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The Wisconsin Electric Railway Historical Society, Inc. (TWERHS) is a non-profit, educational, historical society. Incorporated in 1967, we are dedicated to the preservation of electric railway history and promotion of present day electric transit systems. We are perhaps best known for our East Troy Trolley Museum, which we operated from 1972 until forced to close in 1984. Despite our museum closing, we remain a viable and active organization. All functions and activities are carried out by our members who volunteer their time and various talents. Membership is open to anyone interested in supporting our goals and activities.
ARCHIVES Through the years we have acquired hundreds of slides, photos, movies, maps and other documents related to various electric railway systems. These materials provide a source for research and enable us to assist others with books, magazine articles and TV shows. Some of these materials are also used in our public programs and our newsletter.
NEWSLETTER Our newsletter, Wisconsin Electric Lines (LINES) is published bi-monthly. It contains news, current events and historical information of interest to our members and supporters. While the major focus is on Milwaukee area systems, other systems and topics are often covered. Through the years we have received many compliments for finding and publishing tidbits of interesting information often overlooked by larger publications. All members receive all issues for the current membership year. In addition, new members receive copies of all back issues we may still have on hand. In the interest of sharing information, we also exchange newsletters with other historical societies and rail museums.
PROGRAMS Our members are available to present programs to historical societies, railroad clubs, seniors, scouts, church or any other organizations. These programs usually feature slides, movies or videos of transit topics, ranging from historic topics to current systems or museums. If interested in a program for your group, contact us at addresses below.
WEBSITE This website is intended to present information and news to our members, supporters and visitors with an interest in electric transit. While we try to insure all information is correct, we would appreciate knowing of any errors. In the case of events sponsored by others, please check with the sponsors if the info is wrong. Photos used on this site are from our collection and credit is mentioned when known. However, many have passed through several hands before being acquired by us, and their origin may not be clear. In the event we are using someones photo without proper credit, let us know and we will delete it or apply the proper credit. When preparing this site, we made several important choices: 1. Go for content rather than glitz. 2. Find a free designer and free host. 3. No annoying pop-up ads. We thank Trainweb for hosting us, and hope that you patronize their sponsors when possible.
YAHOO GROUP We have a group hosted by Yahoo that anyone can join. This is the ideal place to ask questions, offer comments and share information with the other members of the group. The link is provided below.
BOOKS, FILMS & VIDEO Our collection also includes books, slides and several 8mm and 16mm films. In order to share these films with the public, we have transferred some to video tape. Most videos are done in-house and available on a limited basis. "Riding The Number 10 Line" was our commercially produced video. It covers Milwaukee's Route 10 Wells Streetcar Line from downtown to West Allis and Wauwatosa. It was produced by "Interurbans Films" and later marketed by Pentrex. Unfortunately, it is now off the market. Copies might still be found at hobby shops, railroad shows or second-hand markets. Copies of our first book, "Milwaukee Streetcar Notes" by Doug Krymkowski are still available. Please see the "Events and News" page for more details.
FAN TRIPS From time to time we sponsor fan trips on various transit systems or to area museums. These trips are open to members, and others are welcome as space permits. Past trips have been made to ride the Chicago Transit Authority subways and elevated lines, to ride the South Shore Line from Chicago to South Bend, to ride the Kenosha Electric Streetcar, to visit the Fox River Trolley Museum and the Illinois Railway Museum. We also chartered trips on new types of Milwaukee County Transit System buses as they entered service. Check the "Events and News" page for any up-coming trips.
OTHER BENEFITS In addition to the fan trips, we also sponsor an Annual Dinner, Pizza parties and other events for members, their families and friends. Members may also purchase items offered from time to time at discounted rates through our concession department. These include items produced by us, as well as books, videos and other items we can purchase wholesale from other sources and pass the saving to our members.
SUPPORT & CONTRIBUTIONS TWERHS is a 501(c)3 corporation. We do not receive any grants or outside funding. Our income is through membership dues, donations, and proceeds from sales through our concession department. Donations of materials as well as financial contributions are greatly appreciated, and are tax deductible.
MEMBERSHIPS Our membership year runs concurrent with the calendar year. Membership is open to anyone interested in supporting our goals and activities. All members are encouraged to attend and participate in our activities whenever possible. We have four classes of membership.
Non-Voting Membership is $20.00 per year. Non-Voting members receive all benefits and have all rights of membership except they may not vote nor hold any elected office. All new members must enter as Non-Voting. Upgrade to Voting membership may be considered after one full year as a Non-Voting member.
Voting Membership is $25.00 per year. Voting members receive all benefits and have all rights of membership, and in addition, they have one vote in any matter brought before the membership, and they may hold elective office.
Complimentary This Non-Voting membership is generally granted to supporters who have not joined, but support us through contributions of materials to our Archives or provide photos and articles for our newsletter.
Honorary This Non-Voting membership is generally granted to members or supporters that have made a substantial contribution of materials, or in recognition of their many years of outstanding service to our organization or to the transit industry.
How To Join We are not able to accept memberships on-line at the present. If you are interested in joining, please scroll down to the application, download it and mail it in to us.
CONTACTING US We would like to hear from you, with your thoughts, comments, questions or suggestions. You can drop us a note via one of the contacts below.
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Our Mailing Address Is - TWERHS - PO Box 1926 - Milwaukee, WI 53201 Our E-Mail Address Is - twerhs@yahoo.com Our Yahoo Group Is - "twerhsgroup"
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If you would like to join us, right click on the application below (GIF Format), print it now or save it to your files, and print it later. Fill it out and mail it to our PO Box. Note: New members may only apply as Non-Voting. Present members may renew as Non-Voting or Voting.
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