Electroliner

Electroliner, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

We looked at the Electroliner earlier this year, after the IRM had it on a rare day on display outdoors. I really like a lot of the details on this train-everything fits into the late 30's/early 40's design aesthetic, from the interior to the iconic Electroliner script on the outside.

X-18

X-18, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

The Illinois Raiway Museum's General Electric 8500 GTEL, a gas-turbine powered electric locomotive. Designed for long haul use, the first turbines were delivered in 1951. X-18 is a third-generation version of the GTEL, delivered in the late 50's, and remained ins service until 1969. One of two survivors, #18 usually sits on the line and is kind of hard to shoot, but this weekend it was moved to this nice curved bit of track for display.

Nothing could be finer....

Nothing could be finer...., a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

...than an Electroliner!

The Electroliner was the North Shore's premier train. Running a swift two hour schedule between Milwaukee and Chicago, the 'Liner was introduced in 1941 in an attempt to bolster the road's ridership. It worked, and proved a popular train until it's retirement in 1963. The two Electroliner train sets were eventually sold to the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Lines, where they were re-christened Liberty Liners, and continued to serve until 1976.

This is train set 801-802, and has been repainted beautifully in it's original livery by the Illinois Railway Museum. Sadly, it is currently non-operable, although plans are afoot to get the 'Liner running again in the near future. It usually lives indoors, but does make the occasional appearance outside at the Museum's restored L platform.

The Big Z

Zephyr, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

The Illinois Railway Museum doesn't often run it's historic, rare, and damned handsome Nebraska Zephyr train set. So I always try and get out to the museum when it's out, just to shoot more photos of it.

This one was shot in front of the Museum's station, with a bonus of some classic L trains from Chicago over there on the left.

Zephyr!

Zephyr!, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

The west wind, known as the Zephyr, is considered to be the mildest and most favorable of the directional winds. In Greek mythology, Zephyrus was the personification of the west wind, bringer of spring and summer.

I've long thought this was an appropriate name for the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy's famed name trains, most of which typically ran in an east west direction. But, they were also the Burlington's top flight service, and pioneered fast diesels on passenger trains. Fleet, like the wind. This is the lone remaining operable Zephyr train set, the Nebraska Zephyr, currently resident at the Illinois Railway Museum. We've visited it before, but I always think it's worth another look.

Trolley

Trolley, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

This is the former Chicago Surface Lines #3142, one of 169 steel "pay as you enter" streetcars ordered in the early 20's. Built in 1923 by the J.G. Brill Company, 3142 was used by CSL, and later the CTA, until 1953, when it was parked and used as storage at the CTA's South Shops. Donated to the Illinois Railway Museum in 1973, a fifteen year restoration finally put it back on the tracks. Today it is the only surviving CSL steel "arch roof" streetcar.

I saw this operating at the museum, and got it rolling past the Museum's Riverview billboard. I like to think that 3142 delivered patrons to the park at one time.

37A

37A, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

An old EMD E-9A, built in 1961. Electro-Motive's E series (and it's cousin, the F-series freight engine) is an icon of American railroading. Built between 1937 and 1963, these cab units (so named because of the car-like shape to their noses) were easy to use and maintain, and their ease of being run in tandem revolutionized railroading. They also proved to be long-lasting-E-series passenger units were still being used in commuter service into the early 1990's, and plenty of short lines continue to use them today, almost fifty years after production ceased.

This late example is a former Milwaukee Road unit, and is on display at the Illinois Railway Museum.

The North Western

The North Western, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

A former Chicago and North Western EMD GP-7R, originally delivered to the Rock Island, and dating from 1952. The GP-series of locomotives was originally designed to be a jack-of-all-trades sort of engine, capable of pulling freight or passengers, or doing some yard work as needed. General Purpose, as the designation goes, similar to a certain long-running off road vehicle. One wonders why nobody calls these "Jeeps" too!

I'm told that this particular example, which resides at the Illinois Railway Museum, was originally purchased for parts for the Museum's other GP-7 (the first one delivered, in fact!), but was discovered to be in good running shape. So the decision was to put it to use, and I've seen it pulling passenger coaches as well as moving stuff around the yards. I;m told that there is a plan afoot to restore it to it's original Rock Island livery.

Travel by Pullman

Pullman, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Although the company made all types of rail cars-including freight cars and trolleys-Pullman is best known for it's luxurious passenger cars. Inspired by an uncomfortable overnight trip in which he tried to sleep in his seat, founder George Pullman decided to come up with a better solution. The earliest Pullman sleeper cars featured double berths-the upper ones folded down from the walls of the car, and the seats folded to become the lowers. Curtains provided privacy for occupants, there were washrooms for both men and women at each end of the car. In addition, the company provided staffing for their cars, and Pullman porters became fixtures at train stations all across the country . Pullman also hired black men as porters, offering better pay and opportunity for travel than most jobs open to them at the time. At one point, Pullman was the largest employer of black men in the U.S.

This car is a later, lightweight stainless car, and was used on the Northern Pacific. It's currently a display at the Illinois Railway Museum.

Leviathan

Leviathan, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

The Leviathan, locomotive number 63, was built for the Central Pacific Railroad in 1868, one of four purchased from the Schenectady Locomotive Works. A wood burning locomotive, the Leviathan was a sister to the famous Jupiter, which participated in the famous Golden Spike ceremony on the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad.

Like the Jupiter and their other sisters, the Leviathan was scrapped many years ago-as trains got longer these small, early locomotives could no longer keep up. This stunning recreation of number 63 was completed in 2009, and tours American railroad museums and other special events. It's beautiful, and offers an interesting glimpse to an important part of history.