Issue 03-4, Winter 2003

The Year 2003 in Review

The Frizane clan, all 30 of them, celebrate and enjoy Ken's 60th birthday party at Blackhawk Forest Preserve, arriving there on CNS&M 715 in May 2003. Charters are playing a more important part in the Museum's operations than ever before.

The year 2003 saw continued growth at the Museum. The picture above indicates one aspect of that growth. The number of inquiries for charters in season and out from e-mail and regular correspondence has increased each year for the last five years. A number of groups have returned and "Birthday Party" charters are becoming increasingly popular as well as inquiries from scout organizations. Membership is up and ticket sales show steady growth in spite of an increase in ride charges. And oh yes, ice cream has become a very popular item at the gift shop. The museum was featured in a number of newspaper and magazine articles as well highlighted in the Kane County 2004 Calendar and The Forest Focus, the quarterly newsletter of the Kane County Forest Preserve where we were listed as a specialty partner. We have continued to grow in our relationships with our communities. Articles in this issue expand on our activities in 2003.

Don MacBean

Generous Members and Friends
Produce a Balanced Budget
THANK YOU!

Thank-you! To everyone who contributed to our 2003 General Fund, the Museum wants to give you a big thank-you. The General Fund provides funding to non-project specific Museum operations and activities-including our liability insurance. The large increase in our insurance premiums for 2003 created a significant shortfall in our 2003 budget. Prudent management and a close watch on spending still left a significant budget gap, but each and every one of you came forward to help out and close the revenue gap. In December, your response to the match challenge offered by myself and Chuck Galitz was incredible! Chuck and I happily matched our $4000.00 to your General Fund December, 2003 cash contributions of $7,974! Even more exciting, for the final quarter of 2003, all of us contributed over $14,000 to the Museum's General Fund.

Here is the breakdown as of this writing of your generous contributions for all fourquarters of 2003:

First Quarter 2003:
Second Quarter 2003:
Third Quarter 2003:
Fourth Quarter 2003:
Total 2003 General Fund Donations:

$6,596.56
$5,753.00
$2,320.00
$14,697.85
$29,367.41

22.46%
19.59%
7.90%
48.67%
100.00%

Here is the breakdown of your generous contributions for the final threemonths of 2003:

October 2003:
November 2003:
December 2003:
TOTAL :

$1,498.85
$225.00
$12,974.00
$14,697.85

Because of your generosity and commitment to the mission and vision of the Fox River Trolley Museum, the Museum was able to bring fiscal 2003 to a close with a balanced budget. Everyone at the Museum wants to extend a big thank-you for what you have done to support "Education through Demonstration"© and for giving the Museum a good start for the New Year-2004.

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.

Museum 2004 Calendar

Saturday, April 24 - Spring Members Work Day
Sunday, May 9 - Mother's Day - Opening Day
Saturday, May 15 - Board of Directors Meeting 1pm; Village Hall, 10 N. Water St.
Monday, May 31 - Elgin - South Elgin Day
Sunday, June 6 - Spring Caboose Day
Sunday, June 20 - Father's Day
Saturday, June 26 - First Saturday operation for June, July and August
Saturday, July 17 - Board of Directors Meeting 7pm; Village Hall, 10 N. Water St.
Saturday and Sunday, August 21 and 22 - Riverfest Express - Trolley Fest
Saturday, September 25 - Board of Directors Meeting 1pm; Village Hall, 10 N. Water St.
Saturday, October 2 - Fall Members and Family Day
Sundays, October 3 and 10 - Fall Caboose Days
Saturdays, October 9 and 16 - Harvest Festival
Saturday and Sunday, October 16 and 17 - Pumpkin Trolley
Saturday and Sunday, October 23 and 24 - Pumpkin Trolley
Saturday and Sunday, October 30 and 31 - Ghost Story Train - By Reservation
Sunday, November 7 - Last Day of Season
Saturday, November 13 - Annual Meeting, 1pm; Village Hall, 10 N. Water St.
Saturday, November 20 - Board of Directors Meeting, 1pm; Village Hall, 10 N. Water St.
Saturday, December 4 - Polar Express - By Reservation

Don MacBean

Autumn Track Department News

Our fall trackwork season was not as productive as hoped, but we ended the season with a bang this year on Saturday, November 22, 2003. The job for Saturday was to replace two switch ties-one switch tie in our major yard junction switch-Switch 54. The other switch tie in our carbarn lead special work for switch 34. Member Janet Gonyo volunteered to get on the phone the week before the 22nd and call Museum members to help out. Assistant Roadmaster Konecki sent out an e-mail to all of the people on the current track list to join us for some brisk Saturday exercise in South Elgin.

As part of the preparation work for Saturday, Member Chuck Galitz came out during the week and spotted the replacement ties next to the work sites. Chuck also took pity on the track crew and using the Museum's tractor, pulled the old tie out of the car barn lead switch and then dug out the location for the new, bigger tie.

Saturday the 22nd was a great day for working on track. The weather was overcast with a temperature in the high 40's. Joining Roadmaster Konecki to help out that day was Member Rich Chapas and his son Mark Chapas along with Members, Chuck Galitz, Patrick Eagan, Art Lemke and Ralph Taylor.

The morning job was to change out the southern most tie on Switch 54. This tie is called a head block tie, since its job is to support one side of the switch machine. The new tie is 13 feet long and went right in without too much difficulty. Rich, Mark and Patrick, new to the track gang, quickly picked up track skills and soon all of them were developing a good eye and hand to driving spikes. Along with replacing the south head block tie, the track gang also took some extra time to reposition the north head block tie so that the spacing between the two head blocks would match the Museum's engineering standards. This part of the job was challenging as it required making sure that the position of the switch machine did not change. In addition, the track gang's maintenance window on switch 54 lasted only until noon. After 12:00 p.m., the Museum would start gearing up to host some winter charters for the South Elgin Park District. Working against the clock, we finished Switch 54 with time to spare.

The next step was to get the new tie into the car barn lead switch, number 34. The track gang picked up their tools and headed over to the new work site. After a quick lunch, we started work. Unfortunately, the first tie we picked out for a replacement had some defects. Consequently, we lost some time while picking out a replacement from the Museum's tie storage yard. We also had taken some time to go through switch parts to select a switch brace that would match the new tie. Soon, the new tie was in and everything was almost together. However, the new brace needed some adjustment, so Chuck Galitz spent some time with a grinder adjusting the brace to fit. Soon the brace popped in and the job was complete.

Inclement weather the following weekends prevented putting together any more track gangs for 2003. However, spring of 2004 is just a few months away. Track work starts up at the end of March or beginning of April. This year's preliminary project plan for track maintenance is to start tie replacement from Switch 54 on south on the mainline. We have over 200 relay ties, donated by Swanson Track Contracting, that need a new home in the mainline.

Thanks to everyone how helped out on track at the close of the season and throughout the year. You and your efforts make the difference between motionless trolleys and true "Education through Demonstration."©

Edward Konecki

Cash Income and Expenses 2002 vs. 2003

INCOME

Dues
Donations
Miscellaneous Income
Store Sales
Ticket Sales
Total Income

2002

$6,408
$29,049
$415
$12,013
$18,965
$66,850

2003

$10,964
$27,197
$405
$10,081
$20,559
$69,206

EXPENSES

Administration
Car Maintenance
Electricity
Facilities Maintenance
Member Service& Promotions
Store Stock
Track Maintenance
Total Expenses

0

$17,074
$5,879
$2,214
$2,201
$13,826
$6,426
$5,304
$52,924

0

$28,440
$3,523
$2,069
$3,008
$18,121
$6,572
$6,803
$68,536

Income
Less Expense

$13,926

$670

Chuck Galitz

Work Continues on CA&E Car 316

The restoration of Chicago, Aurora, and Elgin car 316 is once again underway! The project started in 1988 in efforts to start replacing some rotted wood flooring, but temporarily halted due to lack of funds and time. The restoration got underway again in the winter of 2003, starting with the replacement of the north end brake piping. Two refurbished trolley poles were installed, and coupled with work done by Don MacCorquodale on the pump governor, air gauges, and feeder valve, solidified the cars running condition for the future. During the summer, Ralph and Rob Taylor replaced four rotted door posts on the north end of the car, all of the corner post hold-down brackets, all of the interior cross members, the vertical paneling, and repaired the interior panels. The wiring to the street headlight was repaired and one resistance grid bank beneath the car was rebuilt. There is still a lot more work to be done on the interior and exterior of the car, however it is estimated that the car will be having limited passenger service by the fall of 2004, with regular service a short while later.

Rob Taylor

What's in a Word?

When visitors come to the Museum, ride our cars, write letters or e-mails to us or visit our web site or search to find information on the "web" they use words to communicate i.e. ask questions or make comments. For starters, some of the words that we both use are: trolley, interurban, side of the road, museum, public interest, railroad, rapid transit, street railway, preservation, historic, and traction . These words sometimes have DIFFERENT meanings to us than to our visitors.

Specifically, some of these words have explicit meanings to "traction" fans such as many of us are at the Museum. Even some of our members perhaps younger than your editor attach a different meaning to a word. Using "traction" as an example, to some who may have broken important limbs, traction can refer a state that a person's limbs are manipulated to effect a cure or therapy. Webster's Third New International Dictionary published in 1971 gives the following definitions:- traction (noun)

1a: the act of drawing or pulling, the state of being drawn; force exerted in drawing

1b: the drawing of a body (as a vehicle) along a plane or gradient by motive power also the motive poweremployed in such
drawing

2: the power or influence that attracts

3: public utility transportation service (as electric railways and trolley lines)

4a: the adhesive friction of a body on a surface

4b(1): the pulling of or tension to one body part by another

etc. etc. etc.

The words "interurban" and "trolley" in Webster's have definitions not associated in today's culture with what they are historically or at the Museum viz

"interurban" - (adj) going between cities or towns <interurbans ~electric railways~>;

"trolley"definitions-

2a: a current collector operating in connection with a trolley wire;

2b: an electric car :trolley car : streetcar.

There are a five additional definitions in the dictionary. Having pointed out these definitions the one most commonly received in e-mails and correspondence refers to what is the bus that looks like a cable car such as we use during "Trolley Fest/Riverfest-Express to carry people between various events and venues or that operate free of charge by the City of Chicago during the summer tourist season.

Why devote so much "ink" to this subject? To point out to ourselves as Museum members to take the opportunities we ALL have of helping our visitors understand what we are about in terms of our mission and to relate that to their lives in connection with their experience of "Education Though Demonstration."

We are in transition from being a "railroad club" for the benefit of our members to a museum that holds its cars and railroad "trolley line" (the tracks and right of way) as trustees in the public interest. It is moving beyond just providing rides for fun but rides into history and the natural surroundings to expose and educate visitors to the transportation heritage of the area and its place in the Fox River Valley. This includes the importance of the natural ambience of "what it was like 100 years ago."

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.