Memorial Day photos from Chuck Amstein

Our official photographer, Chuck Amstein, sent in a number of photos taken Monday of operations at IRM. The usual requirements to obtain permission before reproducing any of these photos apply. Enjoy!

Chicago Surface Lines 1374, with Henry Vincent motorman and Randy Allegrezza conductor, pulls out of Barn 7 at the beginning of the day.

Illinois Terminal 277 peers out of the door on track 81 before emerging into the sunlight.

The "Tangerine Limited" passes the Electro-Motive sign from McCook on the ladder track en route to the tail track.

The IT train sits on the tail track before backing into Station Track 1. No other museum has a matched set of interurban cars, complete with open-platform obs, anything like this!

The "Tangerine Limited" all ready for its first trip of the day. This shot would have been impossible until about six weeks ago, when the old gift shop cars that formerly occupied the foreground area were removed.

IT motorman Joel Ahrendt gets ready for his trip. Standard practice on the IT was to put the motorman's cab on the left side of the car.

CA&E 319 and 36 are in Johnson Siding as the "Tangerine Limited" passes holding the main. Where else but IRM can you see wooden interurban trains passing each other?

Back at East Union, the IT train crew (L-R: Shelby, Zach, Gregg) speak with a customer. Note the modernized marker fairings on the 277 and the long jumpers between cars.

This is the observation compartment on the 234. The plan is to eventually return this compartment to its original stained-and-varnished appearance. Note that the 234 retains its original partial Empire ceiling; the IT added arched "hips" to either side of the original monitor roof but left the entirety of the original roof structure intact on this car.

Only at IRM: the Matchbox passes through Car Line Junction while the three-car IT train sits in Station Track 1, Frisco 1630 occupies Station Track 2, and the Zephyr passes by on the main line.

CA&E 319 and 36 pass the depot westbound on the main line.

CA&E 36 and 319 load passengers on Station Track 1. It's Memorial Day, so the train is flying American flags, but the cars are restored to c1950 condition so of course they're 48-star flags.

The face of the CA&E!

Frisco 1630 arrives on Station Track 2 with the coach train.

This is a nice shot of the 319's interior. It looks a lot better than it did when the car arrived at IRM.

The "Tangerine Limited" passes Spaulding Tower headed westbound on the main line. The middle car is the 518, a coach trailer that was nonetheless fitted with a trolley pole while on the IT. IRM has turned the car around and jumpered it to the 277 so that the train can use the 518's pole when running obs-end first.

A view from the railfan seat on the 319: the eastbound CA&E wood train passes the Nebraska Zephyr at Johnson Siding.

Motorman Dan Buck running the 319 westbound from Kishwaukee Grove

Chuck's last photo for the day was this terrific shot of the eastbound steam train framed in the end window of CA&E 319 as the wood cars sit in Johnson Siding.