Messages

1

General Discussion / Steam Power

« on: December 28, 2015, 11:15:54 AM »

What type of steam engines were used on these urban, tight clearance lines like Kingsbury, Goose Island, Navy Pier, etc.
Switchers, moguls, ten-wheelers?

2

General Discussion / Re: American Freedom Train in Chicago

« on: November 07, 2015, 11:23:33 AM »

I remember chasing this train in the wee hours of the morning.
It had been on display in Aurora and was scheduled to make a nighttime
run on the Burlington"s 3 track raceway through the western suburbs.
My plan was to catch it in one of the near 'burbs',Berwyn, and then follow
it into downtown Chicago. Well it was running late and I got impatient, so I
kept heading west stopping at each station platform to peer down the tracks.
Finally at Downer's Grove I saw lights in the distance and suddenly it was
past me in a surprisingly fast and quiet rush. So much for the chase. I finally
caught up to it at the north tracks of Union Station where it had paused just
east of Canal St. As the great red, white and Pepsi blue GS sat near a street light
I shot off a roll of film and called it a night. I still have those decidedly green
tinted slides somewhere. 
 

3

General Discussion / Re: PCC crossing MILW at Wrigley Field

« on: October 31, 2015, 12:30:18 PM »

Regarding grade crossings between the CSL/CTA and railroads: there is a nice map showing these in the book "Chicago Surface Lines."
I started to make a list, but let's just say there are a lot. The heaviest concentration, as might be expected, is on the southeast side.
If anyone has an questions about crossings on a particular street, I'd be happy to check it out. The only trouble with the map is
it doesn't identify the railroads, but there are several pictures of the crossings. A couple that come to mind are on the PRR and NKP.

4

General Discussion / Re: Introduce Yourself!

« on: October 31, 2015, 12:18:53 PM »

Hello everyone. My name is Ed Jarolin, aka Wyoming Ed, because that's where I now live.
That's a long way from my growing up on the southwest side near the GTW's Elsdon yard.
Anyway, i came across this site while doing research for a switching layout I'm planning to
build in O scale. Although it will likely be more or less freelanced, I have already found some
great ideas here.

5

General Discussion / Re: PCC crossing MILW at Wrigley Field

« on: October 31, 2015, 12:09:46 PM »

Being somewhat of a trolley fan, I can narrow the timeframe of this photo a little.
PCC #4066 is one of the postwar cars and was part of a group delivered between
September 1946 and March 1947. The easiest spotting feature of the postwar cars
are the standee windows, which were not present on the pre-war cars. Another item
helping to date the photo is the Solvey Coke sign in the background. A photo I came
across, dated April 1954, shows this sign had been changed to Sahara Coal. So the
timeframe is firmly set between late '46 and early '54 (probably at least a little earlier
as I can't imagine anyone repainting that sign in Winter or early Spring).

As a guess I'd say late '40s because of the autos, as previously pointed out. Not a new
looking one in the bunch.