Chicago Surface Lines Work Cars – Part 2

September 7, 2015September 7, 2015David Sadowski 9 Comments

Work car AA59 at Devon Station (car house) on November 15, 1953. Andre Kristopans gives a scrap date of 1956 for this car. Don’s Rail Photos says, “These cars were built by St. Louis Car in 1903 and 1906 for Chicago Union Traction Co. They are similar to the Robertson design without the small windows. Cars of this series were converted to one man operation in later years and have a wide horizontal stripe on the front to denote this. A number of these cars were converted to sand and salt service and as flangers.” The “Matchbox” 1374 at IRM is part of this same series (1101-1425). Looks like a Postwar PCC behind it.

Celebrating Labor Day, here is the second in a two-part series featuring Chicago Surface Lines work cars. You can find part one here.

Much of what we know about these cars comes from Don’s Rail Photos, a very comprehensive source of information.

As always, if you know more than we do, please share it with us, so we can improve our efforts. You can leave a comment on this post, or e-mail us directly at: thetrolleydodger@gmail.com

We asked Andre Kristopans if it might be possible that CSL streetcar RPO (railway post office) car H2, shown in our previous post, may be the same car also pictured later as money car M201.

Here is his reply:

CSL did a lot of scrapping in the late 30’s, partially in order to “balance the books” after the pre-war PCC’s came. They had to retire an “equivalent value”, which is why a lot of Matchboxes (1100-1400’s) were scrapped around then, along with old work cars, and interestingly some old single-truckers that had been in storage since about 1918 as what would now be called a “contingency fleet”. More than likely H2 went in that purge, though I can’t say for sure.

Sometimes the Surface Lines kept cars in storage for decades, just in case they might be usable for some purpose in the future.

Sweeper E223 is one of the very few pieces of CSL work equipment that have survived. It was purchased by Dick Lukin in 1956 and eventually made its way to the Illinois Railway Museum.

You can read the story of how that came to be here on the excellent Hicks Car Works blog.

Thanks.

-David Sadowski

You can help support our original transit research by checking out the fine products in our Online Store. You can make a donation there as well.

As we have said before, “If you buy here, we will be here.”

We thank you for your support.

This former mail car ended its days as a CSL supply car. Not sure if this is the same car as H201 in our previous post. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

SS1 appears to be a portable substation. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

Don’s Rail Photos says, “S3 was built by Chicago Rys in 1911 as 3. It was renumbered S3 in 1913 and became CSL S3 in 1914.” Note the trolley coach at rear.

Don’s Rail Photos says, “L202 was built by Chicago City Ry in 1909 as CCRy C50. It was renumbered L202 in 1913 and became CSL L202 in 1914. It was rebuilt as S343 in 1959 and acquired by Railway Equipment Leasing & Investment Co in 1979. It was acquired by Fox River Trolley Museum in 1983 and restored as L202.”

Sweeper E18 in action. From the Park Theatre in the background, we can tell that this is Lake Street at Austin Boulevard, the west city limits and end of the #16 Lake Street route. There are a couple more photos of the same movie theater in our earlier post West Towns Streetcars in Black-and-White.

E304 at work.

E209 at 69th yards in January 1941. (Vic Wagner Photo)

Sweeper E215.

Sweepers E8 and E7. (Stephen D. Maguire Photo)

Plow E6 on January 9, 1954. (Gordon E. Lloyd Photo)

CSL 701, built by the Pressed Steel Company in 1909. According to Don’s Rail Photos, “These cars were built to the same design as the Pullmans.” (Earl Clark Photo)

Snow plow F305.

Sand car/snow plow D212 at 70th and Ashland.

Home-made snow plows F301 and F304. Chances are these were scrapped prior to the 1947 CTA takeover of CSL.

Don’s Rail Photos says , “E57 was built by Russell in 1930.” (Stephen D. Maguire Photo)

Sweepers E27, E221, “Matchbox” 1362, and sprinkler/plow D4. Don’s Rail Photos says, “E27 was built by McGuire-Cummings as CRys E27. It became CSL E27 in 1914.”

Sweeper E227 in action.

Sweeper E234.

Sweeper E205.

Apparently this photo, which was mis-marked as Chicago, must be from somewhere else. As Andre Kristopans points out, Chicago’s sweepers were all in an E or F series, and the paint scheme of the streetcar at right is not CSL. Perhaps one of our readers can help us figure out where this is from. (Roy Bruce Photo)

Heavy duty sweeper E18 in action. (Stephen D. Maguire Photo)

Sweeper E25 in action on February 5, 1942. (Robert S. Crockett Photo)

L201.

Sand car R202 at South Shops in March 1948. (C. Edward Hedstrom, Sr. Photo)

Sweeper E40 awaiting scrapping at South Shops, with L201 at rear, on February 22, 1955. (C. Edward Hedstrom, Sr. Photo)

Sweeper 0103 on Sloane Avenue in 1941.

While not Surface Lines equipment, electric loco S-104, which CTA inherited from the Chicago Rapid Transit Company, does fit in with the overall theme of this post (labor). Don’s Rail Photos says, “S-104 was built by Baldwin-Westinghouse in August 1920, #53555, as Northwestern Elevated RR S-104. In 1923 it became CRT S-104 and CTA S-104 in 1948. In 1978 it was sold to Toledo Edison Co as 4. It was sold to Rail Foundation in 1996.” This photo was taken in April 1955.

Chicago Surface Lines Work Cars – Part 1

September 5, 2015September 5, 2015David Sadowski 6 Comments

Don’s Rail Photos says, “X4 was built by McGuire-Cummings in 1910 as CRys 2. It was renumbered N2 in 1913 and became CSL N2 in 1914. It was rebuilt as X4 in 1946 and rebuilt as S344 in 1958. It was sold to Electric Railway Historical Society in 1963 and donated to Illinois Railway Museum in 1973.” (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

This is Labor Day weekend, and we could think of no better way to celebrate this than to feature some classic photos of Chicago Surface Lines work cars. We salute both the cars and the hard working employees of the Chicago Surface Lines, who helped make Chicago the world-class city it is today.

This is part one of two parts. We will post another batch of work car photos later this weekend, so watch this space.

CSL was, at its peak, the largest street railway system in the world, and this is reflected in the wide variety of equipment seen here.

While the passenger cars usually get the bulk of attention, any functioning railroad depends on its work cars. Some of these were hand-me-downs, leftovers from a much earlier era that were kept on the property a long time after they were no longer needed for revenue service. In many cases, they were modified over time. One car could have many different careers in its lifetime.

In some cases, cars were saved from the scrap heap simply because they were converted to work service as salt spreaders and the like. Occasionally, such cars have been restored to their former glory by railway museums. An example is the “Matchbox” 1374, which became salt spreader AA63 in 1947. It lasted long enough to be bought by the Electric Railway Historical Society in 1958 and came to the Illinois Railway Museum in 1973, where you can ride it today.

Most of the pictures in today’s post were taken by the late Joe L. Diaz (1924-2002), who worked for the Chicago Surface Lines and did his best to document its operations for posterity.

Joe Diaz was a fixture at Central Electric Railfans’ Association meetings and the like and I remember him well. He was quite a character with his pipe and beret. According to his obituary, he was a veteran who served his country and participated in the D-Day invasion in 1944.

We can be thankful for individuals like Mr. Diaz and others like George Krambles and Bill Hoffman who, through their cameras, did so much to preserve bits of transit history for future generations.

We have tracked down information on some of these cars. Much of what we do know comes from Don’s Rail Photos, a tremendous resource of information that keeps getting better and better.

As always, if you know more than we do, please share it with us, so we can improve our efforts. You can leave a comment on this post, or e-mail us directly at: thetrolleydodger@gmail.com

Some of these cars have already appeared in our earlier blog posts. For example, crane car X3 shows up in Track Work @Clark & Van Buren, 1954 (Feburary 12).

Have a safe and relaxing weekend with your family and friends.

-David Sadowski

PS- Since we began this venture on January 21, we have published 74 posts. Occasionally, we add material to earlier articles. We’ve just added a photo showing construction of the turnback loop at Howard Yard, circa 1949, to our recent post Railfan Ephemera (August 26). There is some interesting correspondence that goes with it.

Over time, we are creating a body of work that people can refer to in the future. This site is run for the benefit of all railfans, everywhere. Your help and your participation is an important part of what we do here.

You can help support our original transit research by checking out the fine products in our Online Store. You can make a donation there as well.

As we have said before, “If you buy here, we will be here.”

We thank you for your support.

Andre Krostopans writes:

I am sending you a file copied from CTA accounting records which is a complete listing of streetcar work cars that CTA took over from CSL (on October 1, 1947), along with known retirements. For reasons unknown, the salt cars only had years disposed of listed. (There were also a few transfers.)

Car# – Builder – Year – Built – Date Retired (or scrapped) – Work Order#

ST= Single Truck

Concrete Mixer ST

A1 – CRys – 08 – 01/12/55 – 16389R

Concrete Mixer Trailer

A202 – Drake – 08 – 05/xx/48 – 10345R

Newspaper ST

B201 – CCRy – 96 – 06/08/50 – 12286R

Coal Trailer ST

C52 – CUT – 01 – 10/12/49 – 11312R
C54 – CUT – 01 – 10/12/49 – 11312R
C61 – CRys – 09 – 11/10/49 – 11526R
C62 – CRys – 09 – 11/10/49 – 11526R
C63 – CRys – 09 – 10/11/49 – 11312R

Sprinkler/Plow

D1 – McGC – 09 – 05/17/58 – 19141R
D2 – McGC – 09 – 12/27/55 – 17266R
D3 – McGC – 09 – 12/14/56 – 18181R
D4 – McGC – 09 – 03/11/59 – 10218R
D5 – McGC – 09 – 12/14/56 – 18181R
D6 – McGC – 09 – 03/19/56 – 17266R
D7 – McGC – 09 – 12/14/56 – 18181R
D8 – McGC – 09 – 12/14/56 – 18181R
D9 – McGC – 09 – 06/18/53 – 15231R
D10 – McGC – 09 – 06/18/53 – 15231R
D201 – McGC – 09 – 03/19/56 – 17266R
D202 – McGC – 09 – 12/14/56 – 18181R
D203 – McGC – 09 – 05/17/58 – 19141R
D204 – McGC – 09 – 05/17/58 – 19141R
D205 – McGC – 09 – 05/17/58 – 19141R
D206 – McGC – 09 – 12/14/56 – 18181R
D207 – McGC – 09 – 03/20/56 – 17266R
D208 – McGC – 09 – 05/17/58 – 19141R
D209 – McGC – 09 – 03/11/59 – 10218R
D210 – McGC – 09 – 12/14/56 – 18181R
D211 – McGC – 09 – 12/14/56 – 18181R
D212 – McGC – 09 – 12/14/56 – 18181R
D213 – McGC – 09 – 11/24/50 – 12556R
D302 – CE – 09 – 07/02/48 – 10483R
D304 – McGC – 09 – 03/19/56 – 17266R

Sweeper ST

E1 – L&F – 95 – 11/24/50 – 12556R
E2 – L&F – 95 – 12/06/51 – 13266R
E3 – L&F – 95 – 11/29/51 – 13266R
E4 – Brill – 95 – 11/16/51 – 13266R
E5 – Brill – 95 – 08/10/51 – 13266R
E6 – Brill – 95 – xx/xx/56 – 18181R
E7 – Brill – 95 – 11/21/51 – 13266R
E8 – Brill – 95 – 11/16/51 – 13266R
E9 – Brill – 95 – 11/21/51 – 13266R
E10 – Brill – 95 – 11/21/51 – 13266R
E11 – Brill – 95 – 07/20/51 – 13266R
E12 – Brill – 95 – 07/20/51 – 13266R
E13 – Brill – 95 – 11/21/51 – 13266R
E14 – Brill – 95 – 07/20/51 – 13266R
E15 – Brill – 95 – 11/21/51 – 13266R
E16 – Brill – 95 – 11/21/51 – 13266R
E17 – McG – 95 – 08/12/51 – 13266R
E18 – McG – 95 – 01/25/52 – 13266R
E19 – McG – 95 – 12/27/55 – 17266R
E20 – McG – 96 – 07/26/51 – 13266R
E21 – McG – 96 – 02/29/52 – 13266R
E22 – McG – 96 – 11/16/51 – 13266R
E23 – McG – 96 – 03/11/59 – 10218R
E24 – McGC – 06 – 12/23/52 – 14430R
E25 – McGC – 06 – 09/27/56 – 18181R
E26 – McGC – 06 – 09/08/55 – 16283R
E27 – McGC – 06 – 03/11/59 – 10218R
E28 – McGC – 06 – 05/17/58 – 19141R
E29 – McGC – 08 – 12/17/55 – 17266R
E30 – McGC – 08 – 12/27/55 – 17266R
E31 – McGC – 08 – 09/27/56 – 18181R
E32 – McGC – 08 – 05/17/58 – 19141R
E33 – McGC – 08 – 08/02/51 – 13266R
E34 – McGC – 08 – 09/27/56 – 18181R
E35 – McGC – 08 – 03/30/59 – 10218R
E36 – McGC – 08 – 09/27/56 – 18181R
E37 – McGC – 22 – 12/27/55 – 17266R
E38 – McGC – 08 – 12/27/55 – 17266R
E39 – McGC – 08 – 09/27/56 – 18181R
E40 – McGC – 08 – 12/27/55 – 17266R
E41 – McGC – 08 – 09/27/56 – 18181R
E42 – McGC – 08 – 09/27/56 – 18181R
E43 – McGC – 08 – 05/17/58 – 19209R
E44 – McGC – 10 – 02/28/51 – 13011R
E45 – McGC – 20 – 09/27/56 – 18181R
E46 – McGC – 20 – 09/27/56 – 17266R
E47 – McGC – 14 – 09/27/56 – 18181R
E48 – McGC – 14 – 09/27/56 – 17266R
E49 – McGC – 14 – 12/27/55 – 17266R
E50 – McGC – 14 – 09/27/56 – 18181R
E51 – McGC – 14 – 09/08/55 – 16283R
E52 – McGC – 14 – 05/17/58 – 19141R
E53 – McGC – 20 – 09/08/55 – 16283R
E54 – McGC – 20 – 09/08/55 – 16283R
E55 – McGC – 20 – 09/08/55 – 16283R
E56 – McGC – 20 – 09/08/55 – 16283R
E57 – Russell – 30 – 03/11/59 – 10218R
E58 – Russell – 30 – 03/11/59 – 10218R
E201 – McGC – 07 – 08/10/51 – 13266R
E202 – McGC – 07 – 08/10/51 – 13266R
E203 – McGC – 07 – 11/10/51 – 13266R
E204 – McGC – 07 – 12/23/52 – 14430R
E205 – McG – 95 – 02/09/52 – 13266R
E206 – McG – 95 – 08/10/51 – 13266R
E207 – McG – 95 – 07/20/51 – 13266R
E208 – McG – 96 – 09/27/56 – 18181R
E209 – McG – 96 – 08/10/51 – 13266R
E210 – McG – 96 – 01/25/52 – 13266R
E211 – McG – 96 – 11/21/51 – 13266R
E212 – McG – 96 – 12/27/55 – 17266R
E213 – McG – 96 – 09/17/56 – 18181R
E214 – McG – 96 – 08/10/51 – 13266R
E215 – McG – 96 – 11/10/51 – 13266R
E216 – McG – 97 – xx/xx/51 – 13266R
E217 – McG – 97 – 12/27/55 – 17266R
E218 – McG – 97 – 09/15/51 – 13266R
E219 – McG – 97 – 09/08/55 – 16283R
E220 – McG – 97 – 09/27/56 – 18181R
E221 – McGC – 08 – 09/08/55 – 16283R
E222 – McGC – 08 – 03/30/59 – 10218R
E223 – McGC – 08 – 08/29/58 – 10218R
E224 – McGC – 08 – 09/27/56 – 18181R
E225 – McGC – 08 – 09/27/56 – 18181R
E226 – McGC – 08 – 09/27/56 – 18181R
E227 – McGC – 08 – 09/27/56 – 18181R
E228 – McGC – 08 – 09/27/56 – 18181R
E229 – McGC – 08 – 09/08/55 – 16283R
E230 – McGC – 08 – 05/17/58 – 19141R
E233 – McGC – 11 – 09/27/56 – 18181R
E234 – McGC – 11 – 12/24/52 – 14430R
E235 – McGC – 20 – 05/20/59 – 10218R
E236 – McGC – 20 – 05/20/59 – 10218R
E301 – CE – 93 – 06/08/50 – 12286R
E302 – McG – 94 – 01/25/52 – 13266R
E303 – McG – 95 – 11/16/51 – 13266R
E305 – McGC – 09 – 08/10/51 – 13266R
E306 – McGC – 09 – 09/15/51 – 13266R
E307 – McGC – 11 – 02/09/52 – 13266R
E308 – McGC – 11 – 05/17/58 – 19141R
E309 – McGC – 13 – 09/27/56 – 17266R
E331 – McGC – 07 – 09/15/51 – 13266R
E332 – McG – 96 – 09/27/56 – 18181R

Sweeper

E237 – Russell – 30 – 03/20/59 – 10218R

Plow

F28 – McGC – 24 – 12/14/56 – 18181R
F29 – McGC – 24 – 12/14/56 – 18181R
F30 – CSL – 30 – 05/17/58 – 19209R
F305 – CSL – 30 – 04/28/60 – 10218R

Mail ST

H7 – CUT – 00 – 05/16/49 – 11233R
H201 – CCRy – 07 – 07/02/48 – 10483R
H204 – ? – xx/xx/56 – 16389R

Dirt Trailer ST

I201 – CCRy – 09 – 06/06/56 – 16389R
I202 – CCRy – 09 – 12/26/52 – 14443R
I203 – CCRy – 09 – 06/16/50 – 12286R
I204 – CCRy – 09 – 12/26/52 – 14443R
I205 – CCRy – 09 – 05/27/52 – 14175R
I206 – CCRy – 09 – 06/05/50 – 12286R
I207 – CCRy – 09 – 12/22/55 – 16389R
I208 – ? – 06/16/50 – 12286R
I209 – ? – 06/05/50 – 12286R
I211 – CCRy – 02 – 12/26/52 – 14443R
I212 – CCRy – 02 – 05/27/52 – 14175R
I213 – CCRy – 02 – 12/26/52 – 14443R
I214 – CCRy – 00 – 05/27/52 – 14175R
I215 – ? – 06/05/50 – 12286R
I216 – ? – 05/27/52 – 14175R
I217 – ? – 12/26/52 – 14443R
I218 – ? – 07/02/48 – 10483R

Electric Shovel

J1 – Thew 16 – xx/xx/48 – 10345R

Crane

J201 – ? – 08 – 11/12/56 – 18219R
J202 – ? – 08 – xx/xx/73 – 8262G
J203 – ? – 08 – xx/xx/64 – 8946

Crane – Crawler

J2 – Brownhoist – 22 – xx/xx/56 – ?
J205 – Thew – xx/xx/48 – 10345R

Lumber ST

K201 – CCRy – 08 – 12/27/55 – 16389R

Lumber Trailer ST

K251 – CCRy – 08 – 12/27/55 – 16389R
K252 – CCRy – 08 – 06/08/50 – 12286R
K253 – CCRy – 08 – 06/05/50 – 12286R
K254 – CCRy – 08 – 06/05/50 – 12286R
K255 – CCRy – 08 – 12/27/55 – 16389R

Locomotive ST

L1 – CRys – 08 – 06/18/53 – 15231R
L204 – CCRy – 08 – 07/02/48 – 10483R

Locomotive

L201 – CCRy – 08 – 10/02/61 – 11239R
L202 – CCRy – 08 – 06/09/58 to S343 T158
L203 – CCRy – 08 – 05/20/59 – 10218R

Money ST

M201 – CCRy – 07 – 06/16/50 – 12286R

Dump

N1 – Koppel – 11 – 03/17/61 – 10821R
N3 – Diff – 18 – 06/08/50 – 12286R
N4 – Diff – 18 – 06/08/50 – 12286R
N5 – Diff – 18 – 06/08/50 – 12286R
N201 – Diff – 18 – 06/08/50 – 12286R
N202 – Diff – 18 – 06/08/50 – 12286R

Dump Trailer

N51 – OA – 16 – 05/13/58 – 10158R
N52 – OA – 16 – 05/31/55 – 16389R
N53 – OA – 16 – 05/13/58 – 10158R
N54 – OA – 16 – 05/13/58 – 10158R
N55 – OA – 16 – 05/13/58 – 10158R

Meter Test

O1 – CRys – 12 – 06/08/50 – 12286R

Wreck ST

P4 – CUT – ? – 07/02/48 – 10483R
P5 – CUT – 00 – 02/09/51 – 13011R

Wreck Trailer ST

P251 – CCRy – 03 – 05/27/52 – 14175R

Sand ST

R201 – CCRy – 11 – 06/18/53 – 15231R
R202 – CCRy – 11 – 06/18/53 – 15231R

Supply

S1 – CRys – 09 – 12/27/55 – 16389R
S2 – CRys – 09 – 06/18/53 – 15231R
S3 – CRys – 11 – 09/02/55 – 16389R
S4 – CRys – 11 – 06/18/53 – 15231R

S201 – CCRy – 08 – 09/27/56 – 18181R

Supply ST

S51 – CUT – 06 – 10/26/49 – 11312R
S53 – CUT – 06 – 11/25/49 – 11312R
S54 – CUT – 06 – 05/14/51 – 13134R

Cupola Trailer ST

U251 – CCRy – ? – 06/16/50 – 12286R

Line

V201 – CCRy – 07 – 12/14/56 – 18181R

Work

W1 – CUT – 05 – 09/08/55 – 16389R
W3 – CRys – 08 – 01/12/55 – 16389R
W4 – CRys – 08 – 05/17/58 – 19141R
W5 – CRys – 08 – 06/18/53 – 15231R
W6 – CRys – 08 – 05/17/58 – 19141R
W7 – CRys – 08 – 11/10/54 – 16389R
W8 – CRys – 08 – 06/18/53 – 15231R
W9 – CRys – 09 – 06/18/53 – 15231R
W10 – CRys – 09 – 12/14/56 – 16389R
W11 – CRys – 09 – 11/10/54 – 16389R
W12 – CRys – 09 – 11/10/54 – 16389R
W13 – CRys – 09 – 05/27/52 – 14175R
W14 – CRys – 09 – 11/10/54 – 16389R
W15 – CRys – 09 – 06/18/53 – 15231R
W17 – CRys – 09 – 06/18/53 – 15231R
W18 – CSL – 46 – (1609) 04/03/55 – 16389R
W201 – CCRy – 07 – 10/21/54 to S317 T63
W202 – CCRy – 07 – 05/17/58 – 19141R
W203 – CCRy – 07 – 01/12/55 – 16389R
W204 – CCRy – 07 – 05/17/58 – 19141R
W205 – CCRy – 07 – 05/17/58 – 19141R
W206 – CCRy – 07 – 11/10/54 – 16389R
W207 – CCRy – 07 – 12/27/55 – 16389R
W208 – CCRy – 07 – 12/27/55 – 16389R
W209 – CCRy – 07 – 11/10/54 – 16389R
W210 – CCRy – 07 – 12/27/55 – 16389R
W211 – CCRy – 07 – 12/27/55 – 16389R
W212 – CCRy – 07 – 11/10/54 – 16389R
W213 – CCRy – 07 – 12/27/55 – 16389R
W214 – CCRy – 07 – 01/12/55 – 16389R
W215 – CCRy – 07 – 12/11/54 – 16389R
W216 – CCRy – 08 – 12/27/55 – 16389R
W217 – CCRy – 08 – 05/08/51 – 13135R
W218 – CRy – 08 – 12/11/54 – 16389R
W219 – CCRy – 08 – 12/11/54 – 16389R
W220 – CCRy – 08 – 11/10/54 – 16389R
W221 – CCRy – 08 – 11/10/54 – 16389R
W222 – CCRy – 08 – 11/10/54 – 16389R
W223 – CCRy – 08 – 12/31/52 to S309
W224 – CCRy – 08 – 03/11/59 – 10218R
W225 – CCRy – 08 – 11/10/54 – 16389R
W226 – CCRy – 08 – 01/12/55 – 16389R
W227 – CCRy – 08 – 01/12/55 – 16389R
W230 – CCRy – 01 – 06/18/53 – 15231R
W301 – CCRy – 07 – 11/20/53 to S314 T61
W302 – CCRy – 07 – 12/11/54 – 16389R

Work Trailer

W51 – CRys – ? – 01/12/55 – 16389R
W52 – CRys – ? – 06/18/53 – 15231R
W53 – CRys – ? – 06/18/53 – 15231R
W54 – CRys – ? – 06/18/53 – 15231R
W56 – CSL – 46 – (1636) 12/11/54 – 16389R
W251 – CCRy – ? – xx/xx/55 – 16389R
W252 – CCRy – 07 – 12/11/54 – 16389R

Work ST

W33 – CRys – 07 – 12/26/52 – 14443R

Work Trailer ST

W61 – CRys – 07 – 06/05/50 – 12286R
W62 – CRys – 07 – 01/12/55 – 16389R
W63 – CRys – 08 – 12/26/52 – 14433R
W64 – CRys – 08 – 06/05/50 – 12286R
W65 – CRys – 08 – 02/09/52 – 13266R
W66 – CRys – 08 – 01/12/55 – 16389R
W67 – CRys – 08 – 05/17/58 – 19141R
W68 – CRys – 08 – 01/12/55 – 16389R
W71 – CRys – 08 – 06/05/50 – 12286R
W72 – CRys – 08 – 06/12/50 – 12286R
W73 – CRys – 08 – 06/05/50 – 12286R
W74 – CRys – 11 – 06/05/50 – 12286R
W77 – CRys – 07 – 01/12/55 – 16389R
W78 – CRys – ? – 06/05/50 – 12286R
W79 – CRys – ? – 06/08/50 – 12286R
W80 – CRys – ? – 06/08/50 – 12286R
W81 – CRys – ? – 12/14/56 – 16389R
W82 – CRys – 13 – 06/08/50 – 12286R
W83 – CRys – 13 – 01/12/55 – 16389R
W84 – CRys – ? – 06/05/50 – 12286R
W85 – CRys – ? – 06/05/50 – 12286R
W86 – CRys – ? – 06/05/50 – 12286R
W87 – CRys – ? – 12/27/55 – 16389R
W89 – CRys – ? – 10/26/49 – 11312R
W90 – CRys – ? – 06/05/50 – 12286R
W91 – CRys – ? – 06/05/50 – 12286R
W92 – CRys – 08 – 01/12/55 – 16389R
W93 – CRys – ? – 05/14/51 – 13134R
W94 – CRys – ? – 12/26/52 – 14433R
W95 – CRys – ? – 06/05/50 – 12286R
W96 – CRys – ? – 06/05/50 – 12286R
W97 – CRys – ? – 07/02/48 – 10483R
W98 – CRys – 10 – 10/12/49 – 11312R
W99 – CRys – 13 – 06/05/50 – 12286R
W100 – CRys – ? – 12/14/56 – 16389R
W101 – CRys – ? – 06/08/50 – 12286R
W102 – CRys – ? – 12/14/56 – 16389R
W261 – CCRy – ? – 06/08/50 – 12286R
W262 – CCRy – 02 – 06/05/50 – 12286R
W263 – CCRy – 00 – 12/27/55 – 16389R
W264 – CCRy – 00 – 12/27/55 – 16389R
W265 – CCRy – 00 – 06/08/50 – 12286R
W268 – CCRy – 00 – 12/27/55 – 16389R
W269 – CCRy – 00 – 12/27/55 – 16389R
W270 – CCRy – 00 – 06/08/50 – 12286R
W271 – CCRy – ? – 06/08/50 – 12286R
W299 – CCRy – ? – 07/02/48 – 10483R
W316 – CSC – ? – 07/02/48 – 10483R
W317 – CSL – ? – 06/05/50 – 12286R

Derrick

X1 – CRys – 10 – 03/11/59 – 10218R
X2 – CSL – 17 – 12/27/55 – 16389R
X3 – CSL – 10 – 04/10/59 – 10218R
X4 – CSL – 47 – (N2) 06/09/58 to S344 T158
X201 – CCRy – 07 – 03/30/59 – 10218R

Baggage

Y303 – CE – 11 – 09/27/56 – 18181R

Sweeper Trailer

no# – CSL – ? – xx/xx/56 – 18181R

Salt Cars

AA1 – 17266 – /55
AA2 – 17266 – /55
AA3 – 13266 – /52
AA4 – 13266 – /52
AA5 – 13266 – /52
AA6 – 13266 – /52
AA7 – 17266 – /55
AA8 – 19141 – /58
AA9 – 18181 – /56
AA10 – 16283 – /55
AA11 – 13266 – /52
AA12 – 16283 – /54
AA13 – 16283 – /54
AA14 – 16283 – /54
AA15 – 13266 – /52
AA16 – 13266 – /52
AA17 – 13266 – /52
AA18 – 13266 – /52
AA19 – 13266 – /52
AA20 – 16283 – /54
AA21 – 16283 – /55
AA22 – 13266 – /52
AA23 – 16283 – /54
AA24 – 16283 – /54
AA25 – 17266 – /55
AA26 – 19141 – /58
AA27 – 19141 – /58
AA28 – 18181 – /56
AA29 – 18181 – /56
AA30 – 17266 – /55
AA31 – 17266 – /55
AA32 – 18181 – /56
AA33 – 17266 – /55
AA34 – 16283 – /54
AA35 – 12603 – /52
AA36 – 19141 – /58
AA37 – 19141 – /58
AA38 – 18181 – /56
AA39 – 16283 – /54
AA40 – 13266 – /52
AA41 – 13266 – /52
AA42 – 13266 – /52
AA43 – 16283 – /54
AA44 – 13266 – /52
AA45 – 12391 – /50
AA46 – 17266 – /55
AA47 – 13266 – /52
AA48 – 13266 – /52
AA49 – 14175 – /52
AA50 – 17266 – /55
AA51 – 17266 – /55
AA52 – 17266 – /55
AA53 – 19141 – /58
AA54 – 18181 – /56
AA55 – 16283 – /54
AA56 – 17266 – /55
AA57 – 18181 – /56
AA58 – 18181 – /56
AA59 – 18181 – /56
AA60 – 17266 – /55
AA61 – 18181 – /56
AA62 – 18181 – /56
AA63 – 10218 – /59
AA64 – 16283 – /54
AA65 – 15451 – /54
AA66 – 19141 – /58
AA67 – 13266 – /52
AA68 – 13266 – /52
AA69 – 18181 – /56
AA70 – 15451 – /54
AA71 – 13266 – /52
AA72 – 19209 – /58
AA73 – 16283 – /54
AA74 – 16283 – /54
AA75 – 18181 – /56
AA76 – 19141 – /58
AA77 – 18181 – /56
AA78 – 17266 – /55
AA79 – 15451 – /54
AA80 – 16283 – /54
AA81 – 18181 – /56
AA82 – 13266 – /52
AA83 – 16283 – /54
AA84 – 15451 – /54
AA85 – 18181 – /56
AA86 – 18181 – /56
AA87 – 13266 – /52
AA88 – 13266 – /52
AA89 – 16283 – /54
AA90 – 18181 – /56
AA91 – 17266 – /55 – x-1545 – /48 – 10143
AA92 – 17266 – /55
AA93 – 19141 – /58
AA94 – 13266 – /52
AA95 – 10218 – /59
AA96 – 17266 – /55
AA97 – 19141 – /58
AA98 – 10218 – /58
AA99 – 18181 – /56
AA100 – 13266 – /52
AA101 – 18181 – /56
AA102 – 13266 – /52
AA103 – 15451 – /54
AA104 – 18181 – /56
AA105 – 15451 – /54
AA106 – 13266 – /52
AA107 – 13266 – /52

1466 – 13059 – /51
2626 – 13059 – /51
4001 – T12 /53 to shed; from Pass 1948 S10143
7001 – T12 /53 to shed; from Pass 1948 S10143

Thanks, Andre, for sharing that with us. This blog is a collaborative effort with our readers. We share the information that we have, and you in turn have been kind enough to share some things with us. The result is that we all know more than we did before.

Don’s Rail Photos says, “L201 was built by Chicago City Ry in 1909 as CCRy C49. It was renumbered L201 in 1913 and became CSL L201 in 1914.”

Although not marked, this may be L203. Don’s Rail Photos says, “L203 was rebuilt from a passenger car.” (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

3286 shares the repair bay with two other cars at Noble Station (car house). (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

Instruction car 1466 on Franklin at Congress. Don’s Rail Photos says, “1466 was built by CUT in 1890 as CUT 4509. It was rebuilt as 1467 in 1911 and became CSL 1466 in 1914. It was converted to a training car. It was used on the grade out of the Washington St. tunnel to help students learn car control on hills. It was scrapped on March 9, 1951.” One of our earliest posts showed a similar car engaged in just such tunnel training. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

Don’s Rail Photos notes, “X3 was built by Chicago Rys in 1909 as CRys 66. It was renumbered W16 in 1913 and became CSL W16 in 1914. It was rebuilt as X3 in 1928.” (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

Crane X2. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

Don’s Rail Photos says, “L203 was rebuilt from a passenger car.” (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

Don’s Rail Photos says the “Sunbeam” was built by Pullman in 1891. It was used as a party car, later for storage. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

Sprinkler D61. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

D201. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

Sprinkler D4. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

A snow plow, converted from two sprinkler cars, at Elston Avenue Station (car house). (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

H201. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

W227 with short, single-truck trailer carrying a load of motor armetures at Burnside Station (car house). (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

A closeup view of the tracks around Burnside Station circa 1946.

S1. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

Supply car 2765.

Sand car R201 at South Shops. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

Money car M201. Its days as a US Mail car long gone, M201 has traded its resplendent white livery for utilitarian green paint. At South Shops. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

S4. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

5404 at South Shops, loaded with transfers printed there, bound for Noble Street Station. Though just rebuilt, this car is in work service, not passenger service. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

E53 at North Avenue Station (car barn). (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

Plow/sprinkler D205. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

W-203 northbound on a curve north of 104th Street, about to pass 6248 outbound on South Deering to 112th and Torrence. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

S-53 at West Shops. An unusual 3/4 closed, 1/4 open car. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

Sweeper E27. Don’s Rail Photos says, “E27 was built by McGuire-Cummings as CRys E27. It became CSL E27 in 1914.” Joe L. Diaz Photo)

S2. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

Don’s Rail Photos says, “1457 was built by CUTCo in 1900 as CUT 4500. It was rebuilt as 1457 in 1911 and became CSL 1457 in 1914. It was rebuilt as salt car AA68 in 1948.”

Dump car N201. According to Don’s Rail Photos, “N201 was built by Arthur Koppel Car Co in 1915.” (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

S4.

Crane car X201 passes by the Hotel Luzerne, which was located at 2004 N. Clark. The cigar store on the corner urges you to “call for Philip Morris.” Johnny Roventini (1910-1998) played the part of Johnny the Bellboy for the cigarette brand for more than 40 years, issuing this famous call more than one million times by his own estimation. This pitchman became one of the first “living trademarks.” (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

Except for a ceremonial event in 1946, the era of Chicago streetcar RPOs ended on November 21, 1915, less than two years into the CSL era. This photo was taken on October 14, 1938 by Edward Frank Jr., who described the car’s colors as tannish yellow gold with gold letters and trimmings. The location is the Lincoln Avenue car barn (aka “station”). According to Don’s Rail Photos, “H2 was built by West Chicago Street Ry in 1895 as 3. It became CRys 3 and renumbered H2 in 1913. It became CSL H2 in 1914.” Presumably it survived at least until 1938 as some sort of work car.

More Hoosier Traction

September 2, 2015September 16, 2015David Sadowski 7 Comments

Gary Railways #17 and #3. The body of a sister car, #19, is preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum.

The next Hoosier Traction Meet (see below) will take place in Indianapolis on September 11 and 12, the weekend after Labor Day. We thought it would be a good idea to give that event another plug, and at the same time, this gives us an excuse to some examples of Hoosier traction from days gone by.

We are fortunate to have found some great pictures, including a couple original negatives from some of the earliest fantrips by Central Electric Railfans’ Association on Gary Railways. CERA* is one of the premier railfan organizations, and it is our considered opinion that if you are not already a member, you ought to become one.

In general the Chicago Surface Lines did not operate outside of the City of Chicago, but there was an unusual joint operation, as described by the Chicago Railfan web site:

Service into Indiana was jointly operated with the Hammond Whiting & East Chicago Railway, later Calumet Railways, and finally Chicago & Calumet District Transit Co. Originally, route duplicated Windsor Park route between 63rd St. and Stony Island and 92nd/Commercial. In 1913, route was revised to operate via South Chicago from a new terminal at 63rd St. and South Park (now King Drive), using South Park south of 63rd St. After streetcars were discontinued, Chicago & Calumet District Transit Co. continued to operate replacement bus service, while streetcar service within Illinois was replaced with South Chicago-Ewing route, which evolved into present CTA route 30.

Service into Indiana was discontinued on June 9, 1940. Fortunately, we were able to hunt up a few pictures.

Indiana Railroad car 65 was the first piece of equipment acquired by the Illinois Railway Museum (then called the Illinois Electric Railway Museum). This is a wonderful lightweight, high-speed interurban car and is a joy to ride. It has recently been fitted with reupholstered leather bucket seats.

We tracked down a picture showing sister car 63 from the IR. The only other survivor from that order is car 55, which was turned into Lehigh Valley Transit Company car 1030, now at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Maine.

Bill Shapotkin: “Gary Railways car 19 at Indiana Harbor (that is the Pennsy’s Indiana Harbor passenger station at right, by the way). taken on March 19, 1939 — the day AFTER the last day of service on the Indiana Harbor (and Hobart) lines. (See CERA Bulletin 137, Pages 229-233, which includes a similar pic to above on Page 230.)”

Gary Railways car 19 crossing the EJ&E near Valparaiso on the very first CERA fantrip, May 1, 1938. Bill Shapotkin: “This is a different vantage point to the one shown on Page 224 of CERA Bulletin 137.” The body of this car is now preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum.

Chicago Surface Lines #3219, a one-man car built by CSL, as it looked on September 8, 1940. This car had formerly been used on the line to East Chicago, Indiana, which was abandoned three months before this picture was taken. This is also known as a “maximum traction” car because of its trucks. The white stripe on the end indicated it was a one-man car. Bob Lalich says this is “106th and Indianapolis. The car is eastbound.”

Chicago and Calumet District Transit Company #70, the last car to be scrapped. It was built by the St. Louis Car Company. We see it here at the Hammond Barn on September 8, 1940. These lines were abandoned in June 1940.

Chicago and Calumet District Transit Company #70 at Hammond in February 1939.

A Chicago and Calumet District transfer.

Hammond, Whiting and East Chicago car 74.

Indiana Railroad lightweight high-speed interurban car 63 at Bluffton in 1936. (C. Edward Hedstrom, Sr. Photo) Car 65, a sister to this one, is preserved in operable condition at the Illinois Railway Museum.

-David Sadowski

PS- We occasionally add photos to old posts. Here are a couple of recent examples:

This photo was added to Trolley Dodger Mailbag, 8-12-2015, since it goes along with the photos of the Chicago, Ottawa and Peoria.

Chicago and Joliet Electric Railway #242, shown at the Archer and Cicero station in Chicago in September 1933. (Robert V. Mehlenbeck Photo) Mehlenbeck was member #11 of Central Electric Railfans’ Association. According to Don’s Rail Photos, “242 was built by Cummings Car & Coach Co in 1927.” Service on this line, which connected to the Chicago, Ottawa & Peoria, was abandoned on November 16, 1933.

Somehow we managed to leave this photo out of our recent post A North Shore Line Potpourri, Part Two:

CNS&M 168 heads up a three-car Chicago Local on the Shore Line Route, stopping at Linden Avenue in Wilmette. The date is February 11, 1939.

It would be interesting to know whether the train is heading north or south. Going north, it would turn west onto street running on Greenleaf Avenue before turning north to run parallel with the Chicago & North Western. Heading south, it would begin running over the Chicago “L” system’s Evanston route. I am sure one of our keen-eyed readers can provide the answer.

Val Ginter writes:

The question on the page had to do with the direction of the train. I haven’t been there in many, many years; however, it looks like the train is northbound, and will turn left–or to our right–onto Greenleaf Avenue, where it will travel in the middle of the street for about three-fourths of a mile, before turning north onto its own right-of-way and the Wilmette station. I miss that whole thing: a big bite out of the Chicagoland apple.

On the other hand, Myron Moyano says:

Relative to the direction of the train at Linden Avenue on the Shore Line Route, take a close look at the angle of the sun and also the destination sign of the lead car. The picture is looking north at a southbound train.

The building at left in the North Shore Line picture is still there, located just north of where the CTA line ends at Linden Avenue. This proves the photographer was indeed looking north and the train was heading southbound.

So now we have a real difference of opinion. They can’t both be right.

HOOSIER TRACTION 2015

This September, a group of men and women will converge upon Indianapolis, IN for the annual gathering of the Hoosier Traction Meet. Considered by many to be the premier event of its kind, this conference of interested enthusiasts, historians, published authors and rail and transit professions consists of two complete days of audio/visual presentations on the history, operation and technology of electric railway and transit operations throughout the Midwest. In addition to the numerous auditorium events, there is an exhibition of electric rail and transit, where items of interest from transfers and photographs to fare boxes and operating models are for sale.

This year marks the 32nd annual Hoosier Traction Meet. Founded by Dr. Howard Blackburn, the Hoosier Traction Meet features, in addition to its auditorium events and exhibition hall, a opportunity for those interested in electric railway and transit to exchange ideas and swap stories with old acquaintances and meet new friends.

Allow me to take this opportunity to cordially invite each and every one of you to this special event — an event which has been the rail and transit highlight of my year for nearly twenty years. Attached you will find a copy of the Prospectus for this year’s gathering. Note that by mailing in your reservation in advance, the admission price is half that paid at the door — now that’s a bargain in anybody’s book! In addition, there are numerous restaurants and shops nearby, allowing plenty of opportunities to and have lunch or supper with your fellow enthusiasts.

Please consider joining us for this year’s event.

Wm Shapotkin
Auditorium Manager
Hoosier Traction Meet

Mr. Shapotkin is co-author of Faster Than the Limiteds:
The Story of the Chicago – New York Electric Air Line Railroad
and Its Transformation into Gary Railways

Central Electric Railfans’ Association* Bulletin 137

By Dr. Thomas R. Bullard and William M. Shapotkin

Published in 2004 – now out of print

*Trolley Dodger Press is not affiliated with Central Electric Railfans’ Association.

As an added bonus, here is some authentic 1920s jazz, courtesy of Bix Beiderbecke. Although the legendary Bix (1903-1931) hailed from Iowa, he did spend at least one summer blowing his cornet (which is now in the collection of the Chicago History Museum as far as I know) at Hudson Lake in Indiana, and I’m sure he got there via what we now know as the South Shore Line interurban.

Chicago PCC Updates

August 30, 2015August 31, 2015David Sadowski 9 Comments

CTA 7261 is southbound on Halsted, at the intersection with Grand and Milwaukee Avenues. This car is incorrectly signed for route 42 (should be 8).

One of the advantages of an electronic book is that it can be updated and improved as new information becomes available. Today’s post features the latest updates to our E-book Chicago’s PCC Streetcars: The Rest of the Story, which is available in our Online Store.

First off, we have acquired another rare supervisor’s track map from December 1946. Now, our E-book includes the CSL maps from 1941, 1946, and the CTA versions from 1948, 1952, and 1954.

These maps are much more detailed than the usual route maps and show the locations of crossovers, wyes, loops, stations (car barns), etc. etc. in great detail. They include the trolley coach and motor bus routes as well as streetcars.

Our E-book now includes five supervisor’s track maps, from 1941, 1946, 1948, 1952, and 1954.

Detail from the Chicago Surface Lines supervisor’s map from 1941, as featured in our E-book.

We have also added more photos, some of which are reproduced here. Over the last few months, we have added at least 30 new photos to the book.

E-book Update Service

If you purchase a copy today, you will receive most current version of the book. If you already bought one, we can provide you with an updated version at little or no cost. We can set you up to download the new files via Dropbox, a free file sharing service, at no additional charge.

If you would prefer an updated disc, we can send you one for just $5 to addresses within the United States. Contact us at thetrolleydodger@gmail.com for further details.

We want you to be able to buy the E-book with confidence that you will not miss out on any future improvements.

PCC Correspondence

Frank Weed writes:

I enjoyed the DVD Chicago’s PCC Streetcars: The Rest of the Story. I especially like the track maps of the system. My question — Is there any diagrams of the shops and barns? I am interested in the track arrangement of the yards.

The Surface Lines had numerous “stations,” as the car barns were called. If we can get hold of the information, we will add it to the E-book, thanks.

George Trapp writes:

The revised disc arrived the day after you mailed it, which was quite surprising. The list of scrapping dates for each individual car was very interesting, hopefully the inservice dates for each individual car can be found and published in the future.

Regarding the Pullman built cars, Lot 6749 for series 4062-4171, car 4062 was photographed at Pullman’s former Osgood-Bradley plant on 9-3-46, while car 4067 was photographed over a month later on 10-8-46, leaving me to believe that 4062 was shipped over a month before the rest of the cars started delivery.

The Lot 6786 cars series 4172-4371, car 4172 was photographed by Pullman’s studio the E. B. Luce Company on 9-16-47 and car 4306 hoisted up by the plant crane has a photo date of 11-20-47. In the series cars 4172-4196 were delivered first, then deliveries jumped to 4272-4371 with 4197-4271 being the last. This may have been done because of the CTA trying to cancel the order.

On your disc, Post War PCC’s #1, on Page 12 lower, page 15 upper and page 28 both views have photos dates of Oct. 1, 1949. I think they were taken later, probably 1951 or 1952. Per the Aug. 1950 issue of MASS TRANSPORTATION outside advertising on the CTA wasn’t authorized by city ordinance until 4-13-1950. Also, I doubt if any cars were painted dark green before the arrival of the propane Twin Coach 5000 series buses in late 1950.

On page 13, believe location is Clark and Roosevelt.

On page 26, lower view is of car 4055 not 4065.

On PostWar PCC’s #2, Page 2, upper photo of car being towed, it’s probably headed to West Shops for repair, I have this print as well from the late Joe Diaz and it looks like there’s some body damage on the PCC.

Pages 38 bottom view and page 46 upper view are 81st street looking east from Halsted.

Thanks… we will make corrections to the captions you cite. Sometimes the information written on a print or slide turns out to be wrong.

We know that the Chicago Transit Authority did try to cancel the PCC order, since this was reported in the press (see page 39 of Chicago Streetcar Pictorial: The PCC Car Era, 1936-1958, Bulletin 146 of the Central Electric Railfans’ Association*), but I believe this happened in 1947, not 1946.

The newly-formed CTA, you may recall, was instrumental in getting the 600 Postwar PCC cars ordered in 1945. This was part of a long-range plan to modernize all of Chicago’s transportation systems, first published in 1937 (and detailed in our E-book). Philip Harringon, the main author of what was commonly called the “Green Book,” became the first chairman of the Chicago Transit Board. It should therefore be no surprise that the City of Chicago’s plans were carried over into the early days of the CTA.

Chicago Surface Lines believed in the superiority of the streetcar for use on the busiest routes. Following national trends, the Green Book plan of 1937 envisioned replacing about half of Chicago’s streetcars with buses. By the time CTA took over in 1947, this “busstitution” plan had increased to 75 or 80%.

In 1945, CTA was all in favor of ordering 800 modern streetcars– 600 to start, and 200 more within a few years. Along with the 83 Prewar PCCs and the 100 Peter Witt “Sedans,” this would have given CTA a fleet of nearly 1000 modern cars. The City of Chicago had been very much involved in determining the specifications for the new postwar cars, which were finalized in 1941.

Since CSL had a modernization fund available, the CTA had no difficulty persuading the bankruptcy courts, which were in control of CSL, to approve orders for new equipment. And even though CTA did not take official control until October 1, 1947, they were very much involved in deciding not only what was ordered, but where and when it would run once delivered. CTA felt it had been given a “mandate” by the State and the voters to make transit improvements as soon as possible.

If not for World War II, there might have been a slower and more orderly transition to rubber tired vehicles. But with wartime shortages, orders for new buses were put on hold for four years. War’s end coincided with the creation of the CTA, and there was a pent-up need for change. But the winds of change in local transit circles changed very quickly.

Even as the first of 600 Postwar PCC cars were delivered in 1946, you can sense a certain ambivalence in such things as Chicago Tribune editorials, as this example from November 20, 1946 shows:

The street car is dead. With the exception of a few long haul, heavy traffic routes, street cars, which came in before paved streets, are obsolete. They should be replaced by buses.

You can read the rest of this editorial in our post Chicago’s Postwar PCCs (June 9th).

A year later, Walter J. McCarter, new General Manager of the CTA, reported that CTA had tried to cancel the remainder of the PCC order, but had been unsuccessful. Chances are this action could not have been taken prior to October 1, 1947. Until then, CTA would have needed to work through the courts and the Surface Lines.

These issues, and many more, are covered in detail in our E-book, which can be read on any computer with Adobe Acrobat Reader installed.

We will continue to improve Chicago’s PCC Streetcars: The Rest of the Story as new information becomes available. We are committed to making this the best book possible and a real (albeit unofficial) companion piece to Bulletin 146, which is itself a must-have for any railfan who is seriously interested in Chicago streetcars.

-David Sadowski

*Bulletin 146 is available directly from CERA. Trolley Dodger Press is not affiliated with Central Electric Railfans’ Association.

PS- We thank our readers for their continued support as The Trolley Dodger has reached another milestone, with more than 65,000 page views (from nearly 20,000 individuals) since our first post in January.

CTA 4282, a Pullman, passes the Congress expressway construction site on Halsted in 1952. In general, bridges were built first, and areas around them dug out afterwards. This section of highway opened in late 1955, by which time the streetcars had been replaced by buses.

CTA Prewar PCC 4032 being shipped out from South Shops for scrapping. According to the list compiled by Andre Kristopans, the date is around August 13, 1956, about two months after streetcar service ended on route 49 Western.

CTA 4346, built by Pullman-Standard, on route 36 Broadway-State.

CTA 4406, a product of St. Louis Car Company, in charter service on Clark Street north of Cermak Road, October 21, 1956.

A two-car train of “flat door” 6000-series cars at the ground-level Oak Park Avenue station on the Garfield Park “L” in the 1950s. These used PCC technology and were built with all new parts, unlike the later curved door cars that were partly built with parts salvaged from PCC streetcars. The building at rear, located at approximately 814 Harrison Street, is still standing in Oak Park.

The approximate location of the last picture as it looks today. The Forest Park branch of the CTA Blue Line is in the foreground. The old Garfield Park alignment, at ground level, would be about where the truck is in this picture.

The building at 814 Harrison as it looks today.

Chicago PCC Q&A with Andre Kristopans

August 19, 2015March 20, 2016David Sadowski 5 Comments

The cover of the 1957 version of Chicago’s Mass Transportation System, which is included as a Bonus Feature of our E-book.

Andre Kristopans is well-known in railfan circles as one of the most knowledgeable transit historians in the United States, certainly the foremost concerning buses used here in Chicago. He recently shared a complete list of Chicago PCC delivery dates and scrapping dates with The Trolley Dodger, which we added to our e-book Chicago’s PCC Streetcars: The Rest of the Story, available through our Online Store.

E-book Update Service

One advantage an electronic book has over a printed one is that it can be improved upon. We have always intended that to be the case with Chicago’s PCC Streetcars: The Rest of the Story.

If you have already purchased a copy of this e-book, and wish to get the most updated version, we can send you a link so that you can download it at no additional charge via Dropbox. Dropbox is a free service that allows people to transfer large files via the Internet. The book is about an 850mb download. Even better, as further improvements are made the updated files can be automatically downloaded onto your computer via Dropbox if you wish.

Besides the list of delivery and scrapping dates, we have also added about 25 more photos to the book since it was first published, plus a system map for the Chicago Motor Coach Company. We have additional updates planned for the future, and want to make sure that whenever you purchase your copy, you will be assured of having access to these updates as they become available.

If you would prefer not to download 850mb and would prefer a new disc with the most current version, simply keep what you already have, and we can send you an updated DVD data disc for just $5. If you are interested in these offers, drop us a line at:

thetrolleydodger@gmail.com

Sales of this and our other fine products help support the original research we feature here on The Trolley Dodger blog. You can also make a donation via our Online Store.

All the images used in this post are recent additions to our E-book.

Thanks.

-David Sadowski

The cover illustration from a Surface Lines brochure printed in August 1947.

Chicago PCC Q&A with Andre Kristopans

Studying Andre’s list brought up a number of different issues, which we discussed with him in the following exchange:

DS: Were the cars that had fareboxes installed the same ones that were converted to one man, or did some two-man cars also get some?

AK: All cars that were going to be around for a while got at least the pedestals for fareboxes installed. One thing I am not certain of is when CTA decided to get rid of the fare registers and replace them with (used) J-boxes. I know the buses all got fareboxes around this time, but I don’t know if, or when, the 2-man PCC’s did. Would have been by conductor’s station.

DS: What is a J-box?

AK: J-boxes were the 1940’s fareboxes that were only able to take quarters and tokens. Made by Johnson Farebox as model J, they actually showed up at CTA in around 1950 as they were bought second-hand from somewhere unknown (and later sold off after CTA went to exact fare in 1969!). The more modern ones from the 1960’s that were bigger and took all types of coins were Johnson type K’s. Johnson later became Keene Farebox.

DS: Also, how would this list be affected by the postwar PCCs that were renumbered? (The list is in my e-book—there were 13 such cars.)

I believe the renumberings were caused by CTA having entered into contracts with St. Louis Car Company that specified certain car numbers for shipment as part of the so-called “conversion program.” Then, for whatever reasons, CTA wanted to send a different car instead of one that was specified, so they took another one and renumbered it to fit the sequence of cars being shipped.

AK: Exactly. CTA had no official record of any renumberings. What it was loaded on the flatcar with was how it was entered on the property card.

DS: Later on, I think the contract wording was changed in later orders so that CTA was allowed to substitute.

AK: The numbers are very specific in the AFR’s – these cars under this AFR*.

DS: We already know what the renumberings were. Roy Benedict had the information, which had been compiled by the late James J. Buckley.

Most of the cars were renumbered in 1956-57, but there were also a couple in 1954.

So there would be a “first” 7210 and a “second” 7210, etc. etc., and I would expect that the information on your list of scrappings would somehow correlate with the renumbering list.

AK: Remember though as far as property accounting department was concerned, this NEVER HAPPENED! This was done by S&E** at South Shops on an ad-hoc basis, with downtown never being the wiser! Some railroads were notorious for this, Milwaukee Road being probably the worst offender, as when HQ sent a work order to shops to “scrap 800 and 801”, shops would find two dead ones, renumber them 800 and 801, renumber the “real” 800 and 801 to the numbers they picked out, and sent a notice back to HQ “800, 801 scrapped”. Now where it got really funny was when they picked two replacements that were of a different though similar model, and the “rescued” ones stuck around for years to railfans’ delight!

DS: If as I recall the later contracts with St. Louis Car Co. were revised to allow for substitutions of different cars, this would mean somebody was aware of the renumberings. I think I read this when I studied the Chicago Transit Board minutes from the 1950s.

AK: Maybe, but nothing was ever recorded on the property cards, which I copied.

DS: Interesting that car 7213, the last car to run, actually was shipped off to St. Louis as part of the contract that built the 1-50 cars, while the other 25 cars that were still on the property simply were sold for scrap.

It is also interesting that the 4391, the one postwar car that was saved, was designated for scrapping along with one other car, while an additional 20 were scrapped as part of a later order.

AK: Bus scrapping is an even more convoluted matter – why a vehicle goes on a specific AFR is sometimes hard to understand. I suspect 4391 was retired “early” because it had some sort of failure. Not necessarily anything major at that point, but something happened to it. When IRM restored it to operation, they probably had to fix more than a few problems, and one of them was likely the reason car was retired.

DS: Is it possible that CTA held off on selling the final 20 until they were certain that there was no chance that CTA would get control of part of the CA&E? I know there was a 1956 plan where service would have been temporarily operated between Forest Park and Wheaton using some prewar PCCs, with construction of a turning loop in Wheaton.

AK: That was one really sad episode. CTA was willing, CA&E was willing, but not without subsidy, and the towns along the line could not agree on who would pay how much. The off-line town like Addison refused to pay anything, but online towns said residents of off-line towns used the line too, so those towns should pay too. So in the end nothing happened.

DS: CTA’s efforts to operate a portion of CA&E continued through 1959. The idea was to use PCCs for about 18 months, which would have bought the CTA time to order new rapid transit cars that presumably would have been able to operate downtown over the new Congress rapid transit line.

I assume these cars would have been versions of the 1-50 single car units, with possibly more plush seats and high-speed motors.

AK: Most likely not “high speed” as CTA would have most likely run all-stops, with a stop every mile or so. Basically would have been just another “L” route.

DS: CTA spent several years working with various manufacturers to test and develop high-speed trucks. It seems that construction of the Congress rapid transit line led to a lot of interest, among the public and various officials, in having rapid transit cars that could go as fast as the autos on an expressway.

CTA held a public hearing in the early part of 1958 in conjunction with the purchase of the final 100 cars in the PCC conversion program, and the only negative comments were that these were not going to be high-speed cars. CTA officials pointed out that high-speed cars would only provide a small amount of time savings over regular cars, and that they did not want to waste the perfectly good motors being salvaged from 100 PCC streetcars.

CTA’s experiments with high-speed motors continued after this and eventually resulted in the 2000-series cars delivered in 1964.

If CTA had been able to extend service over a larger portion of the abandoned North Shore Line, they would have ordered more cars, high-speed versions of the single car units, pretty much the same as the 1-4 cars used to provide initial service on the Skokie Swift.

I guess the high-speed motors weren’t really perfected yet when CTA might have taken over portions of the CA&E. Simply extending service west of Forest Park using existing equipment would have been the simplest and made the most sense. Not sure why CTA felt it necessary to propose operating it as a feeder operation using PCCs.

AK: Here is another tidbit:

The Pullmans came with B-3 trucks and GE motors and St Louises with B-2’s and WH motors. Before they were shipped to SLCC the Pullmans and St Louis swapped trucks and motors as the B-3’s were considered less suitable for high speed operation. However, only 288 B-2’s were actually used, as 6489-6490 which should have had B-2’s came with B-3’s.

Later, of course, B-3’s were indeed used under 6491-6720 and 5-50, though it is true that these cars did indeed vibrate more at higher speeds, such as on the O’Hare Extension.

As far as I can figure the following groups were swapped out:

4102-4371 (270) swapped with 7115-7274 (160), 4372-4411 (38), 7045-7114 (69), plus trucks/motors from the three retired cars 7078, 4381, 4394

4062-4101 (40) swapped with 4052-4061, 7035-7044 (20), with last 20 going with original trucks/motors as trades on 6491-6510. Now where the two extra sets of GE motors for 6489-6490 came from is a good question, possibly spares.

Later “L” cars, 6511-6720 and 1-50 came with B-3’s and GE’s, except of course 1-4, of which 1-2 were GE, 3-4 were WH. Also, for a while 6483-6488 had GE motors, too, swapped with 23-26, 29-30 when they went into Skokie Swift service.

DS: If you read the narrative about how PCC 4391 was saved (which is also reproduced in CERA Bulletin 146):

http://hickscarworks.blogspot.com/2009/01/erhs.html

It says that there were 18 cars that were in operable condition at the end of service, which CTA put out for bid, and two cars that were not in operating condition, which were a separate bid. You could bid on them as a whole lot or otherwise.

That would seem to imply that 4391 was one of the two cars that were inoperable. Maybe the narrative about the 18 cars really should read 20 cars, to match your list.

AK: I do believe so!

DS: However, according to CERA B-146, car 4391 was operated on the last day, as the third-to last car in service.

AK: Just because a car ran on the last day does not mean the motorman didn’t put in a defect ticket after pulling in.

DS: According to the narrative, the ERHS crowd wanted to buy 4391 from the scrap dealer, who had failed in his attempt to sell the cars to Mexico City. His next idea was to scrap the cars and sell components to Belgium.

CTA still had some damaged cars that it needed to sell, and so the ERHS people bought 7218 and swapped it for the 4391.

The 7218 appears on your list but with a somewhat higher work order than the final batch of PCCs operated on Wentworth. Did the CTA change their numbering sequence for these work orders at some point?

AK: Yes – after the AFR’s in the 19000’s, they went back to 10000’s.

DS: You had also at one point mentioned that you heard that part of the 7078 body (damaged in a May 25, 1950 crash with a gasoline truck, the so-called “Green Hornet Streetcar Disaster” of the book by the same name) was actually used to put another car together that was seriously damaged. Any idea which car this might have been?

AK: The one that wrapped itself around the safety island at State/Root (the number escapes me at the moment).

DS:

Found this online in a forum:

“Parts from 7078 were used to rebuild car 7205, which wrapped itself around a pole at State and Root the previous summer (1949) after splitting a switch.”

“I often wonder which of its parts were used to rebuild 7205. That car suffered a gash right in the middle by the center exit doors resulting in a badly bent frame. Maybe they cut the frame off 7078 as well as some body panels and grafted them onto 7205.”

AK:

Probably correct, in that 7078 basically burned above the floor line and the frame appears to have survived relatively intact. Also, in that era (and really much later, into the 1980’s) repairs were done locally and if things didn’t come out exactly “as new”, that was not a problem. For instance, there was a Gary Transit fishbowl that got into a major wreck of some sort in the late 70’s and when they fixed it (themselves), they couldn’t quite get the left side of the body straight, so it had a definite “dip” in the sliversiding near the back door. But nobody seemed to mind.

On July 18, 1949, the Chicago Tribune reported on the accident where CTA PCC 7205 was damaged. It was later apparently repaired using part of the body from car 7078, from a disastrous crash the following year, where 33 people were killed.

DS:

Another thing that I discovered, while perusing the Chicago Transit Board minutes, is how much information they contained early in the CTA era, and how little was included later on.

Early in the CTA’s history, it seems as though the Chicago City Council was voting to approve each and every bus substitution on a streetcar line, but later on, the CTA was acting pretty much on its own regarding a lot of these decisions.

In 1952, as I recall, there was a local judge who said that CTA, having been created by act of legislature and a referendum of voters, was pretty much a law unto itself as regards what type of service to offer the public, and how much. So, if they wanted people to ride the North Avenue trolley bus, instead of the Humboldt Park “L”, the public had no recourse through the courts.

So when CTA decided in 1955 to end the Broadway-State through-route and substitute buses on southern half, the City seemed to be caught somewhat by surprise. Newspapers reported that the City had not been given time to study the matter. CTA said they were going ahead with it anyway because the new employee “pick” had already been made.

When they did the same thing to Clark-Wentworth in 1957, apparently there was no public outcry. Despite the fear in 1955 that this might inconvenience 5000 riders, who in theory took advantage of the through-route, the 1957 change was done with very little fanfare.

And when CTA approved the conversion of Wentworth to bus, this was done about two weeks before it took effect.

AK: This was one of the big deals that was highly touted when CTA was formed – that it was not beholden to the state or the city but could do pretty much as it pleased. In the early days, CTA went to the trouble of asking the city’s “acquiescence” on conversions, as it did after involve streets and who was obligated to maintain and plow them. However, at some point around 1950 or 1951 amid the mass abandonments, CTA got the city to agree to a mass takeover of responsibility for maintenance, so CTA no longer felt obligated to ask for city “approvals”. By 1955, the system was pretty well stabilized, and there was little talk of protesting changes, because there weren’t many.

DS: One of the cost savings claimed from substituting buses for streetcars came about by convincing the State legislature to exempt CTA from having to pay fuel taxes. They were unsuccessful in obtaining a subsidy, but they were able to do this much.

*Authorization For Retirement. (AFE is Authorization For Expenditure.)

**Shops & Equipment – the official name of the Shops Department.

CSL 7027 is southbound at Dearborn and Monroe, the east end of route 20 Madison, in June 1946. (Ohio Brass Photo, John F. Bromley Collection)

CSL 4010 and 4035 in experimental paint at the Madison-Austin loop on November 24, 1945. (John F. Bromley Collection)

CTA 4399 heads south at Clark and Roosevelt on July 16, 1957.

CSL 4062, the first postwar Chicago PCC, shown at South Shops shortly after delivery from Pullman, probably in September 1946. It is signed for Clark-Wentworth, the first route where the new cars were assigned.

CSL 4040 at the Madison-Austin Loop on December 15, 1942.

CSL 4004 at the west end of route 20 on May 15, 1940.

CSL 7062 at St. Louis Car Company in a builder’s photo prior to shipment to Chicago, most likely in April 1947. Andre’s list gives a scrap date of December 16, 1955, when this car was sent back to SLCC as part of the “PCC conversion program” for “L” cars 6471-6550.

Postwar Chicago PCC 4065 being delivered to South Shops by CSL locomotive S-202 in late 1946.

CSL 4010 in experimental colors in April 1946. This car is turning out of the loop at Madison and Austin to head east.

CSL 4052 at 81st and Halsted, the south end of route 22 Clark-Wentworth, most likely in 1947.

81st and Halsted today. We are looking to the southeast.

Here are some examples of Johnson fareboxes:

Trolley Dodger Mailbag, 8-12-2015

August 12, 2015November 22, 2015David Sadowski 4 Comments

Ray Huffstutter of Suwanee, GA writes:

I was born and raised in Jackson, TN. The trolley car photo attached was owned and operated by the Jackson Railway and Light Company.

Can you help me identify the manufacturer, model, year and color scheme? My guess is a Brill about 1918.

Thanks for writing. My initial search did not turn up much, but we will naturally keep looking. This must have been one of the smaller properties. There doesn’t seem to be anything about it on Don’s Rail Photos.

There is a mention in a 1916 issue of Electric Railway Journal that Jackson Railway and Light Company was in the market for a couple of one-man car bodies.

Chances are one of our readers will have an answer. That does look like a Brill, however. (Editor’s note: see comment below by Frank Hicks, which provides an answer.)

From the September 9, 1916 Electric Railway Journal, page 474.

Andrew Schneider writes:

I’m president of a group called Logan Square Preservation and I’m also putting together an exhibit and book on the history of the neighborhood. I found the attached photo on your site and would like permission to use it. We would, obviously, credit you for the image’s use.

If you’re interested, I may also be able to share some photos in our archive of trolley cars in the neighborhood – we have a few – one in color.

Naturally, we are glad to allow such a use, thanks. (The photo in question, reproduced below, originally appeared in our post Chicago Streetcars in Black-and-White, Part 5 (April 18). His group likes this picture so much that they may use it on the cover of their upcoming book.

(This is the photo Mr. Schneider referred to.) CSL 3204-3206 and 3228 on Milwaukee in 1928. Andre Kristopans adds, “Milwaukee looking north at Logan Blvd, from middle of Logan Square. Very rare shot of trains.”

Mr. Schneider, in turn, shared a couple photos with us:

(Andrew Schneider Collection)

A while back, Frank Hicks wrote:

I’ve been enjoying tremendously the CSL photos you’ve been posting on your blog; thanks for putting all of these great photos online!

I am writing because I am working on historical articles about two of the CSL cars in the IRM collection, the two ex-South Chicago City Railway cars, 2843 and 2846. I’ve completed a draft of an article about the 2843 that also describes the SCCR lines on the southeast side, and my hope is to follow it up shortly with an article about the 2846 that focuses more on the interstate routes over the Hammond Whiting & East Chicago. My question for you is, do you have any photos of either the 2841-2845 series Jewetts or the 2846-2856 series “Interstates”? I’m especially looking for photos of these cars in passenger service (pre-1932) but photos of IRM’s cars in work service (CSL 2843 and 2846, later CTA AA95 and AA98) would also be useful. And I’m in search of any photos of South Chicago City Railway cars prior to the CSL unification, including earlier single-truckers.

Anyway, any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time!

The article on CSL 2843 appeared on the excellent Hicks Car Works blog on April 9. At that time, we didn’t have anything to contribute, but a couple things have turned up since.

Mr. Hicks later wrote:

I’m just starting to work on an article about the 2846-2856 series “Interstate” cars and I’m definitely on the lookout for photos of those cars. The cars of that series that were put into salt car service were renumbered AA98-AA107.

Here are the photos we found showing cars in those two series:

CTA work car AA94, the former CSL 2842, at 77th and Vincennes on July 4, 1949. (Charles K. Wilhoft Photo) There is a similar, although not identical photo in the Hicks Car Works article on car 2843.

Don’s Rail Photos says, “2844 was built by Jewett in 1903 as South Chicago City Ry 324. It became Calumet & South Chicago Ry 829 in 1908 and renumbered 2844 in 1913. It became CSL 2844 in 1914 and was later converted to service as a supply car. It was renumbered AA-96 in 1948.” The Hicks Car Works article on car 2843 says, “In October 1942 one of the Jewetts, car 2844, was rehabilitated at South Shops and sent to Burnside car house for service. The station superintendent there wanted nothing to do with the car; even as stretched as the Surface Lines was, an aged car poorly suited for one-man operations was not what was desired. So the car was sent back to South Shops and the decision was made that the Jewetts instead would be converted into salt cars. ” So this photo may date from that brief period late in 1942 when this car was put back into service after having been in dead storage for a decade.

CTA work car AA101 at South Shops on June 14, 1955. According to Frank Hicks, this car was probably CSL 2849. It was originally built by South Chicago City Railway in 1907 and was a sister car to 2846, which is preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum.

M. E. writes:

re: Trackage on page 298 of (CERA) Bulletin #146

In my previous correspondence with you, I mentioned that the interurban car that began at the 63rd Place and Halsted L station went to Kankakee via Halsted, Summit, and Vincennes. I also said there was a car barn at 88th and Vincennes that the interurban line used. I just didn’t remember the name of the interurban company.

Reading through CERA bulletin #146 for a second time, I noticed that the caption on page 298 says the trackage on Halsted south of 120th St. was used by the Chicago & Interurban Traction Co. This contradicts what I know about the interurban trackage.

I still insist I am correct that the interurban line went south on Vincennes rather than Halsted. Reasons:

(1) See http://www.chicagorailfan.com/maptinik.html . The route shown on this page is Halsted to Summit to Vincennes.

(2) See http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr3137.htm . Here is the relevant sentence from that text: “C&IT interurban service continued from the south side Englewood Elevated Station at 63rd and Halsted (trackage in Chicago was leased along with the shops at 88th and Vincennes) to Kankakee.”

(3) See http://www.chicagorailfan.com/maptcit.html . This map shows the entire route to Kankakee.

(4) Vincennes Ave. goes south into Blue Island. From there, Western Ave. heads south, but soon becomes Dixie Highway, which at one point ran all the way to Florida. Present-day addresses in Google have Dixie Hwy. in Chicago Heights, so it would seem Dixie Hwy. (and the Kankakee cars) went southeast from Blue Island through Harvey, then south through Chicago Heights and Crete.

(5) South Suburban Safeway Lines was formed in 1933 (see http://www.chicagorailfan.com/histcit.html ). That company ran two bus routes from the 63rd and Halsted L station. One went to Harvey, going west on 63rd, south on Western through Blue Island, then south on Dixie Hwy., to Harvey. The other ran straight south on Halsted (with a slight jog to the west in Harvey to meet other routes) to Chicago Heights and Crete. The two bus routes were put in place to replace the interurban.

All of which leads to the question: What line used the trackage on Halsted south of 120th? I have no answer. The Riverdale streetcar ran along Michigan Ave., not Halsted. And the Chicago Surface Lines never ran streetcars on Halsted south of Summit (which meets Halsted at around 85th St.). Perhaps the trackage viewable on page 298 is a stub that may have been used as a terminal by red cars on either the State St. line or the 119th St. line. Or maybe there was a freight customer south of 120th St. Just some guesses.

That’s an interesting question. You can view a map of the Chicago & Interurban Traction Co. here.

Andre Kristopans writes:

Firstly, I do not think there is any dispute of the Kankakee Interurban’s route out of Chicago, namely Halsted, Summit, Vincennes, 127th, Western, Spaulding (alongside GTW), Page, 154th, Park, 157th, PROW to 161st/Halsted then south on Halsted.

Now the matter of the Halsted track: Apparently at one point in history (1890’s) the routing on 119th St instead of continuing west to Vincennes just went to Halsted and then south to 121st. Possibly the intent was to continue to 127th or further, but a crossing of the IC Blue Island branch seems to have become an insoluble problem, and besides, the industrial area along 119th between Morgan and Ashland must have looked a whole lot more inviting and the Halsted track simply fell into disuse, but was not actually taken up for many, many years.

To give our readers an idea of the general area M. E. is talking about, here is an enlargement of a 1941 CSL track map:

You will find the Chicago streetcar track maps for 1941, 1946, 1948, 1952 and 1954 in our e-book Chicago’s PCC Streetcars: The Rest of the Story, available through our Online Store.

Here is a rare photo of the Chicago and Joliet Electric, which provided a connection between the Chicago Surface Lines and the Chicago, Ottawa & Peoria:

Chicago and Joliet Electric Railway #242, shown at the Archer and Cicero station in Chicago in September 1933. (Robert V. Mehlenbeck Photo) Mehlenbeck was member #11 of Central Electric Railfans' Association. According to Don's Rail Photos, "242 was built by Cummings Car & Coach Co in 1927." Service on this line, which connected to the Chicago, Ottawa & Peoria, was abandoned on November 16, 1933.

Finally, we will close with three very rare images of the Chicago, Ottawa & Peoria, which became a division of the Illinois Terminal Railroad and which was abandoned in 1934:

CO&P freight motor 1530 at the Ottawa Shops in 1934. According to Don’s Rail Photos, “1530 and 1531 were built at the Danville shop in 1914 as kits which were then assembled at Ottawa. These were so-called pull cars which were used as locomotives.”

CO&P city car 43 at the LaSalle Car Barns. Don’s Rail Photos says, “41 thru 44 were built by American Car in August, 1905, as trailers for the Aurora Plainfield & Joliet. They were sold before delivery to the CO&P where they were motorized.”

CO&P freight motor 1524 on West 4th Street in Peru in 1934. Don’s Rail Photos says, “1524 was a pull car built by St. Louis in 1915 as Illinois Traction 1514 until it was transferred to Ottawa as 1524 in July, 1925. It was retired in 1934 and scrapped at Ottawa in January, 1935.”

Railfans, Their Cameras, and Camera Stores

August 6, 2015August 14, 2015David Sadowski 9 Comments

The iconic facade of Central Camera, one of the last remaining old-style camera stores in the Midwest.

Today we will explore the close relationship between railfans, their cameras, and their favorite camera stores. Nowadays, photography has truly become both easy and democratic, in the sense that most people now carry around with them a cell phone that is capable of taking surprisingly good pictures. You see the results immediately, so there is a very short learning curve. If your picture doesn’t come out as intended, you simply take another.

‘Twas not always thus.

Chances are most railfans became photographers out of sheer necessity. They were fascinated by railroads and wanted to study pictures of them, yet had no idea where to find such pictures. So, they bought a camera and went out and made every mistake imaginable.

They learned by doing, and over time, many railfans became excellent photographers, whose work is on a par with, and every bit as important, as any other shutterbug’s.

Pieritz Brothers office supply store in Oak Park, in business since 1895, has a sign in the window that says, “If you buy here, we will be here.” The same is true of camera stores, which were once commonplace but have now largely disappeared from the American scene.

Perhaps in the future everyone will order their goods online and have them delivered to their door by drone aircraft, but time was, if you needed to buy film, have film developed, buy a camera, or learn how to operate it, you went to your friendly neighborhood camera shop.

There was a time when cameras were not commodities, and people depended on the experience and expertise of the over-the-counter sales person, who would spend time going over the features and even critique their pictures.

In my own Chicago neighborhood, there was the Montclare Camera Company, on the same block as the Montclare Theatre. In the early 1960s, when I was in grade school, perhaps 25% of a camera store’s business involved home movies.

It was a common thing to joke about back then how your friends or relatives would invite you over to their place for an evening of really bad home movies of their latest vacation or someone’s backyard birthday party. You could only record about three minutes of film on an entire reel. For some reason, the market for home movies had largely dried up even before portable video camcorders became available.

In the early 20th century, enlargers were not commonplace. If you took your roll of film to the photofinisher, a camera shop or drug store, they would make contact prints of your black-and-white film that were the same size as the original negative. To yield a decent sized print, the film had to be very large as a result. Sometimes these large negatives can yield extremely sharp images today.

Many people would take these prints and put them into photo albums purchased at their local dime store, often using paper corners to adhere them to the black paper. By the 1930s, railfans began trading and selling photos to each other. In some cases, they put together elaborate dossiers about certain railroads, complete with original photos and clippings from newspapers and magazines. Others tried to compile complete sets of “roster shots” showing entire fleets of streetcars and interurbans.

Among these early railfans is the venerable Malcolm McCarter, last living survivor of the original 10 founding members of the Illinois Railway Museum. He has been selling railfan photographs for 76 years now and may very well still print them himself, from his vast collection of negatives. You will find his catalog online here.

There was so much to ride at one time, and yet those years must have been, in some sense, depressing. There was one abandonment after another, a nearly endless litany of bad news. We can be thankful for those early fans who were involved, in one way or another, in historic preservation, either through the fledgling railway museums, documenting things through photographs, or both.

Fortunately some of these same fans have lived long enough to see electric railways undergo a world-wide renaissance, with new systems and extensions cropping up all over. Their hard work in preserving this history has now been more than validated.

The changeover from black-and-white to color photography meant a change in approach. When shooting black-and-white, you can expose for the shadows and often retain the highlights, while the opposite is true with color slide film. An overexposed black-and-white negative may still be printable, but with reduced contrast. An overexposed slide will have washed out highlights.

Naturally, over the years, railfan photographers had their favorite camera stores. The biggest and best in Chicago were downtown.

Altman’s was legendary and was like a “Noah’s Ark” of camera stores, with two of every camera or lens imaginable– one to show and one to go. I am sure there are still many Chicagoans “of a certain age” who have fond memories of Shutan, Helix, Standard Photo, Lion Photo, Terminal Photo, and many others that are now gone by the wayside.

And of these, Central Camera on Wabash somehow remains, after 116 years in business. It has become part of history itself.

There is a photo of a prewar Chicago PCC streetcar, taken by the late Robert W. Gibson, on page 61 of Chicago Streetcar Pictorial: The PCC Car Era, 1936-1958, with Central Camera in the background. The store is still in the same location today.

The book collects the work of many unheralded railfan photographers who all turned out to be, in their own way, both transit historians and historic preservationists.

As a co-author, I was recently pleased to discover that Central Camera is now selling copies of the Chicago Streetcar Pictorial and has one on display in their front window, alongside the old Kodak Six-Twenty folding camera, the twin-lens Rolleiflexes, Leicas and such.

Yes, I know that in the long run, it is an uphill battle to keep up with the Amazons of the world. But even in the 21st century, shouldn’t there be enough room left in this world for a few old-fashioned camera stores?

As the sign says, “If you buy here, we will be here.”

-David Sadowski

PS- You can help keep our own doors open by checking out the many fine offerings in our Online Store. You can also make a donation there. We thank you for your support.

Further Information:

Remembering Altman Camera 40 Years Later

Ralph Altman Obituary

A typical folding camera of the early 20th century, this Kodak Autographic camera too very large size 116 black-and-white roll film. The “autographic” feature allowed the photographer to write notes on the actual film negative itself through a door on the back of the camera. The roll film was protected by a paper backing.

This streamlined Bakelite Kodak Bantam camera, which used size 828 film, was the state of the art in 1938 but few railfans could afford to buy one.

Thousands of railfans across America got their start with an inexpensive Argus C3, commonly referred to as “the Brick.”

Truman Hefner took many great pictures with a German Karomat camera similar to this one, which has a high-quality Schneider lens.

The late Bill Hoffman’s last camera was a late 1950s screw-mount Leica IIIg similar to this one. After his passing in the late 1980s, I received his Leica as a gift.

My own first camera, a Kodak Brownie Holiday Flash camera, circa 1963. It took size 127 roll film, then the most popular format on the market.

A Kodak Brownie 8mm movie camera.

For many years, Ray DeGroote took pictures with a German circa-1965 Kodak Retina Reflex III like this one. The gridlike patch at top left is a chemical-based light meter.

Even when there is no other dating information on an original 35mm Kodachrome slide, it can be dated to some extent by the type of mount used.

Chicago Streetcar Pictorial: The PCC Car Era, 1936-1958, published by Central Electric Railfans’ Association, can now be purchased at Central Camera. (Trolley Dodger Press is not affiliated with either Central Camera or Central Electric Railfans’ Association.)

One anonymous railfan’s album on clippings, titled “Roads which have Chicago as their first name.” This title is written out twice, followed by “except CNS&M in separate album.” Interestingly, the album has a section on the Aurora, Elgin & Fox River Electric, which does not have Chicago in its first name.

Chicago, Aurora & Elgin car 408 is in pretty sad shape in this photo taken just prior to its scrapping in 1962. It was a sister car to 409, which was sold to Trolleyville USA and came to the Illinois Railway Museum in 2009. We can be fortunate that there were enterprising railfan photographers who documented the last days of the “Roarin’ Elgin.”

Car 102 of the the Elgin Belvidere & Rockford sits forlornly in Marengo in this June 1937 photograph. By then, the line, which quit service on March 9, 1930, had been abandoned for more than seven years. Owner Bion J. Arnold kept these cars in storage in the futile hope that a buyer could be found. We can thank the unknown photographer who preserved this small slice of history.

Elgin Belvidere & Rockford car 203 was built by St. Louis Car Company in 1906. It was 31 years old when this photo was taken in 1937 in Marengo. A portion of the Elgin & Belvidere interurban right-of-way now serves as the main line for the Illinois Railway Museum in Union. An original Elgin & Belvidere motorman lived long enough to operate a car over the new right of way when the museum began operations here in the 1960s.

West Towns Streetcars in Black-and-White

August 4, 2015November 26, 2015David Sadowski 7 Comments

C&WT 155 during winter. Bill Shapotkin says, “I believe this photo is Hillgrove/LaGrange — the short-lived terminal located east of LaGrange Rd after (sewer work(?)) cut the line back from Brainard Ave. View looks east.”

The Chicago and West Towns Railways ran a very interesting streetcar system that meandered through Chicago’s western suburbs until the last car ran in 1948. But service continued with buses and in the 1980s, the West Towns became part of today’s PACE suburban bus system.

We ran a color feature on the West Towns sometime back (February 10) and here are several more classic C&WT shots in black-and-white.

Although not commonly thought of as an interurban, a 1943 Rand McNally Street Guide of Chicago identified it as such:

Perhaps this is because it ran between several different suburbs. But the C&WT also had some extensive sections of private right-of-way, especially along its busiest line, which ran between Cicero and LaGrange and, from 1934 to 1948, provided direct service to the Brookfield Zoo.

The word “interurban” has largely fallen out of favor today, but it was thrown around rather loosely in the 1940s and 50s. When the Chicago Transit Authority cut back the Douglas Park line from Oak Park Avenue to 54th Avenue in 1952, the replacement service was referred to as an “interurban bus,” presumably meaning that it was not going to be allowed to make local stops.

The Chicago Transit Authority took a serious look at buying the West Towns in the late 1940s but ultimately decided against it, after determining it was not worth the necessary investment. The West Towns charged some of the highest streetcar fares in the entire country and seemed to be a financial basket case for much of its history.

Yet somehow it managed to hang on and remained independent and privately owned until the late 1980s, far longer than most of its contemporaries. The service filled a real need and still does today.

The CTA did manage to stick its toe into suburban bus waters after abandoning the Westchester branch of the “L” in December 1951. But even then, the route 17 “interurban” bus relied on the facilities of the West Towns to operate. So to some extent the CTA was actually paying the C&WT for the privilege of competing against it.

CTA service continued on route 17 for 60 years, by which time PACE had a competing route 317 of its own. CTA finally gave up on it as of December 16, 2012.

Anyone who rode a Chicago Surface Lines streetcar back in the day had to change to the West Towns at the the city limits, if they wanted to continue into the western suburbs. There were several places where this happened, and a few (Cermak and Kenton, Lake and Austin) are shown in our photographs.

About 10 years ago, the Central Electric Railfans’ Association published The Chicago & West Towns Railways by James J. Buckley, and edited by Richard W. Aaron, as Bulletin 138. This is by far the best and most comprehensive book on the C&WT. You can purchase this directly from CERA.*

There was an earlier, and much slimmer volume on C&WT written by Robert W. Gibson, Bulletin 3 of the Electric Railway Historical Society. This has been out of print for many years, but is now available in digital form as part of the Complete ERHS Collection, again available from CERA.*

Antone who is interested in delving into the history of this fascinating street railway would do well to check these out.

In addition, there is an excellent overview of the West Towns on the Shore Line Interurban Historical Society web site.

You can find a 1913-1948 map of the West Towns on the http://www.chicagorailfan.com web site, along with another showing service from 1889-1913.

The closest thing you can experience today to the thrill of riding a West Towns streetcar would be to take a trip out to the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, where you can ride car 141, the sole survivor of the fleet, which has been beautifully restored back to operating condition.

Finally, two of our photos show the old Park Theatre, located at 5962 W. Lake Street in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. Cinema Treasures has a page devoted to this theatre, and just about every other in the country, whether currently in operation, closed, or demolished.

-The Editor

PS- We thank our readers for helping us establish a new record during July, with 13,271 page views.

PSS- Our friends at the Rockhill Trolley Museum in Pennsylvania have an important event coming up soon:

Rockhill Trolley Museum, Three Generation Celebration

Saturday, August 22, 2015 – New Start Time 10:00am to 4:30pm

Help us welcome the return of trolleys from three different generations.

Come witness the dedication of Johnstown Traction Company 311, fresh from its restoration, Philadelphia PCC car 2743 car, body restoration and new paint work, and San Diego LRV car 1019, in its official welcoming to Pennsylvania – the first LRV preserved and operated at a museum in the Eastern United States.

For more information e-mail Bill Monaghan, RTY-1267@Comcast.net

*Trolley Dodger Press is not affiliated with Central Electric Railfans’ Association.

The Chicago & West Towns also had some private right-of-way in the western suburbs. Car 160 is shown near LaGrange in December 1945.

According to Don’s Rail Photos, C&WT sweeper 9 was “9 was built by McGuire-Cummings in 1928. It was sold to Sand Springs Ry in 1948.” This picture may have been taken at the Harlem and Cermak car barn.

Chicago & West Towns 102 is shown at Cermak and Kenton in October 1935, with a Chicago Surface Lines route 21 car at rear. Within a few years, C&WT streetcars were repainted into the more familiar blue. Bill Shapotkin adds, “By the way, what bus is that depicted at left in this photo at Cermak/Kenton? Presume it is a West Towns bus (in the “sun burst” paint job) — but if so, what route is it working? If not a West Towns’ bus, then whose might it be and what route is it working?”

Car 127, signed for Maywood, is turning onto Madison Street. Bill Shapotkin says, “I believe thIs is a pull-out for the Madison line. Car is turning from S/B Harlem into W/B Madison. View looks north. Believe this is first time I’ve ever seen a pic looking N/B on Harlem before. Have seen pix looking east on Madison and west on Madison, but never north on Harlem. The reason tracks to right (operating in Madison, x/o Harlem) curve is due to jog in Madison St at this point — which does not make the location obvious.”

Harlem and Madison today. Forest Park is on the left, and Oak Park on the right. Madison does take a slight jog here. A pull-out in the previous picture makes sense as it would have come from the C&WT car barn on Lake Street just east of Ridgeland (torn down in the 1980s and replaced with a Dominick’s Finer Foods).

This picture of C&WT 159 may have been taken on Harlem Avenue between Cermak and 26th.

It’s April 3, 1948, and the end of C&WT streetcar service will soon be at hand. This photo may be at Cermak and Kenton. There was a fantrip on the LaGrange line the day after service ended, something which occasionally happened on other properties. (Gordon E. Lloyd Photo)

This would appear to be the corner of Harlem and Cermak. C&WT cars 160 and 157, going to the Brookfield Zoo and LaGrange, would have turned south here for a half mile before heading west on 26th Street. After streetcar service ended in 1948, and until the early 1970s, you could usually find a Good Humor man parked in what had been the trolley median just south of this location.

Harlem and Cermak today. From the 1950s through the 1970s, there was a Peter Pan family restaurant where the McDonald’s is today.

C&WT 116, 115, and 158 are lined up at Cermak and Kenton, the eastern end of the LaGrange line. A CSL streetcar is at rear. This is the border between Cicero and Chicago.

CSL 1583 is parked in front of the old Park Theatre, which was located at 5962 W. Lake Street in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. Chicago & West Towns car 145 is in the background in Oak Park, on the other side of Austin Boulevard. The Park opened in 1913 and continued in operation until the 1950s. When this picture was taken, they were showing a double feature of Trade Winds and Shall We Dance, which came out in the late 1930s, but this picture seems to have been taken some years later from the looks of the autos. (Stephen D. Maguire Photo) Bill Shapotkin adds, “Shows car #1583 working Through-route 16 (Lake-State – displaying the (according the Al Lind’s CHICAGO SURFACE LINES (Pages 272-276)) rush-hour only operation 119th/Morgan).”

Another view of a Lake Street car at the west end of the line, at Lake and Austin, in September 1939. Car 1579 is parked in front of the Park Theatre, this time showing a double feature of Four’s a Crowd and Stronger Than Desire. Meanwhile, it looks the the motorman and conductor are taking a break at curbside. The Park is still advertising that it shows “Talkies,” which became popular in 1927, and the sign that says “Refrigeration” means that the theatre was already air-conditioned.
The streetcar is working through-route 16 and is signed for State-79th.

5962 W. Lake Street as it appears today.

C&WT 103 at the east end of the Lake Street line at Austin Boulevard in 1938, waiting to meet a Chicago Surface Lines car on the other side of the street.

The Park Theatre appears shuttered in this early 1950s view of CTA 6183 at the west end of the Lake route at Austin Boulevard. Eventually, the building itself would be torn down.

C&WT 140, still in the old paint scheme, on February 23, 1939.

C&WT 165 on February 23, 1939. This car has already been repainted into the familiar blue and white colors.

C&WT 104 at the Harlem and Cermak car barn on April 3, 1948, less than two before the end of streetcar service. One of the replacement buses is at right. (C. Edward Hedstrom Photo)

C&WT line car 15, with its famous bent pole. The defect was apparently accidental, but it was certainly distinctive.

Finishing The Rest of the Story

July 10, 2015July 13, 2015David Sadowski 2 Comments

CSL 4001 in service on route 22 Clark-Wentworth.

Our new e-book Chicago’s PCC Streetcars: The Rest of the Story is finally 100% finished. The discs are being made, and all current orders will be shipped within the next couple of days. (Editor’s note: all orders have now been shipped as of July 12th.)

We know that many of our devoted readers have been patiently awaiting this new work. We kept finding more new things to add, in our quest to give you, the reader, the maximum value for your $19.95 investment.

One addition was a tribute to the late Alan R. Lind, author of Chicago Surface Lines: An Illustrated History. The book is dedicated to him.

Several important photographs recently came to light, and these have been added to the book. Some are reproduced here in this post, and they are significant additions.

These include a rare photo of experimental CSL car 4001 in revenue service. There are very few such pictures, since this streetcar (now at the Illinois Railway Museum) was, in the words of Frank Hicks, a “hangar queen.” Since this car was different than any other that CSL had, a dedicated crew was assigned to it, and apparently proved rather temperamental to operate.

By comparison, car 7001, built by J. G. Brill, saw more use and was much closer to the eventual design used for the PCC streetcar starting in 1936. It is somehow ironic that Brill never built any PCCs. The firm had a policy of not paying royalties to other companies, and their “Brilliner” was a failure in the marketplace. Few were sold.

Another last-minute addition is a photo showing CSL prewar PCC 4021 in service. This is the only survivor from the prewar fleet, and 4021 is now preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum.

Chicago’s PCC Streetcars: The Rest of the Story includes my 59-page essay of 18,571 words, covering various Chicago PCC topics, including the mysterious 1937 “Green Book” that some claimed formed the blueprint for the Chicago Transit Authority; the CTA’s 10-year modernization program; transit unification; the red ink of the the CTA’s early years; an important 1951 consultant report that recommended keeping the PCCs, converted to one-man operation; how the 1952 purchase of the Motor Coach Company seems to have played a role in the decision to get rid of the PCCs; how the math of the PCC Conversion Program just doesn’t add up; and much more.

There are special sections with more than 325 rare high-quality images, none of which appear in the recently published CERA Bulletin 146, Chicago Streetcar Pictorial: The PCC Car Era, 1936-1958. We urge everyone to purchase a copy of this important book, the most important book about Chicago streetcars to be published in the last 40 years, if you have not already secured your copy. You can purchase it online directly from CERA.*

Our new e-book comes on a single DVD data disc and is playable on any computer using Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is a free download.

In addition to the text and pictures, there is more than 3,500 pages of bonus material, including 176 different historical newspaper and magazine articles, and several entire complete research books. You can read all the CTA Annual Reports from 1945 to 1976, the entire 12-volume Metropolitan Transit Research series by Chicago Transit Board member Werner W. Schroeder, various other 1950s CTA publications, the CTA 10-Year Modernization Plan, the 1941, 1948, 1952 and 1954 track maps, and much more.

This e-book should appeal to anyone interested in Chicago’s PCC streetcars. It gives what the late Paul Harvey used to call the “rest of the story.”

You can purchase your copy for just $19.95 from our Online Store using either PayPal or a debit or credit card. Shipping within the United States is free.

We thank everyone for their patience in waiting for the completion of this new addition to the slender shelf of Chicago streetcar publications.

Every dollar you spend on our products goes to help cover the costs of doing this important original research. We have other exciting new projects in the works. Besides buying our products, you can also make donations via our Online Store.

Many people tell us how much they enjoy this blog, and the pictures and videos we present. With your help, we will continue to give you more great images, and the stories behind them.

We thank you for your support.

-David Sadowski

*Trolley Dodger Press is not affiliated with Central Electric Railfans’ Association.

CTA 7267 heads southbound on route 36 in August 1954. The location is around 1100 N. State Street, and we are looking north.

1100 N. State Street as it looks today.

CTA 4016 pulls into the terminal at Western and 79th on route 49.

CTA 4015 near the south end of the Cottage Grove line.

CTA 4011 northbound on private right-of-way around Cottage Grove near 99th Street on route 4.

Cottage Grove and 99th Street today. We are looking north.

Union Street Railway 610, an Osgood-Bradley “Electromobile,” built in 1929, shown in New Bedford, MA.

A New York “Bluebird” articulated compartment car in service in 1949.

CTA articulated set 5002 in April 1949, in Garfield-Westchester service. George Foelschow says, “5002 is shown eastbound on CA&E owned track between Austin and Central with the wilds of Columbus Park in the background. The track map indicates a crossover and the interchange track with the B&OCT. Note the switch stands.”

CTA trolley bus 9754 at the west end of the Irving Park route.

CTA 4006 in the turnaround loop at 63rd Place and Narragansett.

The current CTA bus loop at 63rd Place and Armon Schmidt Road (Narragansett).

A CTA handout from 1948. These were put on transit vehicles in a holder marked “read as you ride.”

CSL 4021 at Madison and Canal in the 1940s. The only prewar Chicago PCC that survives, this car is now preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum. (B. H. Nichols Photo)

CTA 4409 heads north on State near Harrison on route 36, July 22, 1955.

CTA 4035 heads south at Clark and Harrison on route 22 in the mid-1950s.

The finished product.

The 2015 Trolley Pageant @IRM

July 5, 2015July 5, 2015David Sadowski 6 Comments

The annual Trolley Pageant (some call it a Parade) at the Illinois Railway Museum is always a festive occasion, made more so this year by falling on July 4th. So this year, we helped celebrate our country’s freedom by riding many historic railcars at IRM.

Of special note is Indiana Railroad lightweight interurban car 65, the very first piece of equipment purchased by the museum back in 1953. Between last year and this, car 65’s unique “bucket” seats were marvelously reupholstered. According to the train operator, the job cost $20k and the Car 65 fund is still in the red because of this. I’m sure the museum would welcome donations to help cover the expense.

IR 65 also made a rare trip or two out on the trolley loop. The speedy interurban is almost always used on the main line, even though, being single-ended, it has to back up for half the trip.

As always, the volunteers at IRM do a great job, and are both friendly and knowledgeable.

IRM had six generations of Chicago Transit Authority rapid transit cars on display at various times around 50th Avenue station– woods, 4000s, single car units, 2000s, 2200s, and 2400s. There were even two trolley buses (both from Seattle) operating.

July 3rd was the 59th anniversary of that unfortunate moment when the Chicago, Aurora & Elgin unexpectedly quit passenger service in the middle of the day, stranding thousands of commuters who had to scramble to find a way home. The Illinois Railway Museum, with its unique collection, had no less than three different two-car trains of CA&E cars scheduled to operate Saturday.

Since this is the museum’s 62nd anniversary, here are 62 pictures taken on July 4th. We hope that you will enjoy them.

If you have never been to the museum, it’s well worth a trip.

-David Sadowski

Here is how the trains were scheduled to run:

2015 Trolley Parade – Main Line Schedule
CA&E 36-319 10:30 AM
CRT 1797/1268 10:45 AM
1630 Coach 11:00 AM
CA&E 409/431 11:30 AM
CTA 4290/4412 11:45 AM
CA&E 308-309 12:00 PM
CTA 41/30 12:15 PM
IRR 65 12:30 PM
CNSM 251-749 12:45 PM
1630 Coach 1:00 PM
CNSM 229 1:30 PM
CTA 2153/2154 1:45 PM
IRR 65 2:00 PM
TM D13 Cabooses 2:15 PM
Demo Freight 2:25 PM
CTA 2200s 2:45 PM
1630 Coach 3:00 PM
CSS 1100 3:15 PM
TM D13 Cabooses 3:45 PM
CSS 1100 4:15 PM
CTA 41/30 4:45 PM
1630 Coach 5:00 PM
CTA 4290/4412 5:30 PM *
CRT 1797/1268 6:00 PM *
*Extra trains, operate as needed based on crowd or send back to barn from 50th