Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad
TheChicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad(CA&E), known colloquially as the"Roarin' Elgin"or the"Great Third Rail",was aninterurbanrailroadthat operated passenger and freight service on its line betweenChicagoandAurora,Batavia,Geneva,St. Charles,andElgin,Illinois.The railroad also operated a small branch toMt. Carmel CemeteryinHillsideand owned a branch line toWestchester.
Wounded by the increased use ofautomobilesafterWorld War II,the CA&E abruptly ended passenger service in 1957. Freight service was suspended in 1959, and the railroad was officially abandoned in 1961. Most of theright-of-wayhas since been converted to theIllinois Prairie Pathrail trail.
The Aurora Elgin and Chicago Railway
[edit]Origin (1899–1901)
[edit]The first known attempt to create anelectric railwaybetween themetropolisofChicagoand theFox Valleysettlement ofAurorawas in late 1891. By this time, passengers in Aurora andElginwere served by steam railways. Elgin was served by theMilwaukee Road,Geneva and West Chicago served by theChicago and North Western Railway,St. Charles served by theChicago Great Western,and Aurora was served by theChicago, Burlington and Quincy(CB&Q). However, it was thought that an electric line would greatly facilitate interurban travel, as there would be nofreight trainsto slow passenger trains. A group of investors founded the Chicago & Aurora Interurban Railway with a $1 million investment. However, the railroad was unable to secure additional funds; it failed to meet an 1893 construction deadline and effectively ceased operation thereafter. A second attempt came two years later with the Chicago, Elgin & Aurora Electric Railway. Plans called for the railroad to run through Turner (nowWest Chicago),Wheaton,andGlen Ellyn.Like its predecessor, the railroad failed to acquire the necessary funds for construction. Yet another group incorporated the DuPage Interurban Electric Railway in 1897, but was met with a similar fate.[1] Small electric lines opened in the 1890s that connected the municipalities of the Fox River Valley. A profitable streetcar railway stretched from Aurora north toCarpentersville.The success of this railway inspired investors to again attempt an electric connection to Chicago. A group led by F. Mahler, E. W. Moore, Henry A. Everett, Edward Dickinson, and Elmer Barrett formed independent railway lines that were projected to stretch from Aurora and Elgin to Chicago. These two companies were incorporated on February 24, 1899. The Everett-Moore group wasOhio's largest interurban railroad company and had experience administrating several lines aroundCleveland,most notably theLake Shore Electric Railway.These two companies, the Aurora, Wheaton & Chicago Railway and Elgin & Chicago Railway, were incorporated on February 24, 1899.[2]
Only one day after their founding, a second group of Cleveland-based investors, led by the Pomeroy-Mandelbaum group, incorporated the Aurora, Wheaton, & Chicago RailroadCompany. Pomeroy-Mandelbaum was the second largest interurban railway company in Ohio and intended to compete against the Everett-Moore group. A meeting between the Everett-Moore syndicate and Pomeroy-Mandelbaum group occurred in either 1900 or 1901 to discuss the future of the two companies. They came to an agreement: Everett-Moore would build and maintain the railways connecting Aurora to Chicago while the Pomeroy-Mandelbaum group would control railways linking cities in the Fox River Valley (eventually consolidating as theAurora, Elgin and Fox River Electric Company[AE&FRE]).[3]A third railway, the Batavia & Eastern Railway Company, was incorporated by the Everett-Moore group in 1901 to link the town ofBataviato the Aurora line. On March 12, 1901, all of the previously incorporated Everett-Moore companies were merged into one, renamed the Aurora, Elgin & Chicago Railway Company (AE&C). Three million dollars' worth ofbondswere issued in 1901 to support track construction.[4]
Construction (1901–1902)
[edit]Construction commenced on September 18, 1900, when the AE&C started togradeitsright-of-way.The AE&C received permission to cross existing track lines in February 1902, alleviating one of the largest obstacles in the railway's construction. Construction escalated following the winter months; by April, thethird railhad been completed between Aurora and Wheaton. Later that month, the railway connected to theMetropolitan West Side Elevated Railroadat 52nd Avenue (modern day Laramie Avenue) in Chicago. The company operated steam locomotives on completed portions to deliver construction goods to where they were needed. Wheaton was selected as the site of the railroad's headquarters, car barn, andmachine shop.$1.5 million inpreferred stockwas issued in April 1902 to cover unexpected costs.[5]
AE&C purchased a 28-acre (11 ha) lot south of Batavia and constructed apower stationto provide electricity. Commercial electric power was not yet available at the time, so the railroad needed to provide its own power for the third rail.Steam boilerswere fed withcoalprovided by theChicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad.On April 11, 1902, they signed a contract withGeneral Electricto provide electrical generators, transformers, and converters for the powerhouse. The line completed a network ofutility polesthrough the right-of-way, allowing communication and power exchange betweenelectrical substationsalong the track in Aurora,Warrenville,andLombard.A fifth station was built southeast ofWaynefor the Elgin branch. The substations converted thealternating currentin the power lines to a lower-voltagedirect currentfor use in the third rail. After its completion, the power station also provided power for at least three small trolley lines and several Fox Valley communities.[6] [7]
The Cleveland Construction Company was hired to build the line. All three rails weretraditional "T" design railslaid on stoneballast.Woodenrailroad tieswere laid 2,816 ties to the mile and separated atstandard gauge.Every fifth tie was 9 feet (2.7 m) long to support the third rail. The majority of the line was adouble track,with asingle trackrunning from theChicago Golf Clubto Aurora. Roadbeds for the double track were 30 feet (9.1 m) wide and were surrounded bywoven wire fencing.The third rail was usually placed on the inner sides of the double track, providing safety for residents and employees. The third rail was interrupted atrailroad crossings,where a cable was placed underground to carry the current across the 75-foot (23 m) gap.[8][9]
The first inspection trip of the 34.5-mile (55.5 km) line was held on May 16, 1902. the train departed from 52nd Avenue to Aurora, then traversed the AE&FRE south toYorkvillethen north toDundee.AE&C management announced later that evening that they planned on opening the line on July 1. The AE&FRE announced soon afterward that it would offer express transfer service from Fox Valley communities to the AE&C. On May 17, the AE&C tested the powerhouse in Batavia and found several problems with its performance. Heavy rains in June stalled construction and washed out some completed roadbed. The opening date was pushed to July 12, but delays inrolling stockproduction further stalled it to August.[10]
Poor investments forced the Everett-Moore syndicate to sell its shares in the AE&C in mid-1902. The company had formed a telephone company, but struggled to compete with theBell Telephone Company.In addition, one of their construction companies wentbankrupt,spurring a credit crisis in Cleveland. Creditors demanded pay, and the Everett-Moore group sold off several assets, including their shares of the railroad company totaling $200,000. The Pomeroy-Mandelbaum group still held a large share in the company and became leaders in its operation.[11]
TheG. C. Kuhlman Car Companywas tasked with providing thirty passenger cars but, for unknown reasons, the deal fell through. An order was placed with theNiles Car and Manufacturing Companyin March 1902 for ten cars. Niles Cars were in such high demand that the company was unable to fulfill the full order, but did deliver the AE&C's first six cars on July 29, 1902. The cars were 74,325 pounds (33,713 kg) with four 125 horsepower (93 kW) motors and 36-inch (910 mm) wheels. They were described as "miniaturePullmans"and could seat forty-six or fifty-two passengers. Another twenty cars were ordered from theJohn Stephenson Car Companyand would arrive after the railway was opened.[12][13]
One final problem for the AE&C was finding enough qualifiedmotormento run the trains. The company found none in the immediate area and had to recruit sixteen men fromDayton,Ohio.Another inspection tour occurred on August 4, from Wheaton to 52nd Avenue. A Niles Car was pulled by a steam locomotive along the track to ensure that none of the curves were too sharp for the intended rolling stock. Original plans called for the third rail to guide the car, but the company experienced many electrical problems along its power lines. By the time the third rail was functioning properly, two hundred and fifty utility poles had burned to the ground due to faultyinsulators.A final inspection took place on August 21 from Wheaton to Elmhurst. Although problems with the utility poles were noted, the inspection was otherwise considered a success. For the next three days, engineers tested the line from Aurora to Wheaton so that they would have a familiarity with the track.[14]
Early service
[edit]
Despite a malfunctioning power system, a group of nearly-untrained motormen, and only six pieces of operational rolling stock, the Aurora branch of the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad opened on August 25, 1902. Fares were 25 cents one-way and 45 cents round-trip. Passengers who wanted to enterThe Loophad to transfer to the Metropolitan West Side Elevated at 52nd Avenue for an additional five cents. Service began at 5:33am and concluded at 11:33pm, with trains running every thirty minutes. Terminals were opened to the public at 52nd Avenue, Austin Avenue (in Chicago),Oak Park,Harlem Avenue (inForest Park),Maywood,Bellwood,Wolf Road (inHillside), SouthElmhurst,Secker Road (inVilla Park),Lombard,Glen Ellyn, College Avenue (in Wheaton), Wheaton, Gary Road (in Wheaton), Chicago Golf Grounds, Warrenville, Ferry Road (in Warrenville), Eola Junction (in Aurora), and Aurora.[15][16]A one-way trip from Aurora to Chicago was seventy-five minutes. The final four cars from the Niles Car Company arrived on September 5 and were put into service seven days later. The original train schedules posted at stations showed service on the Batavia branch. However, actual service did not begin until the last week of September 1902. The Batavia branch met the Aurora branch at Eola Junction. Even when opened, the Batavia branch experienced little traffic and may have been primarily used as convenient transport for railroad officials to the Batavia powerhouse.[17][18]
The AE&C issued promotional leaflets to citizens of Fox Valley cities and towns. They also sent these pamphlets to settlements west of Aurora, hoping that people would take a steam train to Aurora and then transfer to the electric line. They boasted that the AE&C was the "finest electric railroad in the world." By the end of the year, the AE&C was seeing monthly earnings in excess of $16,500. In addition, the nearby Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad had a dramatic decrease of passengers between Aurora and Chicago.[19]
The twenty cars from Stephenson arrived in December 1902. Fifteen cars were equipped with motors (even numbers 30–58) and five did not (odd numbers 101–109); these latter five cars were intended to only be used as trailing cars. Trailing cars would often be added or removed at Wheaton depending on the number of passengers. The Stephenson cars were almost identical in every respect to the Niles cars. These new cars reduced the travel time between Aurora and Chicago to one hour. The new cars also allowed the railroad to operate at faster speeds—one run from 52nd Avenue to Aurora averaged 65 miles per hour (105 km/h).[20]
Service to Elgin began on May 29, 1903.[21][22]The 17.5-mile (28.2 km) branch split off from the main line at Wheaton, and allowed trains from Chicago to reach the Fox Valley city in sixty-five minutes. When opened, the AE&C was able to change its schedules to allow trains to leave 52nd Avenue every fifteen minutes, alternating between Aurora and Elgin. All trains at this point ran locally, stopping at every station. The AE&C briefly considered expanding toMendotain late 1903, but determined that it was not worth the financial risk. Though cars primarily carried passengers, some early morning cars carried light freight. Notably, the AE&C reached a deal with theChicago Record Heraldin October 1903 to distribute the paper to the suburbs along the line.[23]
On December 1, 1909,[24]the railroad added a branch from near Wheaton to Geneva. This was extended to St Charles August 25, 1910. Most of the interurban's lines used athird railfor power collection, which was relatively unusual for interurban railroads. While third rail had become the standard for urbanelevated railroadand subway systems, most interurban railroads usedtrolley polesto pick up power fromoverhead wire;the AE&C only used trolley wire where necessary, such as in the few locations where the interurban hadstreet running.
Originally, the railroad's Chicago terminus was the 52nd Avenue station that it shared with theGarfield Park elevated railroad lineof theMetropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad,and where passengers transferred between interurban and elevated trains.[25]Beginning on March 11, 1905, the interurban began operating over the Metropolitan's "L" tracks, allowing AE&C trains to directly serve downtown Chicago. At the same time, the Metropolitan's Garfield Park service was extended west of 52nd Avenue, replacing the AE&C as the provider of local service over the interurban's surface-level trackage as far west as Desplaines Avenue inForest Park.The interurban's trains terminated at the stub-endedWells Street Terminal,adjacent tothe Loop elevated.[25]The interurban continued to use the "L" tracks through the years ofChicago Rapid Transit Company(CRT) ownership and into theChicago Transit Authority(CTA) era.[26][27][28]
The Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad
[edit]World War Iwas tough for the AE&C, and the railroad enteredbankruptcyin 1919. Having shed theFox River Lines(an interurban which paralleled theFox River), the reorganized company emerged from bankruptcy as the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad on July 1, 1922, under the management ofDr. Thomas Conway Jr.
A branch fromBellwoodto Westchester opened October 1, 1926.[29]CRT's elevated train service was extended onto the branch; the "L" company was the sole provider of passenger service on the branch and this new service replaced the CA&E's own local service on its main line east of Bellwood.[30]
Utilities magnateSamuel Insullgained control of the CA&E in 1926. Insull and his corporate interests had already taken over and improved the properties of theNorth ShoreandSouth ShoreLines. Insull's plans to make similar improvements to the CA&E were scrapped as the result of theGreat Depression.With the collapse of his utilities empire, Insull was forced to sell his interest in the CA&E, and the railroad was once again bankrupt by 1932. The line connecting West Chicago with Geneva and St. Charles was abandoned October 31, 1937.[31]
Postwar years of decline
[edit]The railroad was unable to exit from bankruptcy until 1946. Even though the railroad suffered from low revenue, high debt, and shortage of capital, wartime revenues and hopes for a stronger customer base in the growing west suburban region led the railroad to undertake an improvement of its service. The railroad made substantial improvements to its physical plant and acquired ten new all-steel passenger cars in 1946 and made plans for eight more, with the intention of retiring the oldest wooden cars that had been on the railroad's roster from its earliest years.[citation needed]
However, the postwar years saw increasing shifts of passengers away from rail traffic and into automobiles, and then the CA&E found the rug pulled from beneath the railroad. The plans for construction of the Congress Street Expressway (now known as theEisenhower Expressway) in the early 1950s not only loomed as a source of further drain on CA&E traffic, but the right-of-way of the new highway necessitated the demolition of the CTA's Garfield Park elevated line, which the CA&E depended upon to reach its downtown terminus.[citation needed]
The expressway's construction plans provided a dedicated right-of-way for trains in the highway'smedian strip.However, during the estimated five years to complete the superhighway, both "L" and interurban trains would need to use a temporary street-level right-of-way. When the plans circulated in 1951, CA&E objected to the arrangement, citing the effects on running time and scheduling of its trains as they negotiated the streets of Chicago's busy West Side at rush hour. The railroad estimated that the delays would cost the railroad nearly a million dollars a year, to say nothing of the long-term effects of the new superhighway on the railroad's revenue. Another long-term concern was the railroad's downtown terminal; the new median strip line would have no access to Wells Street Terminal.[32]Instead, the replacement line would access the Loop through theMilwaukee-Dearborn Subway,where wood-bodied cars, which still made up a good portion of CA&E rolling stock, were prohibited.
As a compromise, the railroad gained approval to cut back its service to theDesplaines Avenue stationinForest Park— the westernmost terminus of CTA Garfield Park service, after the CTA ended its unprofitable elevated train service on the CA&E's Westchester line in 1951. At the new Forest Park terminal, riders would transfer from the CA&E interurban to a CTA train to complete their commute into the city. This terminal consisted of two loop tracks (one for CA&E and one for CTA) where passengers could make a cross-platform transfer between the interurban and trains of the CTA operating over the temporary street-level trackage — and presumably the eventual new median stripCongress line.[33]Unfortunately, with the change being put into effect on September 20, 1953, CA&E riders lost their one-seat ride to downtown Chicago. Within a few months of the cutback, half of the line's passengers abandoned it in favor of the parallel commuter service provided by the Chicago and North Western Railroad — today operated byMetraas theUnion Pacific West Line.[34][35]
Rolling stock
[edit]Final years
[edit]
The loss of one-seat commuter service to the Loop devastated the interurban. The railroad's financial condition was already shaky, and schemes to restore downtown service faced various legal or operational obstacles. As early as 1952, the railroad had sought to substitute buses for trains,[36]and after years of financial losses, in April 1957 the Illinois Commerce Commission authorized the railroad to discontinue passenger service.[37]Passenger groups and affected municipalities sought injunctions that forced the railroad to temporarily continue service, but as soon as court rulings cleared the way, management abruptly ended passenger service, at noon on July 3, 1957. Commuters who had ridden the CA&E into the city found themselves stranded when they returned to take the train home. Freight operations continued for two more years until June 10, 1959. No trains ran after this point, but the right-of-way and rolling stock were preserved in the event that a party stepped forward to purchase the property. The official abandonment of CA&E came at 5:00pm on July 6, 1961, four years after the final passenger trains had run. The real estate became part of the Aurora Corporation of Illinois, a small conglomerate, which slowly sold off the right-of-way and other properties.[38]Portions of the right-of-way are now operated as amulti-use trailcalled theIllinois Prairie Path.[39]
Preservation
[edit]
Besides theright-of-way,most of which has been retained as theIllinois Prairie Path,there are two depots, two combination depot/substations, and 19 pieces of rolling stock from the CA&E that still exist.[40]
- Clintonville substation inSouth Elgin, Illinoisis currently the home of theValley Model Railroad.
- Prince Crossing substation inWest Chicago, Illinoisis currently owned byWheaton Academy.
- Villa Avenue depotinVilla Park, Illinoisis the home to the Villa Park Historical Society.
- Ardmore depotin Villa Park is the home to the Villa Park Chamber of Commerce.
- Traction Terminal Buildingin Aurora.
- Terminal Building2 E. Wilson St Batavia.
- The former company headquarters at 400-402 W Liberty St, Wheaton, is now used for offices.
- Illinois Railway MuseuminUnion, Illinoisowns cars 36, 308, 309, 319, 321, 409, 431, 451, 453, and 460.
- Fox River Trolley Museumin South Elgin, Illinois owns cars 11, 20, 316, 317 and 458.
- Rockhill Trolley MuseuminRockhill Furnace, Pennsylvaniaowns car 315.
- Midwest Electric RailwayinMount Pleasant, Iowaowns car 320.
- Seashore Trolley MuseuminKennebunkport, Maineowns car 434.
- Connecticut Trolley MuseuminEast Windsor, Connecticutowns car 303.
Footnotes
[edit]- ^Plachno (1989),p. 169.
- ^Plachno (1989),p. 171.
- ^Plachno (1989),p. 175.
- ^Plachno (1989),p. 177.
- ^Plachno (1989),pp. 179–189.
- ^Peffers, Hopkins Stolp (1993).Aurora-Elgin Area Street Cars and Interurbans V. 3 The Third Rail Line.American Slide-Chart Corp. pp. 164–174.ISBN1-883461-03-0.
- ^Plachno (1989),pp. 189–191.
- ^Peffers (1993),p. 175-183.
- ^Plachno (1989).
- ^Plachno (1989),p. 187.
- ^Plachno (1989),p. 193.
- ^Peffers (1993),pp. 21–24.
- ^Plachno (1989),pp. IV-16, 195.
- ^Plachno (1989),p. 197.
- ^C.E.R.A. (1961).Bulletin 105: The Great Third Rail.Central Electric Railfans' Association. pp. iv–v.
- ^Peffers (1993),p. 17, 216-219.
- ^C.E.R.A. (1961),p. IV-12.
- ^Plachno (1989),p. 203.
- ^Plachno (1989),p. 205.
- ^Plachno (1989),pp. 207–209.
- ^"GreatThirdRail.org: Chronology".
- ^"History".
- ^Plachno (1989),pp. 213–215, 233.
- ^"GreatThirdRail.org: Chronology".
- ^abC.E.R.A. (1961),p. IV-16.
- ^Plachno (1986),p. 33–35.
- ^C.E.R.A. (1976).Chicago's Rapid Transit v. 2: Rolling Stock/1947-1976.Central Electric Railfans' Association. pp. 247–248, 255.ISBN0-915348-15-2.
- ^Peffers (1993),pp. 108–121.
- ^"GreatThirdRail.org: Chronology".
- ^Plachno (1986),pp. 73, 77–79.
- ^"GreatThirdRail.org: Chronology".
- ^C.E.R.A. (1961),p. 61-62.
- ^C.E.R.A. (1961),p. IV-15.
- ^C.E.R.A. (1961),pp. 62–64.
- ^Plachno (1986),pp. 45–49.
- ^"Suburbs Fight to Keep C. A. & E. as Rail Line,"Chicago Daily Tribune,February 13, 1952, p. B9
- ^"Aurora & Elgin Gets State's O.K. to Drop Passenger Trains,"Chicago Daily Tribune,April 4, 1957, p. 5
- ^C.E.R.A. (1961),pp. 62–69.
- ^"The Illinois Prairie Path".Illinois Prairie Path. Archived fromthe originalon November 29, 2009.RetrievedNovember 26,2009.
- ^Bresse-Rodenkirk, Bob."Lake Shore Electric Railway Auction, Updated October 02, 2009".Shore Line Interurban Historical Society. Archived fromthe originalon October 8, 2009.RetrievedAugust 20,2023.
References
[edit]- Plachno, Larry (1986).Sunset Lines: The Story of the Chicago Aurora & Elgin Railroad.Vol. 1 - Trackage. Polo, Illinois: Transportation Trails.ISBN978-0-9334-4902-2.OCLC14905944.
- Plachno, Larry (1989).Sunset Lines: The Story of the Chicago Aurora & Elgin Railroad.Vol. 2–History. Polo, Illinois: Transportation Trails.ISBN978-0-9334-4910-7.OCLC180587090.
External links
[edit]
- GreatThirdRail.org
- The Chicago, Aurora and Elgin Railroad, "The Roarin' Elgin"
- Interactive map of the Chicago, Aurora and Elgin Railroad
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