Memorial Day Photo Album

Thanks are due to our intrepid freelance photographer Joel Ahrendt, who in addition to working on Monday as motorman of the IT "Tangerine Flyer" train also grabbed some photos and sent them along for the enjoyment of our readers.

The IT train only comes out once or twice a year and it's always great to see it in operation. It included the usual set: combine 277 pulling coach trailer 518 and parlor-observation trailer 234. It's not shown here but Joel even dressed up the observation platform railing on the 234 with a bit of bunting in honor of Memorial Day.

On Sunday, the 1630 was pulling the usual Lackawanna commuter coach train while F-units were pulling the heavyweight train. But on Monday, the heavyweight train was steam-powered, which I'll admit I wouldn't have minded seeing for myself. I'll have to catch it next time.

With an RPO, combine, day coach, heavyweight sleeper-lounge, Pullman 10-3, and heavyweight observation car, this was one impressive looking consist.

For those who got tired of neat, prewar trains graced by open-platform obs cars, we were also running spam cans.

It was an all-CSL weekend on the streetcar line, and there's never anything wrong with that. Saturday saw the 1374 and Sunday the 144, while on Monday the 3142 (shown here) and the Matchbox doubled up.

Here's the Matchbox at Depot Street with Zach at the controller.

The caboose train was electric-powered on Monday, so that's a nice change from the usual diesel. At the right edge of this picture you can see Good Nick in white and Thomas in overalls.

So to win the grand prize, you need to answer today's trivia question (and no, car shop volunteers who already know the answer to this aren't eligible!). Zach, shown here running the 1374, is definitely not wearing a Chicago streetcar uniform - but what city's uniform is it?

Sunday Mini-Pictorial

Sunday was a very busy day at the Museum, and I was too busy to get many pictures.  We were running CA&E 36 in shuttle service from 50th Ave. to Jefferson all day, and this seemed to work out quite well.

But at least we were able to get the obligatory crew picture.  There's me, and Frank, who was running the 144 all day, and my conductor, a (relatively) new member, Riley McBride-Schmars.  A good time was had by all.

Meanwhile, there were four, count 'em, four mainline trains.  In no particular order:

1. The Pullman heavyweight train, featuring five restored Pullmans, pulled by the F units BN-1 and CNW 411
2. The coach train, pulled by the 1630
3. Caboose train, pulled by IT 1605
4. North Shore cars 714 and 749.

Our old buddy Larry Stone was the dispatcher and did an excellent job, of course, keeping all this going smoothly.  And of course there were a lot of other people whose help was essential.  You won't find a museum operation like this anywhere else!

Pullman car Villa Real was in service for the first time, and I promised Roger I'd take some pictures of the interior, so here they are.  It's beautiful.

For pictures of all the rest, I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere.  But of course, there's no real substitute for being there in person.

Frank adds...

As mentioned, I was running the 144 on Sunday, with new-ish volunteer Jack E. working as car host. It was really nice to have this car out; it's been a long time since I've run it in service.

After operations were over, and after the group returned from dinner, I changed into work clothes and attacked the smoker of the 460 again with the wire wheel. Here's the bulkhead when I started:

...and here it is an hour later:

This definitely goes more slowly than the panels over the side windows, which I'm not even sure have primer underneath the paint. The worst-looking part of the bulkheads is the bottom half, which is mostly hidden behind the seats. So at the very least, I may leave these areas until last. Plus I need to take that first aid kit box off the wall so I can wire-wheel around that. But good progress is being made.

Happy Birthday, Frank!

Frank was a child prodigy in the railroad preservation field. I started bringing him out to help at age 4. At age 8, he completed his first painting project (underbody equipment on the 309). At 11, he published his first article in Rail & Wire. And it's been upward and onward ever since!

Line Car Report

 Gregg Wolfersheim provides another update on the IT line car:

The #1 end motorman's drop sash was refurbished, including the leather strap. Some neetsfoot oil revived it after 70 years.

The #2 end slider type window opening needed a little epoxy to fill in a few low spots. Next will be some primer.

 The corner post area around the motorman's station on the #1 end also got the epoxy treatment.

Relics of the Chicago and West Towns

Recently the city of Berwyn has been tearing up the streets for a repaving project, and in the process some of the last remaining vestiges of the C&WT have been dug up.  They don't appear to be salvageable, but they may be of interest to some of our readers.  The photographer prefers to remain anonymous.

All of this was taken up from Stanley Avenue from about Harlem to Wisconsin.  The rails are thought to be from a switch directly in front of Connie's Restaurant.  The rest of the rails were taken up soon after the C&WT was abandoned.  Or so I'm told.

Sic transit gloria, as they say.  Now if you actually want to see more, there are almost 200 photos available.  Just send me an email and I can direct you to a link to download them from the cloud.  You may be reluctant to download things from the cloud, but I tried it and didn't get wet.  Your results may vary.

Chicago Aurora & DeKalb

The Chicago Aurora & DeKalb Railroad

by Stephen M. Scalzo

Headline image: Coach 22 and freight motor 21 meet at the Bliss siding halfway between Aurora and Kaneville in August 1914. All photos are from the Stephen Scalzo Collection of the Illinois Railway Museum except where noted.

The Chicago DeKalb & Rockford Electric Traction Company (CD&RET) was incorporated on December, 1901, by P.H. Batten and Company of Chicago, and plans were developed to initially build a 27-mile interurban line between Aurora and DeKalb. The survey of the line had the right-of-way going northwest from Aurora to Kaneville, Cortland, Maple Park, and DeKalb, home of Northern Illinois University. In May of 1902, the company was granted a franchise to use the streets of Aurora. By December 1904, 15 miles of grading was completed, and tracklaying began shortly thereafter by the William C. Ross Company of Chicago which had been awarded the construction contract on October 1. During 1905, 19 miles of trackage was completed from Aurora to Kaneville before the contractor discovered that his bid was too low, and promptly went broke and out of business. Joy Morton of salt fame came to the rescue, and construction was completed by June 30, 1906, to the university in DeKalb. A small carbarn was constructed in Aurora.

The early gas-powered passenger fleet consisted of diminutive cars resembling speeders and cars like CD&RET car 7, shown here, that were basically streetcars. Car 7 resembles a Brill product but it does not show up in Brill, American, Kuhlman, or Danville order lists, and its actual builder is unknown.

Locomotive 1 is at the west end of the line in DeKalb with a distinctively ex-CB&Q coach in tow.

The company had a great deal of trouble securing entrance into Aurora because the local streetcar company initially did not want to provide 1.5 miles of trackage rights. The first passenger operations were planned with electric operation, and after the overhead wires were installed, the company decided instead to use gasoline motorcars and the overhead was dismantled. Two 100hp 40passenger motorcars were ordered, and on January 1, 1907, passenger service began. Those cars initially operated two round tripos a day over the line, which required 90 minutes for the trip. Freight service was operated by steam locomotives. The line had no passing sidings, so when a motor car met a freight train, it was necessary for the passengers to disembark while the crew lifted the car off the tracks to let the freight pass. Eventually, six motorcars were used to provide passenger service, however those cars proved unsuccessful and were scrapped after several years. Several secondhand passenger coaches were then purchased and hauled behind a steam locomotive. During 1908, the company carried 20,000 passengers and earned $10,809 (negative $5,448), and those poor earnings forced the company into bankruptcy and receivership on August 31, 1908.

This photo may have been taken around 1910, as it depicts what appears to be a mixed train at Kaneville yet engine 1 is lettered CA&D. It's also possible, however, that this is post-electrification.

Car 24 is traveling down the middle of the street in Kaneville, likely sometime in the 1910s. Of the four buildings visible in this picture, taken looking northwest at Harter and Main Street, three still stand.

The Chicago Aurora & DeKalb Railroad was organized on July 21, 1909, and on October 29, 1909, it purchased the AD&RET at a foreclosure sale for $95,000. Plans were immediately developed to electrify the line, and three passenger and two freight box motor interurbans patterned after the equipment of the nearby Joliet & Southern Traction Company were ordered. Substations were constructed at Kaneville and Cortland. Plans were also developed to extend trackage 31 miles to Rockford; however nothing ever was constructed. The 600-volt DC electrification was completed in August of 1910, and interurban passenger service began operating on August 14 with seven daily trains on 90-minute schedules. When an additional five interurbans arrived in 1911 [sic], 12 daily round trips were operated, with 85 minutes needed to make a full trip between terminals.

Around 1920, central Aurora served four interurban lines radiating in five directions from the city, more than any other downtown in Illinois - even Chicago, whose Loop was only served by two interurban companies at that time. Here, CA&D 22 is turning from Main Street (today Galena Blvd.) onto Broadway in downtown Aurora. It's being followed by two Aurora Elgin & Chicago suburban cars, the latter an ex-Twin City car purchased by the AE&C in 1913. The dome in the right background is today the site of the Paramount Theatre.

Car 22 is shown standing in front of the substation at Kaneville, barely visible in the right background. This structure stood for several decades after the interurban quit but is long gone now. A different print of this photo that shows more of the substation is here.

Electrification did not prove the stimulus to the passenger traffic problem; passenger traffic had been weak from the beginning, and that pattern continued to hold true. The company was soon operating unprofitably and bankruptcy came on September 2, 1913. The company was reorganized on March 31, 1917, but a second bankruptcy occurred on January 15, 1918, when the severe winter of that year drastically cut ridership. By 1922, service had been reduced to seven daily round trips, with earnings of $62,738 (negative $2,045). Inroads were already being made by private automobiles and the construction of concrete highways in the area. Seeing that the company could not be operated profitably, the receiver determined that continued operations would be fruitless and the decision was made to discontinue all service. The last interurban operated on January 31, 1923, which was the first significant Illinois interurban line to be abandoned. Efforts were made by the local farmers over the next several months to restore service, but at the foreclosure sale, the highest bid of $90,000 was from scrap dealer Israel Joseph, who dismantled the line after receiving permission from the Illinois Commerce Commission in September of 1923.

This article was edited and laid out by Frank Hicks. Thanks to Ray and Julie Piesciuk and to Richard Schauer for making available the materials from the Stephen Scalzo Collection that were used to publish this history.

Chicago Aurora & DeKalb Equipment Roster

This roster is incomplete

Non-electric cars:

1, 2 (two steam locomotives) - 4-4-0 steam engines - purchased c1907 secondhand from the CB&Q

? (as many as five cars) - gas-powered motor cars, some rebuilt from automobiles or trucks, at least one (numbered 7) was a DE ST DR car

6, 8 (two cars) - DE ST DR semi-convertibles - built 1907 by Kuhlman (ord#351) - Brill 21E trucks

? (at least two cars) - open-platform coaches - purchased c1909 secondhand, at least one car ex-CB&Q

302 (MOW flatcar) - weed killer (photo)

Electric cars:

22, 24, 26? (three cars) - DE DT RR interurban coaches - built 1910 by Danville (ord#543) - numbers uncertain, Danville records list car 26 and two others, some sources say 22 and 24 were built by American but that company's records don't show any cars built for the CA&D - car 26 wrecked in collision with C&NW on east side of DeKalb; car 24 given to Elgin & Belvidere early 1920s to replace E&B car 205, wrecked while on loan to CA&D

21 (one car) - DE DT freight motor - built 1909 - some sources say built by American but that company's records don't show it; it's also possible that there were two cars of this type on the CA&D - sold to E&B c1923 (possibly as E&B 103?)

Chicago Aurora & DeKalb Route Map

Click here for a CA&D route map

The most easily identifiable remnants of the CA&D today are spots where the right-of-way is still evident, notably through Bliss Woods west of Aurora, where May Road and a walking path sit on the interurban alignment; and the carbarn in Aurora, a small two-story building at the southwest corner of Plum Street and the ex-CB&Q line to Batavia (Google Street view image).

Chicago Aurora & DeKalb Photo Album

Westbound steam locomotive 1 has a CB&Q stock car and a few other freight cars in tow in this picture taken looking southeast from the corner of Main Street and Harter in Kaneville.

The only cars in the gas-powered fleet that are well documented were cars 6 and 8, built by Kuhlman in 1907 as shown here. These cars had a two- or possibly even three-tone paint scheme, as is evident in this builder's photo, but what these colors were is not certain.

Express car 21 is shown on some sort of special trip on the straightaway through Bliss Woods west of Aurora. This area is today a forest preserve and the interurban right-of-way is a walking path.

Interurban cars 22 and 24 meet at the siding at Kaneville. The CA&D was single-track with sidings at four locations, all single-ended: (east to west) Bliss, Kaneville, Watson, and Cortland.

Click here to return to the Scalzo History Collection index

36 Inspection

Car 36 was left over the pit, as you may have read in an earlier post, so when I arrived Monday morning, it was time to get to work.  I tightened up all the bolts on the compressor cradle, connected the supply pipe, made the electrical connections, and topped off the oil on our shiny not-so-new rebuilt compressor.  And it worked just fine when power was applied.  Thus the 36 is a self-motivator again.  Our heartiest thanks to those who made this possible, most notably Dan Fenlaciki!

When it comes time for sequencing, the contactor boxes face different ways, on different sides of the car, and one of them is in the middle, a little more challenging than the 309's arrangement.  But the same nursery rhyme works for them both.

And here we see Gerry, who got to be the controller twister this time.

Then I did the underbody inspection.  The traction motors were rebuilt in Cleveland by a motor shop, and they still look like new.  It's always nice to see something like that.  This car is our oldest operating interurban, and it should keep going for a long time.

After inspecting the trucks and motors, it was time to pull the car outside and do lubrication.  Frank had already done the armature bearings, so that just left the main bearings and axle caps, as I had already topped off the compressor.  And after a brief test run, it was put back in the barn.

The 1902 interior with its Bijou-style lighting and rattan seats is still in excellent shape.

And the "solarium" end of the car is usually a crowd pleaser.

Inspection is an intensive process, so I didn't get any pictures of what all the other guys were doing.  But if you stay tuned in on this channel, we'll try to catch up.

In any case, we're scheduled to be running a CA&E wood car train on Sunday, May 29th, and at least one crewman, preferably two, is still needed.  Sign up today, you'll be glad you did!

The latest on CTA 9631

Thanks to Richard Schauer for sending along this update of progress on our CTA trolley bus:

After stopping by the body shop last week and finding no progress, I saw that this week they had made a new panel for the curb-side rear compartment door.  This is not the same piece that they had made for it last November, but a fresh piece; I don't know why they went this route.

They also took off the street-side door skin.  They had said they wanted to avoid this, but evidently it was necessary.  I spoke with one of the owners about the rivets, and she confirmed my suspicions that they were having much more trouble than they thought to get the unusual rivets required.  We discussed other ways of achieving the desired result, considering that the total number of rivets to be replaced is fairly

small- perhaps a couple dozen, plus another couple dozen of another small round-headed type that should be easier to find.