SHORE LINE INTERURBAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY
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About shore line

The Shore Line Interurban Historical Society is an organization that is focused on urban, suburban and interurban rail passenger services in the Upper Midwest. We are an organization that is growing with approximately 2,000 members at the current time. Our strategic objective is summarized in one word: Cooperation. Through cooperation with other historical organizations and museums, our goal is to spread interest and increase public knowledge of rail passenger services be they light rail, rapid transit or suburban rail.

Through our publications we explore rail passenger services, yesterday, today and tomorrow, in Illinois, Indiana and southeastern Wisconsin. Our publications are First & Fastest and an annual calendar featuring a railway of interest. Members of Shore Line receive these two publications as a benefit of their membership.

First & Fastest, a high-quality quarterly magazine, is acclaimed by many as the premier publication in its field. Members look forward to its delivery and many say it is now the only rail publication that they receive. First & Fastest typically includes feature articles of a historical nature, a major article on a topic of general interest and the Wire Report. The Wire Report reports news items and has become "the record" for current events in our coverage area.

Our areas of interest include:​
  • Metra and the predecessor operations of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, Chicago, Milwaukee, St Paul & Pacific, Chicago & North Western, Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, Illinois Central and other smaller suburban railroad operations.
  • Chicago Transit Authority and its predecessors including the Chicago Rapid Transit Company and Chicago Surface Lines.
  • Interurban railways such as the Chicago Aurora & Elgin, Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee, Chicago South Shore & South Bend, now operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, Illinois Terminal, Indiana Railroad, and the Milwaukee Electric.
  • Smaller railroads such as the Aurora, Elgin & Fox River Electric, Chicago & West Towns Railway, Wisconsin Power & Light and other smaller lines in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.
  • Railway museums in the area such as Illinois Railway Museum, Fox River Trolley Museum and the East Troy Electric Railway.
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Shore Line's name is derived from the North Shore Line and South Shore line, the original focus of the organization along with the Chicago Aurora & Elgin.
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Shore Line Interurban Historical Society
PO Box 425
Lake Forest IL, 60045-0425
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  • Home
  • About
    • Mission
    • Board of Directors
    • Links
  • Store
  • First & Fastest
    • Current Issue
    • Sample Articles
  • Indexes
  • Membership
  • Contact