Monday, October 20, 2014

Mark your calendar!

One of the exciting events coming up soon is the first ever fan trip on the Metra Electric!  The trip will be on Sunday, November 9th and will cover the entire electrified district.  The plan is to use a single pair of Highliners, which are being retired in droves, and the proceeds from the trip will go towards the acquisition and funding of a set for IRM.  There are still seats left and all of the money goes to help the museum, so make sure to sign up soon and tell your friends!  Click here for more information and to buy tickets.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Randall,
Are these the cars that took the place of cars like the Illinois Central 1198?

If so that is neat as I thought that MARTA just ran Diesel powered commuter trains!

Ted Miles
Long Distance IRM Member

Randall Hicks said...

Yes, Ted, they certainly are. They replaced the older cars about forty years ago and are now being replaced by new electric equipments, as Metra has no plans to discontinue the IC electrified district. When I joined the Museum, the Highliners were brand new, and were generally considered modern and ugly. It just makes me feel old. :(

Anonymous said...

IRM ran a fan trip on the RTA IC division in 1975, if I recall correctly, using the old heavyweights. If METRA is simply the operating division of the RTA, which still exists, then this would be the second fan trip on the line.