Interurban Cars

TMER&L 1924 Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light 1129
TMER&L 1924
Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light 1129
Description:Single-end railroad-roof rebuilt coach

Equipment Information

Milwaukee Electric 1129 is the last surviving interurban coach operated by Wisconsin’s largest interurban system. Car 1129 was originally constructed in 1909 as a wooden coach, but in 1924 it was completely torn down and rebuilt by the Milwaukee Electric as a modern interurban car. Retaining only its basic wood frame, the car acquired a new roof, interior, and steel sheathing. The car was sold in 1941 to the London & Port Stanley interurban line in Ontario and acquired by IRM in 1955 as one of the museum’s first cars.

FUN FACT: You may notice that car 1129 currently bears the wrong number. In the 1970s, when the museum’s restoration standards were a bit less rigorous than today, a volunteer painted car 1129 to represent similar Milwaukee Electric car 1111 – a long-gone sister car that had been nicknamed the “Four Aces.” IRM just hasn’t gotten around to repainting car 1129 correctly yet.

Builder: TMER&L
Year Built: 1924
Seats: 48
Length: 54ft 3in
Width: 8ft 7in
Height: 12ft 10in
Weight: 89000 lbs
Brakes: AML
Motors: None
Control: None
Compressor: None
Trucks: Bald 84-34AA
Description: Single End / Double Truck / Railroad Roof / Coach
Arrived: 1955
Condition: Incomplete / cosmetically restored / not operational

Read more about the history of this car in Rail & Wire #202

Photo gallery

Ownership History
1924-1938 – The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company #1129
1938-1941 – The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Transport Company #1129
1941-1955 – London & Port Stanley #21
1955-present – Illinois Railway Museum, Union, IL

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