Have a Complaint?

You have a complaint about service on the Elgin & Belvidere Electric?   Just fill out this card, and we'll see what happens.   Bill Wulfert found these documents in the files, and supplied them for our use.   Thanks, Bill!

Perhaps you're unhappy about how much you had to pay for this 50-ride school ticket.

Of course, maybe if you'd read the fine print and sign the contract, you'd get better service.

Next, we have number of Work Orders from 1928.  Many of them request repairs to the overhead wire, while others ask for repairs to the many fences along the tracks.  Here are some of the more interesting ones:





The wire needed to be reworked at an industrial siding, but wasn't completed because there was no bracket available.

The "Milwaukee Sub-Way" must be the underpass just west of Elgin.

This is pretty outrageous.  You cut off some trolley wire, and it immediately gets stolen.   You can't trust anybody around here these days!

I suppose the "Shop Line shaft" means the shop tools were running off belts to an overhead shaft.   But there's no babbit available!   And the controller would be for the substation at Garden Prairie.

The boss, Bion J. Arnold, wants to take the East Check Meter to Chicago with him, so it needs to be disconnected.   He's always doing strange things like that.

Another fix to the trolley wire that doesn't get done.

This seems like it would be an interesting science project: "build a reverse current relay from an old amperemeter."  Sounds like BJA again.

Most of the stations appear to have suffered from neglect.   There's either no lights, no heat, no water, no tickets, or they need to be swept out.

The only crossing in Union must have been where the tracks crossed either Main or Jefferson Streets.   The note "bring track to gauge" is worrisome.  And it's nice of the City to furnish gravel or cinders for the job.  I wonder if they'd do that for us?  After all, there's a precedent!

Mending fences is a never-ending job.