Simms Collection -- CA&E

The CA&E collection is huge, over 200 photos, so choices have to be made.  The railroad is already extremely well represented in books and magazines, of course, and for the most part the photos in the collection don't add a lot to what's already published.  I'll limit the many roster shots mostly to pictures of cars that were preserved.  Very few have info, but those few are interesting.

11

Nov. 23, 1944
This, of course, is before it was rebuilt into a line car.
Fun fact: 11 is the only wooden car ever on the roster that had one king post instead of two queen posts on each side.

 303

309

311-315

You can never have too many interior photos.  This is a Kuhlman in later years. 

315

316

July 1, 1945

317

318

321

460

FAN  TRIPS 

Cars 10 and 321 on the CERA fan trip of Aug. 6, 1939 at Batavia, viewed from across the river.

This is a 1940 CERA fan trip with the 318, paused at the end of track in Elgin.

Luckily, I can name all of the people in this picture!  (L to R)

Howard Odinius

Fielding Kunecke  ("my cousin")

Karl Pearson

Herschel Pemberton - Conductor

Edward Barmore - Motorman

Frank Krejcik

Dave Prescott

Arthur Kirby

Now it's your turn!

"Aug. 10, 1941

The Special at the C M St.P.&P.

under pass on the Elgin branchs

Nos. 9, 11 and 319.  the latter

was dragged both ways the controls

will not operate with the freight

motors"                                   

"Aug. 10, 1941
On the Aurora branch along the
Fox River   We were backing in the
hole to let a regular passenger by."

WORK  SCENES

Here the IC diamonds at Elmhurst are being rebuilt.  

The work equipment in the background appears to be from the CTA, so they may have also hired CTA crews to do the work.

Here the 500 has been loaded onto a flatcar and is presumably on its way to Highwood to get a new identity, in 1941.

And here the old linecar 45 is working on the overhead at Elgin.  That dates this to no later than 1947.

WORK  EQUIPMENT

9

"Nov. 23,1944

This car has been striped of its

G.E. 66 machines for use on the

passenger equipment."               

"Jan 28, 1945

Don't get excited, they just slapped a coat

of brown under coater on this car, put

new grab irons & step iron on her.  Pulled

the G.E. 66 machines and spotted her out

behind the old freight house on the Aurora

mainline south of the car barns.

New rails in the left foreground."

THE GENEVA BRANCH

On the Geneva line, to be sure, but where exactly?  I'm going to say Wheeler's siding, at Anderson and State in Geneva, but it could be elsewhere....

This looks like it must be on the Geneva branch.

And then this would be Geneva Jct., back before the branch was abandoned.

 High Lake Station

MISCELLANEOUS

46

Good interior photos are always hard to find, but when was this one taken?

The only clue is the partial view of an advertising card.  It's obviously promoting "Du Barry Was A Lady", a movie which came out in 1943 and starred Bert Lahr among others, based on a musical by Cole Porter.  And then I propose that "ANGER" is actually "Background to Danger", another movie that came out in 1943.  QED.  We make this site as educational as we can!

6-15-40
Eastbound freight

"Oct. 15, 1944
#89 at Lincoln Ave. Wheaton
4 cars used to be unusual for a branch
line train.  This train goes to Elgin."

16

"Sept. 4, 1944
#16 just pulling out of Batavia
Part of the station can be seen at
the extreme left"

I guess the interesting thing here is that you can see the Geneva-St. Charles branch running down the middle of Main St. heading east, I believe, and it appears the wire is still up.

This is the only picture in the CA&E collection taken of preserved equipment.  This is at Brookins, of course, in the early days, with cars 319, 303, 451, and a Fox River car.

Finally....

They just don't make postcards (or dime stores) like they used to.