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.

Little Joe

Little Joe, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Originally built for Soviet Railways, the GE EF-4 became an icon of American railroading, following it's use on the Milwaukee Road's electrified western lines. Of the twenty built, twelve were used by the Milwaukee, five went to Brazil's Companhia Paulista de Estradas de Ferro (who used Joes until 1999), and three were used for freight use by the South Shore. Several survive, and this one, the South Shore's 803, is still in operable condition at the Illinois Railway Museum.

I took this on a rare outing for the 803, and processed it to give it that "Oldachrome-found-in-a-shoebox" look.

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.

North Shore Line

Old North Shore Line neon sign, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

The Chicago, North Shore, and Milwaukee Railroad was a Chicago-based interurban line that ran from 1916 to 1963. One of the Insull Lines (along with the Chicago, Aurora, and Elgin and the Chicago, South Shore, and South Bend), the North Shore initially only reached Evanston, running on a private right of way all the way to Beer City. In 1919, the road obtained trackage rights over the Northwestern Elevated, which allowed access to the Loop, and service between the North Shore's two namesake cities.

Despite entering receivership in 1932, the North Shore managed to survive the Depression, even going so far as to introduce a pair of streamlined articulated trains, the famed Electroliners that ran five runs a day between the Windy and Beer Cities. The North Shore also saw a steep incline in ridership during the Second World War, due in no small part to the road's service at both Great Lakes Naval Base and Fort Sheridan.

However, like most interurbans, it didn't last. The North Shore saw fairly strong ridership after the war, but increased automobile ownership caused traffic problems in areas where there was still street running. In addition, the new Edens Expressway took local riders on the Skokie Valley Route (in use since 1926), which put a serious crimp in profitability. But by 1963 ridership had decreased so much that the North Shore ceased operations, with a final Electroliner run between Chicago and Milwaukee.

I'm not sure where this North Shore sign once stood-it is currently at the Illinois Railway Museum and has been beautifully restored since I shot this.