I have often mulled over what a great fan trip would be if it were possible to run either CA&E cars or CNS&M cars on the “L”. Logistically and insurance wise, I thought that possibility extremely remote, if not impossible. It seems Cleveland has beaten us to the punch. The visual effect of two wooden cars at a 21st century station stop is abit startling. Never say never. I apologize for not being able to figure out how to activate the link. http://www.davesrailpix.com/cae/htm/cae151.htm
During the years when Chicago Rapid Transit was a private company, and part of the Insull management network, it would definitely have been possible, because all four (excuse me, five counting the streetcar network) Chicago electric railways were corporately related. In fact, during the great Roman Catholic congress in Mundelein (excuse spelling) as recounted in the CERA books, Chicago “L” trains provided service through to Mundelein from all parts of Chicago, with temporary high platforms built to accomodate them there. The Catholic clergy had a special CNS&M parlor car train with special decorations. During WWII sailor specials to Great Lakes routinely used “L” equipment and again, Great Lakes had a special high-platform station to accommodate them.
There may have been such fan trips. CERA records would show it. They did run one fan trip over the North Shore with an Indiana Railroad interurban high speed, the car now at Union.
They also ran fan trips over the North Shore using Milwaukee Electric interurban equipment and visa versa.
And Maury Kleibolt ran a special train using a North Shore freight locomotive and his private car Chief Illini with brass-railed observation platform.
North Shore equipment made special trips on the CA&E for through charter services and visa versa.
Some surplus North Shore equipment was used by the CA&E for a time and then returned to the North Shore and used by them for a time.
But there may have clearance problems with some of the lines like Stockyards and Kenwood because the North Shore and CA&E cars were slightly longer than the Chicago “L” and overhung more on curves. That is partly the reason for the taper at the ends. This was not a characteristic of their equipment before they started through running to downtown, and some equipment was actually modified to have the slight taper
I really hate to burst anyone’s bubble, but CA&E’s freight traffic was marginal at best, especially after they lost their connection with B&OCT. Freight-only operation on CA&E lasted only about two years before it shut down when the money ran out. CNS&M did a bit better, but was dependent on bridge traffic from C&NW and MILW which was easily subject to diversion. Neither road had really large on-line customers that could provide steady volume traffic. CSS&SB had really good steam road connections in Northwest Indiana and at Burnham and Kensington and managed some profitable bridge traffic between eastern roads and the three Chicago belt lines. Having NIPSCO power plants on-line didn’t hurt, either.
I was referring to a contemporary fan trip, ( in conjunction with IRM?) not one that originated in the past. The subject was a fan trip, not the alternate reality of either the CA&E or CNS&M having somehow survived or still operating, let alone, with wooden equipment…thats too alternate even for my weak brain cells.
For Paul: Pardon an error. A “not” was left out of my posting, and I should have checked and edited it! I meant to say just what you are saying, that the South Shore survived because it could subsidize its passenger operations from a really healthy freight business until the point where government subsidization of commuter service took the burden off of private industry’s backs, but the other two “Insull Interurubans” did not have a really healthy freight business, just a margenal business that helped reduce passenger losses but could not overcome them.
For Wally: Anything is possible with enough money. Equipment at Union or at the Fox Valley could be equipped with the modern cab signaling and automatic brake application equipment that is installed on all currently operating CTA rapid transit equipment. Then there is the matter of transporting the equipment. Should that be done on their own wheels? (If I remember correctly both musuems still have a track connection with the National Ry System.) Or are you going to rent a flatbed trailer and cranes? It may be as much a pie in the sky project as restoring a GG-1 and operating it in the southern part (NY-Washington) of the corridor. Also doable with enough money. Or restoring the Nebraska Zephyr enough to run it on fantrips. Ride behind an E-5 in the articulated train from Chicago to Denver? Enough money would do it. Take Union’s Illinois Terminal car and run it on the St. Louis Light Rail system? How about a Sacramento Northern interurban car from Ferris on the Sacramento light rail system?
Be glad you can visit Boston’s Mattapan - Ashmont line, downtown Kenosha, Route 15 in Philadelphia, and Market Street and the Embarcadaro in San Frtancisco and ride PCC’s running pretty much as they were designed to do, not in museums,