MacBean, 817 College Ave. #5, Wheaton, IL 60187
(630) 665-2581 E-mail DMacbRR@aol.com

Layout and Graphics— Jack Sowchin

Fox River Lines is the official publication of the Fox River Trolley Association, Inc., an Illinois not-for-profit corporation. It is published four times per calendar year for distribution to members and friends of the museum. Reproduction of Fox River Lines, either in part or in its entirety, is strictly prohibited without prior permission from the editorial staff or the FRTA board of directors. Entire contents Copyright © 2003 Fox River Trolley Association, Inc.

Submissions: Submission of stories from members and others is necessary to publish Fox River Lines. Feature length articles are always welcome and considered. Please contact the staff before undergoing a project. Contributors submit materials with the understanding that no monetary compensation is provided.

Correspondence: Comments, suggestions, and corrections relating to Fox River Lines should be directed to Managing Editor Don MacBean at the address listed above. The editorial staff appreciates your feedback.