Some people spend their retirement relaxing on the porch, but Sun City resident Dave McElwain prefers to keep moving and creating. McElwain recently unveiled his latest and most ambitious project: He has completely transformed his golf cart.
For McElwain, the project brings his life story full circle. As a child, he devoted countless hours playing with trains, starting with a classic Santa Fe locomotive set.
“It’s funny to me that my very first set was a Santa Fe,” McElwain said, “considering both my father and grandfather worked for the Burlington line in the town of Galesburg, Illinois. My father was a detective for them, and my grandfather worked in the roundhouse.”
That deep family connection to rail history has given him a lasting appreciation for the sheer scale of classic power.
“Galesburg was where the roundhouse was, as well as a junction between the Santa Fe and the Burlington,” McElwain said. “I’d never made that connection until now, my family’s roots and the two rail lines converging there.”
“A true thrill was seeing the legendary Union Pacific Big Boy steam locomotive when it pulled into nearby West Chicago,” McElwain shares. “Standing right next to it, the wheels are literally as tall as I am.”
Like many enthusiasts, life eventually took center stage, but the passion never genuinely faded.
“My love for railroading was interrupted by cars, dating, career, and family,” McElwain notes. “When we moved here, I started building a layout and got involved in the Model Railroad Train Vlub.”
When McElwain looked for a new hands-on hobby to tackle, his childhood passions collided with his teenage ones.
“I modified cars when I was in high school and really wanted a similar project to dive into today,” McElwain explains. “However, I don’t have a three-car garage anymore, so space is pretty limited. That’s when I got the idea to modify my golf cart instead. I chose to pay tribute to the legendary Santa Fe Super Chief. The car features that iconic Warbonnet crimson red, a bold and beautiful color scheme that defined the golden age of American passenger rail.”
The cart’s stunning look required a combination of steady handiwork and online sourcing to get every detail just right.
“I spray painted the red, brush painted the yellow, and the black is one-eighth-inch pinstripe tape,” McElwain says. “The logos on the front and sides were customized on Etsy, and the Super Chief light came from eBay. It was a lot of fun.”
While some might joke that he has a bit too much free time on his hands, McElwain views it as the perfect alignment of history, personality, and pure enjoyment.
“I’ve taken my love for all things railroad and projected this onto my golf cart,” McElwain shares. “Goofy? You bet, but we have to have fun, right?”
The custom cart brings a whimsical locomotive flair to Sun City Huntley, attracting attention among generations and instantly connecting McElwain with his community.
“Today some high school kids actually gave me big smiles and head nods,” McElwain said. “A big deal from teens.”
