Trolley museum booms during Riverfest
Just south of Riverfest activities and the new fully accessible playground at SEBA Park, is the Fox Valley Trolley Museum.
Its business picks up during South Elgin's Riverfest Express as visitors stroll in from a block north to see a wide range of old electric train cars ranging from Chicago's elevated transit to street railways and interurban cars.
"We pick up a lot more visitors when Riverfest is going on,"said Chuck Galitz, the museum's chief lineman. "That's why (during Riverfest) We run more cars, we run a bunch that aren't out all time, ones we keep in barn for events like this."
Visitors can ride the 2-mile track to the Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve and back for $4. Children 3 to 12 and people older than 65 can ride for $2 while kids younger than 3 ride for free.
Visitors also have the option to ride a hand-pumped train car for $1.
"It's not too difficult, we don't go at breakneck speeds," Galitz said. "We just let everyone get on and pump down for about 1,000 feet. It's an experience you're not going to get someplace else."
The most popular spot for kids and families is the caboose. There, kids can sit in the engineer's cab and pretend they are a conductor controlling the other trains.
"We look forward to it every year," Galitz said.
The museum is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Visit www.foxtrolley.org.