Saturday, August 1, 2009

Illinois Terminal Fan Trip - 1963

Our friend Tom Cornillie found this advertisement for the Illini Railroad Club in a used book store in Oakland, Cal. The year is 1963. Tom points out that $19.95 was a lot of money in those days. When they got to Avon Yard in Indianapolis, they visited CA&E car 308 which was stored there at that time. Thanks, Tom!

The picture, of course, shows an earlier fan trip using only 233 and 234. I don't know the IT well enough to tell you where this is, but notice that the bracket arms are still in place over the track, so it wasn't long after electric service ended in 1956.

Update: Dale Jenkins says: "The train is between Bement and Monticello; southbound. That is Illinois Highway 105 in the foreground. This is the same site that had a large pyramid to mark a location of a famous Lincoln debate." Thanks!

2 comments:

David Wilkins said...

It makes me wonder that they did for lighting on the cars, since the trip returned at 10pm. With no overhead, how would you light and power the cars? Any ideas?

Bruce Duensing said...

An interesting concept which now would more than likely be impossible to duplicate over a "foreign "road, I was racking my brain to come up with former interurban lines that are still extant sans wires..that would be interesting trip with a diesel pulled consist...probably a mile here..a couple miles there..
Cest La Vie.