Saved Twice. Chicago, Aurora & Elgin car 458 is one of the newest arrivals at at the Fox River Trolley Museum. Built in 1946 by the St. Louis Car Company, it was the last order that the CA&E would receive, and is considered the last order of "conventional" interurbans of the early century style built in the United States. Purchased by Gerald E. Brookens in 1962 for his Trolleyville U.S.A. operation in Ohio, this car and several other CA&E cars eventually wound up in storage along with the rest of the collection. Faced with scrapping, an emergency effort was mobilized by the restoration community and the collection was dispersed. It was acquired by Fox River in 2009 in rough shape, and just a few years later it was repainted and had significant mechanical work. On the afternoon of October 2, 2022, it sits next to the entrance of the museum at South LaFox Street in South Elgin, Illinois.
