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The Rockhill Trolley Museum has nearly completed the restoration of an Aurora, Elgin & Chicago interurban car built in 1909 by the Kuhlman Car Company. Among the finishing touches is hand-crafted gold-leaf lettering.

Car 315 has been at the museum since 1963, when it was purchased from the Aurora, Elgin & Chicago for $500. The car was made operable in 1967 and was used on special occasions from then until 2001, when it was taken out of service because of a deteriorating platform. Initially, the plan was to rebuild just the platform, but it eventually turned into a 25-year total rebuild (although not all at once).

Among the finishing touches is gold-leaf lettering and numbering. 

The museum has contracted with a local artist, “Hot Rod Jen” from Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, to apply the gold-leaf lettering and numbering. The Rockhill Trolley Museum was the first railroad museum to hire Jen, and she has since gone on to do work for the Strasburg, McHugh Locomotive & Equipment, Fox River Trolley Museum and others.

Volunteers are also working on reupholstering the seats inside, installing upper clerestory windows and interior trim.

—Justin Franz 

The post Restoration of Aurora, Elgin & Chicago Car Nears Completion appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

Bachmann Europe have revealed their Autumn British Railway Announcements, with N Gauge seeing two new tooling projects joining the Graham Farish range in the form of the 'Heavyweight' Class 37/7s and the 24.5ton mineral wagon, both of which are very welcome additions to the scale.