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Wisconsin Streetcar Systems |
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| Kenosha |
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| Kenosha Transit Electric Streetcar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Began Operation: 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miles of Line: 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stations: 17 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Organization: Transit Agency | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Schedule: daily | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| John Smatlak photo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Kenosha
is a city of 95,000 located along the shore of Lake Michigan a short
distance north of the Illinois / Wisconsin border. Kenosha Transit operates a two-mile streetcar loop
which connects the
local commuter rail station to downtown attractions, a transit center, and
the new 64-acre Harborpark residential development situated
on the Lake Michigan shore. Daily service is provided using one of five refurbished Toronto PCC cars, each painted in a different color
scheme. The entire project, including the a new maintenance building,
was completed for under $4 million.
The two legs of the one-way loop are situated two blocks apart and the fare is 25 cents. Operating hours vary by season, with a shorter schedule provided during the winter months. A double-ended siding has been provided about midway through the route, adjacent to the city museum, which allows extra cars to be held to accommodate special events at the museum and the lakefront park. Service is provided with five former Toronto PCC streetcars. These 1940's vintage cars were obtained at a very economical price after Toronto retired its PCC fleet in 1995. Prior to their arrival in Kenosha, they were converted from Toronto's broad gauge to US standard by swapping in trucks from a group of just-retired Chicago rapid transit cars. They also received general repairs, wheelchair lifts, and new "classic" paint jobs, each one an accurate copy of a PCC-era paint scheme from a famous transit property. Work was done by Miner Railcar in Iowa. All of the cars are stored and serviced in an impressive maintenance building which shares a site with a new Transit Center, providing easy transfers to local bus routes. One of the outstanding features of the Kenosha system is its attractive right-of-way through the city. Kenosha offers an excellent example of how unobtrusive a streetcar line can be- it blends in very well with its surroundings, and has the appearance of a system that was planned as part of the community, not added as an afterthought. The entire right-of-way has been carefully landscaped, and features extensive use of New Orleans-style "neutral ground" with grass covering the entire roadbed except for the rails themselves. To protect the force-ventilated motors on the PCC cars a snow-fighting plan has been put in place to combat the snow that inevitably builds up in their path during the winter months. ADA-accessibility: All five of the Kenosha PCCs utilize an onboard Stewart & Stevenson wheelchair lift salvaged from a transit bus. Taking advantage of the wide rear doorway on the PCC, the lift deploys through the open doorway and down to street level. When stowed, the lift does not block the center door. |
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July 2009-
In conjunction with the APTA Rail Transit Conference in Chicago,
the APTA Streetcar & Heritage Trolley Subcommittee visited the
Kenosha system on Saturday June 13. The group rode regular Metra
service from Chicago, boarding a regular-service streetcar upon
arrival. On board, Kenosha Transit's Len Brandrup provided a
welcome to the system and answered questions about its development
and expansion plans. The group then toured the streetcar maintenance
facility and transit center. Following lunch at the local diner, most of the group boarded the bus to continue touring intermodal centers in Wisconsin, while those
more attuned to the technical side of the cars stayed behind and saw a fine demonstration of PCC technology and engaged in interesting discussions about heritage trolley equipment issues. The two groups joined up again in Milwaukee for dinner.
Special thanks are due to Len Brandrup, Brad Preston and all at Kenosha Transit for hosting the group.
