Simms Collection -- Chicago and Joliet Electric

 All of the captions below the pictures in this group are taken verbatim from the backs of the photos.

We already have a detailed history of the C&JE available at this link.

Lemont

Argo, May 30, 1934   C&JE #240

Oct. 1934 at Cicero & Argo C&J terminal
C&JE #240

Chicago & Joliet Electric Ry. Co.
Light weight steel and wood double
end suburban pas. motor car no. 235
                              At Lockport, Ill.
Taken in Nov. 18th, 1933
Abandoned in July 31st, 1934
Color - orange and cream
Lockport - Joliet - Rockdale Division
PHOTO BY EDWARD FRANK, JR.

May 1934 - Argo terminal

Nov. 17, 1933 at Argo

ARGO, Ill.  Nov. 1934   #230

Joliet       #247

Joliet Eastern Ry. #118
Chicago Hts. - Joliet - Aurora, Ill.

The Simms Photo Collection

IRM was recently donated a large collection of photographs of electric railways from the collection of the late Alan Simms, one of the early Car Dept. members whom I knew back in the old days.  Our sincere thanks to his son Steven for making these available to us.

These are almost all 3"x5" prints, and most have curled up with age, so making good digital images of them is not easy.  Many were taken by Ed Frank Jr., another early IRM member, but most are not attributed.

These images are all copyrighted by Hicks Car Works and may not be reproduced without permission.

Chicago and Joliet Electric

Chicago Aurora and Elgin

Chicago Surface Lines

Crandic

Fox River Electric

Illinois Miscellany

Illinois Terminal

Indiana Railroad 1940 Fan Trip

Indiana Streetcars 1940

Michigan

Milwaukee Electric

Northern Indiana

Piedmont & Northern Locomotives

Piedmont & Northern Passenger Cars

Rockford & Interurban

South Shore

Waterloo Cedar Falls & Northern

West Towns

Simms Collection - Fox River Electric

The Fox River collection has a good number of photos of cars in operation during the last year or two, plus a variety of pictures along the line, taken just before abandonment on March 31, 1935.  Ed Frank took many of the pictures, including the ones taken on the last day.  Several views are not labeled.

THE  ROUTE

Aurora, Main & Broadway   3/28/35
CA&E 434,  AE&FR 302

Fox and Water St.
"Aurora-bound car about to make the Aurora loop"

Southbound car on Lake St. in Aurora

Ed Frank's ubiquitous bicycle on left.

RR sign with flasher on the right may indicate that the track shifts over to the right side of the road heading north, so northbound traffic will be crossing the track.

306 (L) and 301 at Exposition Park   May '34
If not the bicycle, there's often his grip.

Car 305 northbound near Exposition Park   May '34

Not labeled.   Probably in North Aurora just south of State St.
looking north; car is southbound.

Stop 22 south of Batavia, looking north along Rt. 31   3/31/35

Looking south toward Batavia   3/31/35
(probably from near Campana Road, south of Stop 31)

Same location in the winter.

Geneva station   3/31/35

Wheeler's Siding on Anderson Blvd. in Geneva
CA&E 419 in distance

Bridge over Norton Creek north of St. Charles
Stop 43 in the distance

Not labeled -- probably near Fox River Hts.

Fox River Heights   3/31/35

Five Islands Bridge looking north
Stop 49 ahead on left

Coleman Grove, Stop 49   3/31/35

The sign says:
COLEMAN GROVE
FISHING           BOATS FOR RENT
PICNIC PLATES    SPRING WATER
REFRESHMENTS     PARKING 25c

Coleman Yard, Stop 50   3/31/35

Coleman IC station

Coleman interchange

North of S. Elgin looking south    2/22/38

Car 300 and locomotive 23 at Kerber's, Stop 62   2/27/35

CERA fan trip on locomotive 23, 9/2/40
Probably at Asylum powerhouse

CARS AND WORK EQUIPMENT

Box motor #1 OOS at Aurora, 3/28/35

106 at Aurora   May '34

106 at Aurora
"1933    Aurora Shops
Car in front was used between Elgin &
Carpentersville abandoned in
1933 because tornado tore the
trolley line down"

A 200 series at Aurora     2/14/34
(RH: Several older cars such as this were rebuilt for one-man service with
folding doors and step wells.)
 

"202 at Aurora   May '34   Orange and yellow     Photo by Ed Frank Jr."

Car 204 at Elgin,  Aug. '33

Car 300 at Elgin    May '34

Car 303, flat car A, line car 4 at Elgin   Apr '34

Weekend Photo Gallery

Thanks to our intrepid freelance photographer, Steven Jam, who submitted an assortment of photos from this past Sunday.

From the sublime to the ridiculous: the 431, the regular service car for Sunday, is observed by our Metra F40C, spotted on Station Track 2.

Here's a closer shot of the F40C. People who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing they like.

Northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin have gotten quite a bit of rain over the past week. Parts of our main line look a bit like the IT causeway over Lake Decatur.

And now, it's on to an overview of the movement of air compressor wagon AX545 to the bus barn.

Here comes the cavalry! Richard approaches on the ex-FAA airport tug.

The wagon, with Brian pacing in the Mule, heads south down Railroad Avenue (not to be confused with "Business Railroad Avenue" alongside the Steam Shop on the other side of Schneider's Grove). You'll note another lake has sprung up over to the left.

The wagon continues south, this time down the alignment of the future streetcar line extension along Olson Road.

And here it is in its new, albeit temporary, home.

And very nice digs they are! Don't expect to see this building this empty again until, well, ever.

This Week in Air Brake Miscellany

Thanks to our Pneumatics Bureau Chief, Brian LaKemper, who sends along this update of work he and Will were working on in the Electric Car Department's air brake shop over this past weekend.

First off, a photo of 306 taken while I was helping with 319's inspection.

I didn't take a photo, but another air gauge was calibrated Friday.

New stem gaskets/key washers have gone on the cleaned up stems for the M23s.

Streetcar straight air valves have been painted and are ready to be lapped to their slides.

One of the M23 bodies is shown being masked for sand blasting and painting.

The form-a-gasketed S-16 governor has been opened up the rest of the way.

Some insulation pieces for the S-16s have been glyptal'd and are ready to be installed next weekend.

Friday, the #14 double check valve was pulled off Milwaukee Electric D13 for servicing, and as a result of recent efforts to organize the parts supply, we were able to supply fresh gaskets with a minimum of searching. This is a spare double check that was located and will be serviced to be a spare valve for the future.

Lastly, 321's original M2B triple valve was retrieved from storage with an eye to rebuilding it and installing it on the 319 in the near future.

I didn't take photos of the other things done; but more parts were sorted and stored, a valve stem was lapped to the body for a streetcar valve, and a to-do list was put on the wall of the air brake room to help keep focus on goals.