Elgin-Belvidere Line Included A Stop In Huntley

Imagine having a handy passenger trolley line that rides between Elgin and Belvidere with convenient stops at , Gilberts, Coyne Station, Marengo or wherever else you might flag it down.    

Such service would seem a pleasure now, with public transportation lacking in these communities.    

But such a line did exist at the early part of the last century.    

Some called it the streetcar. Some called it the trolley. Others referred to it as the third rail. It was known as the E&B or even “Arnold’s Folly” after its owner. It was officially the Elgin & Belvidere Electric Company and it ran an interurban electric line between the two cities.  

At its height, the trolley ran in both directions numerous times daily beginning before 6 a.m. and continuing until midnight. The E&B connected to lines that would run to Aurora or Chicago.

The line ran parallel to the Chicago and North Western Railroad tracks, but the fare for riding the trolley was much less than taking the train.

The leg of the route from Elgin to Belvidere was called “The Dairy Route,” traveling through the abundant farmlands and often collecting milk cans for transport to processing plants.

The company was incorporated in 1905 with Hamilton Brown of Geneva as the principal stockholder and the Arnold Company of Marengo in charge of the engineering and construction of the road.

Construction on the line began that summer and continued through the fall.  But when the E&B directors fell on hard times and the sale of their bonds fell through, B. J. Arnold decided to complete the line at his own personal expense.    

Laborers were paid $1.75 a day for work on the track and payment was made in gold at the Webster Livery Stable in Gilberts.    

Powerhouses to supply the electricity for the trolleys were constructed along the line, with the main shop situated at Marengo.    

Service began Oct. 1, 1907 with limited trains stopping at every cross road and farm house until a more formal schedule and stations were established.    

The Huntley station was situated on the north side of West Main Street, west of what is now Route 47.    

From Huntley, it would cost 5 cents to ride west to Coyne Station, 25 cents to get to Marengo, and 50 cents all the way to Belvidere. In the other direction, a quarter would get a rider to Elgin.    

At a time when travel was not easy, the interurban line provided a convenient means to visiting, shopping and jobs in larger communities.

It carried baseball teams and hometown fans to games between communities along the line.  It transported troops into Chicago during World War I. It brought the evening newspapers from Elgin. It carried crowds bound for the picnic groves in Huntley.

The line, however, was not without its problems.    

Spring thaws and April rains often slowed operations across marshy areas. Heavy snows could shut down the operation.    

And the line was plagued with accidents.    

Many accidents were due to livestock wandering on the tracks, autos or wagons stopping in front of the interurban cars, mechanical failure or human negligence.    

In January of 1908 an eastbound streetcar stuck a team of mules and a wagon at the Keating farm crossing in Huntley, causing the derailment of the car and the death of the two animals.    

According to reports, a major accident took place Sept. 8, 1909 just east of Huntley, when a car bound for Elgin collided head on with a westbound Fast Limited. Many people were injured, but there were no fatalities.

Two days later, a car derailed when more than 40 of ’s cattle were found wandering on the track near Oakland Park in Huntley. An eastbound passenger car rounded the curve and ran into them.  One cow was killed and many more injured in addition to severely damaging the car and delaying service on the line for more than an hour.

In January 1911, a team and wagon again were demolished at the Keating farm crossing.

While the streetcar was an asset to the communities it served, it was not financially successful. The Elgin & Belvidere Electric Company had only three profitable years in its nearly 25 years of operation.    

The growing popularity of automobiles, improved highways and the advent of bus service added to the decline of the interurban.    

On March 9, 1930 the E & B line ceased operation.  Although the line was not profitable, it did not bankrupt the parent Arnold Company, which is still in business in Marengo today.    

The book “The Dairy Route: The History of the Elgin & Belvidere Electric Company” by Carl F. Gustafson tells a more detailed story of the interurban line. The book is available at the for in-library reference and review.