Dillon to Present at ARRC End of Year Dinner

The Akron Railroad Club will be holding its annual end of year dinner on Saturday (Dec. 3) at the New Era restaurant in Akron. The event is limited to 40 participants.

The program will be presented by ARRC President Todd Dillon.

His program will focus heavily on the Chicago Transit Authority’s 75th anniversary. This will include photographs from the Chicago elevated and the Fox River museum and the Illinois Railway Museum.

Also included will be photographs from the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad and a Nickel Plate Road 765 excursion in Indiana.

Shown above are a few images from Todd’s program that he will present on Saturday night.

Photographs by Todd Dillon

More Urban Transit Railfanning in Chicago

Here’s some more pictures from Chicago last weekend where the Chicago Transit Authority was celebrating its 75^th anniversary. The first two images are in the Loop with Trump Tower in the background. The third photo shows a Brown Line train crossing over the former Chicago & North Western station, which is now a Metra station. Finally, a Red Line train is at Belmont. The new Belmont flyover is in the background.

Photographs by Todd Dillon

Special Day at Fox River Trolley Museum

In conjunction with the Chicago Transit Authority 75th Anniversary last weekend, the Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin, Illinois, held its own unique photo charter.

Recently restored CTA 4451 was the star of the show and was posed with various other former CTA equipment.

The museum opened in 1966 and operates about 4 miles of the former Aurora, Fox River & Elgin interurban line.

Included was another pair of 6000 series cars, a single 6000 series car painted green, a crane, and 5001, an articulated train set built in 1947. We had the run of the line and got many interesting photos.

Shown above are the 4451 with a crane car; and CTA 5001, which was primarily used on the Skokie Swift or CTA Yellow line. This is former North Shore Line trackage acquired after that line shut down in 1961.

Also shown are the 441 with the 6000 series cars, and North Shore 715 running a regular museum trip.

Article and Photographs by Todd Dillon

Heritage Day on Chicago’s Transit Network

Last Saturday Chicago Transit Authority celebrated its 75th Anniversary. They ran some old L cars and also a few buses in the Loop.

I went to Chicago to catch the action. The older cars consisted of a pair of 4000 series cars built in 1922 (so 100 years old happy birthday).

A pair of 6000 series cars built in the 1950s and a four car set of 2400 series cars built in the late 1970’s.  They also had some GMC fishbowl buses built in the 1950s through 1970s.

I was more focused on photography but did ride the 4000 series cars and one of the buses.

They ran between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and then returned to the car barns at Howard Street on the CTA Red line.

We rode out to Sheridan station which is on old and so far un-remodeled station. I caught all the trains here in great sunlight going around a curve.

It was a fun way to spend the weekend and different from the mainline trains I normally raifan.

The first three photographs above show the 4000 pair of cars at various locations, including at the Sheridan station.

Also shown is a 6000 series pair and a 2400 series train at the Sheridan station.

Article and Photographs by Todd Dillon