Aurora, Elgin and Fox River Electric
Encyclopedia
The Aurora Elgin & Fox River Electric (AE&FRE), was an interurban
railroad that operated freight and passenger service on its line paralleling the Fox River
serving the communities of Yorkville
, Montgomery
, Aurora
, North Aurora
, Batavia
, Geneva
, St. Charles
, South Elgin
, Elgin
, Dundee, and Carpentersville
in Illinois
. It also operated local streetcar lines in both Aurora and Elgin.
Predecessor companies opened service in 1895 between Carpentersville and Elgin; in 1896 between Elgin and St. Charles and Aurora and Geneva; in 1899 between Aurora and Yorkville; and in 1901 between St. Charles and Geneva. In the era 1901-1906 it was known as the Elgin, Aurora & Southern Traction Company.
Service typically operated on one-hour headways between Elgin and Aurora, with connecting service between Carpentersville and Elgin, and between Aurora and Montgomery.
The EA&S merged with the Aurora Elgin & Chicago Railway in 1906 and became the new Aurora Elgin & Chicago Railroad's Fox River Division. The company was separated by order of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in 1923, when the Fox River Division assumed the AE&FRE name, and the rest of the AE&C (the Third Rail Division) became the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad
. Passenger service ended March 31, 1935, except on a short stretch of track used by the CA&E in St. Charles and Geneva, where passenger service ended December 31, 1937. Freight service continued on a three-mile stretch of the line between Coleman Yard and the Elgin State Hospital under electric power until 1947, and by diesel until 1972. At that time, the remnant of the line was sold to its current museum operators. Rail remaining between the current museum site in South Elgin and the State Hospital was removed in 1978.
Today much of the railroad’s former right of way is now a bicycle path known as the Fox River Trail
. The Fox River Trolley Museum
in South Elgin
operates over a preserved section of its right of way.
Interurban
An interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
railroad that operated freight and passenger service on its line paralleling the Fox River
Fox River (Illinois River tributary)
The Fox River is a tributary of the Illinois River in the states of Wisconsin and Illinois in the United States. There are two other "Fox Rivers" in southern Illinois: the Fox River and a smaller "Fox River" that joins the Wabash River near New Harmony, Indiana.-Wisconsin:The Fox River rises near...
serving the communities of Yorkville
Yorkville, Illinois
Yorkville is a city located in Kendall County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,189 at the 2000 United States Census and is estimated to be 16,505, . It is the county seat of Kendall County...
, Montgomery
Montgomery, Illinois
Montgomery is a village in Kane and Kendall County, Illinois. The population was 5,471 at the 2000 census, and was 14,407 in a 2006 special census...
, Aurora
Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
, North Aurora
North Aurora, Illinois
North Aurora is village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. A suburb of Chicago, its population was 15,848 at the 2009 census.In its early history, North Aurora was known as "Schneider's Mill" or "Schneider's Crossing" after John Peter Schneider, a German immigrant who established a mill and...
, Batavia
Batavia, Illinois
Batavia was founded in 1833, and is the oldest city in Kane County, Illinois, with a small portion in DuPage County. During the Industrial Revolution, Batavia became known as ‘The Windmill City’ for being the largest windmill producer of the time...
, Geneva
Geneva, Illinois
Geneva is the county seat of Kane County, Illinois. It is located on the western fringe of the Chicago suburbs. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 26,652. Geneva is part of a tri-city area, along with St. Charles and Batavia...
, St. Charles
St. Charles, Illinois
St. Charles is a Chicago suburb in Kane and DuPage counties of Illinois, United States, and is roughly west of Chicago on Illinois Route 64. According to a 2004 census estimate, the city has a total population of 32,134. The official city slogan is Pride of the Fox, after the Fox River that runs...
, South Elgin
South Elgin, Illinois
South Elgin is a village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. The population was 16,100 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 20,758 as of 2005. In July 2007, Money magazine named South Elgin as 82 of 100 entries in its "America's Best Places To Live" edition.- Geography :South Elgin is...
, Elgin
Elgin, Illinois
Elgin is a city in northern Illinois located roughly northwest of Chicago on the Fox River. Most of Elgin lies within Kane County, Illinois, with a portion in Cook County, Illinois...
, Dundee, and Carpentersville
Carpentersville, Illinois
Carpentersville is a village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. The population was 30,586 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Carpentersville is located at ....
in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. It also operated local streetcar lines in both Aurora and Elgin.
Predecessor companies opened service in 1895 between Carpentersville and Elgin; in 1896 between Elgin and St. Charles and Aurora and Geneva; in 1899 between Aurora and Yorkville; and in 1901 between St. Charles and Geneva. In the era 1901-1906 it was known as the Elgin, Aurora & Southern Traction Company.
Service typically operated on one-hour headways between Elgin and Aurora, with connecting service between Carpentersville and Elgin, and between Aurora and Montgomery.
The EA&S merged with the Aurora Elgin & Chicago Railway in 1906 and became the new Aurora Elgin & Chicago Railroad's Fox River Division. The company was separated by order of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in 1923, when the Fox River Division assumed the AE&FRE name, and the rest of the AE&C (the Third Rail Division) became the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad
Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad
The Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad , known colloquially as the "Roarin' Elgin" or the "Great Third Rail", was an interurban railroad that operated passenger and freight service on its line between Chicago, Illinois and Aurora, Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles, and Elgin. The railroad also operated...
. Passenger service ended March 31, 1935, except on a short stretch of track used by the CA&E in St. Charles and Geneva, where passenger service ended December 31, 1937. Freight service continued on a three-mile stretch of the line between Coleman Yard and the Elgin State Hospital under electric power until 1947, and by diesel until 1972. At that time, the remnant of the line was sold to its current museum operators. Rail remaining between the current museum site in South Elgin and the State Hospital was removed in 1978.
Today much of the railroad’s former right of way is now a bicycle path known as the Fox River Trail
Fox River Trail (Illinois)
The Fox River Trail is a multi-use path in Illinois along the Fox River. The Fox River Trail connects the communities of Oswego, Aurora, Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles, South Elgin, Elgin, Dundee, Carpentersville, and Algonquin...
. The Fox River Trolley Museum
Fox River Trolley Museum
The Fox River Trolley Museum is a railroad museum in South Elgin, Illinois.-Location:The museum grounds are located at 361 South LaFox Street , approximately two blocks south of the intersection of LaFox and State Streets.-Collection:...
in South Elgin
South Elgin, Illinois
South Elgin is a village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. The population was 16,100 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 20,758 as of 2005. In July 2007, Money magazine named South Elgin as 82 of 100 entries in its "America's Best Places To Live" edition.- Geography :South Elgin is...
operates over a preserved section of its right of way.
External links
- http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr1553.htm
- Fox River Trolley Museum owns car 304
- Northern Ohio Railway Museum owns car 303