Photo by Asher Heimermann, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Upcoming Events
No ticketed events are currently listed for Kenosha Transit. Many heritage operators publish schedules seasonally or run on regular open hours instead of dated events.
Check the operator’s website for current hours and special runs, or subscribe to event alerts and we’ll email you when something is scheduled.
History
Streetcars first served Kenosha through the Kenosha Electric Railway, which ran Birney Safety Cars from February 3, 1903 until February 14, 1932, when the city converted to electric trolley buses. Rails returned at the turn of the 21st century, when Kenosha built a modern electric streetcar line in step with the HarborPark development on Lake Michigan: the track sub-base went down in autumn 1998 using crushed concrete from the old Simmons/American Motors plant foundations, welded rail followed in 1999, and the 600-volt overhead was energized in April 2000. The line was ceremonially dedicated on June 17, 2000 — car 4610 'Toronto' broke the ribbon, piloted by Richard Lindgren, who had been a motorman on the original Kenosha Electric Railway in 1932 — with regular service starting June 19. The circulator quickly became one of Kenosha's top tourist attractions and a model project studied by urban planners worldwide, carrying over 63,000 passengers a year on its two-mile downtown route; the fleet grew in October 2011 when John DeLamater purchased and donated two more PCC cars.
The Trains
The line runs historic PCC streetcars — Kenosha's six 'Red Rocket' A15-class cars were built in 1951 by the Canadian Car and Foundry Company in Fort William, Ontario for the Toronto Transportation Commission, using St. Louis Car Company bodies, and were remanufactured and rebodied from the windows down in 1991. Each car wears a unique livery honoring a North American system that ran PCCs: 4610 Toronto, 4606 Chicago Surface Lines, 4609 Pittsburgh Railways, 4615 Johnstown Traction, and 4616 Cincinnati Street Railways. Two later additions arrived in 2011 — 4617, a 1951 Toronto-built car painted for San Francisco Municipal Railway, and 2185, built in 1948 by the St. Louis Car Company for Philadelphia and later run by SEPTA until 1992. The cars draw 600-volt direct current from overhead line on continuously welded rail.
Nearby
Where to Stay
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Most heritage railroads sit well off the interstate. Picking up a rental at the nearest airport is usually the easiest way in.
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More in Wisconsin
All train rides in Wisconsin →Train Types in Wisconsin
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