The Sheboygan Light, Power & Railway Company of Wisconsin
In 1889, the Sheboygan Electric Light Company began providing electricity to homes, and in 1893 it took over the money-losing horse-drawn streetcar system, renamed itself the Sheboygan Light, Power & Railway Company, and replaced the horses with electric-powered cars. The cars ran 19 hours on normal days, and to improve revenue, the system carried freight for Kohler Co., local cheese factories, and quarries. Gradually the system added track until by 1908 the rail line had extended service to Elkhart Lake. In 1908 the Sheboygan rail system also bought three new cars from the Cincinnati Car Company: #25, #26 and #27.
Sheboygan's electric rail system operated into the 1930s, but ridership began dropping in the early 1920s. Aiming to keep its rail system viable, Sheboygan expanded the freight service in 1930, joining with other railroads to haul loads to and from Chicago. This service was called the "Bathtub Special" because the main user was Kohler Company for its plumbing supply business. Service within Sheboygan ended in 1935 and the last run to Plymouth was in 1938.
As business waned, car #26 was sold in 1937 and became a summer cottage near Lake Michigan. By 1988 it was deteriorating, so it was donated it to the Friends of the East Troy Electric Railroad Museum. They restored it to near original condition. The car was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. Today the car is operated intermittently by the East Troy Museum, carrying visitors on the museum's 7.5 mile remnant of the Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company's interurban line.
Sheboygan Power & Light Ry Car 26
Sheboygan Power & Light Ry Car 28
