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The Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad (Aurora Elgin and Chicago before 1922) was an electric passenger railroad from Chicago west through its suburbs. The western portions were high-speed heavy lines, but access to the downtown area was on an elevated railway (“the Met”), part of Chicago’s “L” system. Because of the electric power and tight loading gauge, the cars were of unusual designs. One other area railroad, the “North Shore Line”, also used the “L” to enter Chicago and had similar cars.
Contents
History
For most of its operation the A.E.&C./C.A.&E. was short of equipment. On the first day of operation the Niles Car and Manufacturing Company had only delivered six cars of a ten-car order. Within days 15 motor cars and 5 trailers from the John Stephenson Company arrived and service could be increased. In the next 10 years the AE&C bought 2 cars from Hicks, 5 from G. C. Kuhlman Car Company, and 6 from the Jewett Car Company. The Jewett cars were the last cars bought by the AE&C.
In 1919 the A.E.&C. was forced into bankruptcy, on July 1, 1922 it emerged as the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad and began an improvement program, including new cars.
By 1922 steel body construction had replaced wood, and different manufacturers were in the field. Twenty new cars were bought from the Pullman Company in 1923, and another 15 from the Cincinnati Car Company in 1927. In 1940 10 cars were ordered from the St. Louis Car Company, but they were delayed by WWII and were not delivered until 1945. They would be the last new cars bought by the railroad. In 1937-38 eight-second hand cars were bought from the WB&A. Although wood cars were obsolete, the “rush hour” nature of the traffic allowed them to be used in local service between Chicago and Wheaton until the end. Twelve wood cars were leased from the North Shore Line in 1936 then bought in 1945.
After passenger service ended in 1957 passenger cars were stored and maintained at the Wheaton yard, in case service could be resumed. Freight service continued until 1959, with only locomotives 2001 and 2002 in service. The locomotives were stored inside the shop building. In 1961 the railroad was formally abandoned and, except for a few preserved cars, all equipment was scrapped at the Wheaton yard between 1961-1963. Useful components were removed, then the cars were burned and the metal left was scrapped.
Car construction
The main lines were built to steam railroad standards, but from Bellwood east the track was built to the much smaller “L” loading gauge. To do that cars could only be 8 feet 7 inches (2.62 m) wide at the floor, about 55 feet (16.8 m) feet long, and needed lock-tight radial couplers. Cars had to be built specially, steam railroad type cars couldn’t be used. The North Shore Line, which also used the “L”, was one of the very few other railroads built to these standards. The two were able to exchange cars, but the different line’s cars could not be trained without modifications, and were a poor match even after modifications.
Early cars were very ornate, with plush interiors and ornate sash windows, with time the cars would become plainer and simpler. No steel cars had sash windows, and they were covered up on wooden cars as they were rebuilt. Many rebuilt wood body cars had steel sheeting on th sides.
Wood body cars had steel frames and were strong enough to train safely with other car types. In the first 10 years there were problems with the bodies flexing, reinforcing the bodies worked. Because of this it was practical to rebuild cars and use them for local service, most wood body cars continued in service until the end of service in 1957. Spotting features were the sash windows, which were slowly covered, and trusses under the frame, necessary because the body had no structural strength.
Running gear
Power was 600 VDC through a third rail mounted next to and slightly above the running rail, except early street running, the approach to the Elgin terminal, and the Wheaton yard, where trolley poles and overhead wire were used for safety. All cars were equipped with trolley poles until the end of service. An overriding pickup shoe was attached to a beam on both sides of both trucks. Early cars had only 2 motors, from the 2 Kuhlman cars of 1909 on all cars would have 4 motors. Most wood cars had General Electric GE 66B 125 hp (93 kW) motors, the last 3 Jewett cars had new GE 254 140 hp (100 kW) motors. The steel cars from Pullman and Cincinnati used the new GE 254. New-bought wood body cars had GE C6 controls, the all steel cars from Pullman and Cincinnati had GE 165 controls. The two types were not compatible, wood body cars were retro-fitted with the GE 165 type. The final St. Louis cars had GE 739 motors and GE KC2-19 controls.
Passenger cars
Carolyn and Florence were wood body parlor cars built Niles in 1904 and 1906. Carolyn was a control trailer, Florence had 2 125 hp (93 kW) motors. At first special services seemed important, but as business increased and more seats were needed Carolyn was converted to 52 seat coach #209 in 1924. Florence was first converted to parlor-buffet car #601, then was rebuilt into 53 seat coach #435 in 1929.
10-28 (even numbers only) were wood body fifty-two (forty-six with washroom) seat coaches built by Niles in 1902. The first 6 cars were ready for the beginning of service in August 1902, 4 more arrived later in the year. They had 2 125 hp (93 kW) motors. Car #10 was rebuilt as a funeral car about 1910, then to a coach, then back to a funeral car again. It was wrecked in 1948. Car #22 was wrecked in 1911.
30-58 (even numbers only) were wood body 46 seat coaches built by Stephenson in 1902. They had 2 125 hp (93 kW) motors. Car #42 was wrecked in 1922.
101-109 (odd numbers only) were wood body 46 seat passenger coach trailers built by Stephenson in 1902. These 5 cars were part of the same order as the 15 motor cars and their bodies were the same. Car #107 was wrecked in 1914. Car #109 was converted into a funeral car for use with the “L”. CA&E cars could not train with “L” cars, so it was converted to “L” controls. It was rebuilt as a flatcar in 1937.
129, 130, 133, 134, 137 were wood body 54 seat coaches built by Jewett in 1907 for the North Shore Line. They were leased in 1936 and bought in 1946.
138-141, 144 were wood body 54 seat coaches built by American in 1910 for the North Shore Line. They were leased in 1936 and bought in 1946.
142-143 were wood body 50 seat coaches built by Jewett in 1909 for the North Shore Line. They were leased in 1936 and bought in 1946.
201-207 (odd numbers only) were wood body 52 seat coaches built by Jewett in 1905. They had 2 125 hp (93 kW) motors. All were still in service in 1957.
209 was a wood body 52 seat coach rebuilt in 1924 from parlor car Carolyn.
300-308 were wood body 52 seat coaches built by Niles in 1906. They had 2 125 hp (93 kW) motors. Parlor car Florence was the 10th car in this order. Car #305 was rebuilt as parlor-buffet car #600, then coach #436 in 1929.
309-310 were wood body 52 seat coaches built in 1908 by Hicks Locomotive Works. Hicks was a small Chicago area builder, no more cars would be bought from them. Both of these cars were in service in 1957.
311-315 were wood body 52 seat coaches built by the G. C. Kuhlman Car Company in 1909.The wood siding on these cars extended down over the frame, a visual difference over earlier cars.
316-321 were wood body 52 seat coaches built by Jewett in 1914. These were the last wood body cars bought. #319-321 received new model 140 hp (100 kW) motors in the mid-1920s, after that they were not trained with other motor cars. They were usually assigned together and/or with control trailers.
400-419 were all steel 56 seat coaches built by Pullman in 1923. The first all steel cars bought, they had slightly tapered vestibules and curved front end, allowing them to be slightly longer than the wood body cars. They had 4 140 hp (100 kW) motors.
420-434 were all steel 54 passenger coaches built by the Cincinnati Car Company in 1927. Like the Pullmans, they had slightly tapered vestibules, curved front ends, and were slightly longer than wood body cars. They had 4 140 hp (100 kW) motors.
435, 436 were wood body coaches rebuilt in 1929 from parlor-buffet cars #600 and #601. They were originally Florence and #305, mechanical sisters built by Niles in 1906.
451-460 were 52-54 passenger coaches built by St. Louis in 1945. They had a noticeable bulge in the body at the belt line, this allowed a wider body which could still fit the “L” platforms.
600, 601 were wood body parlor-buffet cars rebuilt from Florence and #305, mechanical sisters built by Niles in 1906. Later they were re-built as coaches #435, #436.
600-604 were 54 seat coach trailers built by Cincinnati in 1913 for the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway. They were bought in 1937, after that railway ceased service. Originally motor cars, their motors were removed to make them control trailers. Their bodies were modified with tapered vestibules and curved ends, like the new all-steel cars. After modifications they were used system-wide with other cars.
700-702 were baggage-coach combine trailers built by Cincinnati in 1913 for the WB&A. They were bought in 1938, a year after coaches #600-604, which they were mechanical sisters with. Seats were installed in the baggage compartment, the cars were modified like the #600-604 coaches, then they were used system-wide with other cars.
Freight cars and locomotives
Built as an electric passenger line in an area with many steam freight railroads, the CA&E had few on-line customers and little bridge traffic. The third rail also was a problem for some steam railroad cars. Even so, freight traffic increased steadily until the 1950s. Express cars operated on the "L", locomotives and freight cars were built to steam railroad standards and could not operate on the "L". Because of an office fire in 1913 little is known about early freight cars.
Express cars
Express service was passenger sized cars carrying less than carload freight. From 1903 a 2-car newspaper train left Chicago in the early morning and delivered papers to most stops. This train, sometimes using passenger cars, lasted until the end of service. Aso in the early morning “milk trains”, often an express car pulling a boxcar, made a trip east. These trains picked up milk cans from farms along the line and brought them to a dairy in Chicago, then returned them in the afternoon. This service lost most of it's business to trucks and ended in the 1920s. Other express trains ran during the day, and did local switching.
AE&C #1 probably was an express car wrecked in December, 1903, just four months after service started. In 1913 the AE&C had 5 express motors and one trailer. American(#5), Jewett(#7), Niles(#9), Brill(#11), and McGuire-Cumming(#15) each built one, McGuire-Cummings also built the trailer(#67). The first #5 was wrecked and replaced by a Cincinnati car using the same number. All were similar, with 4 GE66 125 hp (93 kW) motors. All had control cabs on both ends and two baggage doors on each side, but had different bodies. Until locomotive 2001 arrived in 1921 most freight traffic was handled with express cars. Car #15, built in 1910, was still in freight service in the 1950s.
Locomotives
3 was a powered snowplow, effectively a steeple-cab locomotive, which was probably built in the railroad's shops.. In service from the beginning, it had four GE 66 125 hp (93 kW) motors when passenger cars had two. At first when not plowing it was used in freight service, from 1922 it was used for ballast trains.
2001 was a 44-ton (39,916 kg.) steeple-cab locomotive built by GE in 1920 and bought in 1921, sister 2002 arrived a year later. Originally bought as single locomotives, in 1929 they were modified to train together, and were usually used as a pair. This became common practice of all locomotives, and helped to bridge gaps in the third rail, like at road crossings. They had 4 GE257 175 hp (130 kW) motors. The two remained in service and hauled the railroad's last revenue run on June 19, 1959.
3003, 3004 were 50-ton (45,359 kg.) boxcab locomotives built by Baldwin in 1923-24 and bought in 1926. They originally had 4 Westinghouse WH562 100 hp (75 kW) motors, in 1930 they were upgraded with WH567 170 hp (130 kW) motors. In 1959 they were taken out of service because of cracks in their frames.
40005, 4006 were 72-ton (65,317) boxcab locomotives built by the shops of the Oklahoma Railway in 1929. After several previous owners they were bought in 1955. They had 4 WH562 motors. They were tken out of service because of wheel wear in 1958, only 3 years after they were bought.
Freight cars
The AE&C owned a number of freight cars, but an office fire in 1913 destroyed most records. In 1924 an CA&E engineering report showed showed 28 wood gondolas, 10 steel gondolas, 17 wood boxcars, and 16 ballast cars. The table below does not show all cars.