Here's another newspaper article in the Hicks Car Works archives, from the Tribune of November 1957. Most of the information is reasonably accurate. (The idea of adapting the cars for subway service by cutting in new doors is obviously impractical.) The company was valuing the cars at $10,000 apiece; of course, none of them were sold at that price. As you probably know, most of the cars sat outside for the next five years deteriorating, and we're lucky twenty of them were finally preserved.
And stop stealing the trolers, you thieves!
3 comments:
This reminds me of a story I was told about the North Shore Line, by a fellow who knew Milwaukee shop head Orin Schmidt. Per Schmidt, the level of theft in the last days of operation and after abandonment would have made restoration of service impossible, even if the courts had ordered it.
I'm also reminded of another story I was told by a fellow who used to have a CA&E controller (that he bought with a bunch of other things after service ended). He said his controller came from a big shed on the shop property...were these shop spares, or did RELIC remove controllers from the cars before they were scrapped? I don't know if he bought it from RELIC or the railroad, but it sounded as thought what he bought came from the railroad itself.
Not to nitpick , but I only count 19 preserved CA&E cars. I guess you included the 318.
Artschwartz
Yes, I did. We're still using parts from the 318. On the same subject, Ed Allen writes:
Obtain the front page of the Sun Times dated July 4, 1957 and see me holding two phones looking like I had just lost my best friend (which I had) at DesPlaines Avenue, Forest Park. Those headlights on the fronts of those yard cars were all staged by me. Whistles, destination signs, controller handles were all being stolen... I will tell you the story some time. Ed Allen
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