Nostalgia & History > Electoliners

The current issue of Passenger Train Journal has a great article on the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee electric interurban that was abandoned in 1963......and I’m intrigued by those streamlined “Electroliners”. Anyone out there with photos?

.....and for us archeologist......is there anything left of the old right-of-way?

Thanks

ghCBNS Wrote:
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> .....and for us archeologist......is there
> anything left of the old right-of-way?
>
> Thanks


The CTA operates a short portion of the North Shore to Skokie, Illinois. For a time, they ran with the overhead catenary with modified standard CTA cars, but the line is now all third rail.

Attached are photos of a cocktail napkin and coaster from the Electroliner's tiny buffet car--I obtained them on a trip just two weeks before abandonment in January 1963.

Art House
Gettysburg, Pa.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/29/13 06:22 by aehouse.

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You can go visit one at the IRM
http://www.irm.org/gallery/album116
or see the Septa version
(do a web search on Libertyliner)
And next week is North Shore day - they may be out in the open for photos (at IRM)

ghCBNS Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The current issue of Passenger Train Journal has a
> great article on the Chicago North Shore &
> Milwaukee electric interurban that was abandoned
> in 1963......and I’m intrigued by those
> streamlined “Electroliners”. Anyone out there
> with photos?
>
> .....and for us archeologist......is there
> anything left of the old right-of-way?
>
> Thanks



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/29/13 06:57 by rswebber.

We will have our Electroliner (the 801-802) open for display on Sunday July 7 at the Illinois Railway Museum for our commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the closing of the CNS&M. We will be running tons of CNS&M equipment, have NSL tickets dated with NSL ticket daters and some NSL items for sale. There were two Electroliner sets, numbered 802-802 and 804-804, and both are in existence today.

Our Liner is the restored NSL while the one in PA is still Liberty Liner.

RW

Attached is a scan of a slide in my collection (I don't know who shot the photo) of a Liner set at Milwaukee just before they shut the line down in Jan 1963.

wchogger

ghCBNS Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The current issue of Passenger Train Journal has a
> great article on the Chicago North Shore &
> Milwaukee electric interurban that was abandoned
> in 1963......and I’m intrigued by those
> streamlined “Electroliners”. Anyone out there
> with photos?
>
> .....and for us archeologist......is there
> anything left of the old right-of-way?
>
> Thanks

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A bit of Electroliner and Chicago subway history in the form of a couple of postcards sent from Tom Taber to Harry Weiss, who would later own and operate The Cliff Line, a manufacturer of HO RP-25 wheels and HO and O-scale car kits and accessories. The meeting referred to is probably that of the Chicago Model Railroad Guild. The card was sent during the middle of WWII. Note the suggestion to save gas. From my history of The Cliff Line.

Cheers,
Jack

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..and if you come to IRM July 7th you'll even see restored and operational North Shore Line equipment that doesn't have wheels!

The neon sign that once hung outside the Milwaukee terminal is displayed along Central Avenue near the Museum's food-service building, one of several excellently-restored neon signs located around the property.

NZ

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Nice photo, NZ!

I'm a west coastie and I have always wondered, were "Electroburgers" really tasty?

Cheers,
Jack



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/29/13 15:20 by africansteam.

The Liberty Liners were sold to the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company, known as the Red Arrow Lines which later became part of the SEPTA system. They were assinged to operate on the Norristown Line. The tavern lounge car continued to provide food/snacks and even had a liquor license.

The Liberty Liner, "Independence" is at the Rockhill Trolley Museum in Orbisonia, PA (next to East Broad Top).

Based on what I can tell from the museum's website, it was last run for members in 2011.

This link provides interesting information about the Liberty Liners' service and the museum's acquisition of the "Independence."

http://www.rockhilltrolley.org/roster/liner

The Rockhill Trolley Museum is also observing its 50th anniversary this year.

wchogger--your slide is how I remember the Electroliner colors. The restored unit at IRM just seems to have too much orange in the red striping.

africansteam Wrote:
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> Nice photo, NZ!
>
> I'm a west coastie and I have always wondered,
> were "Electroburgers" really tasty?
>

Thank you!

As for the taste of Electroburgers, I'll have to defer to others: In January of 1963 I was 18 months old and living over 100 miles from North Shore territory.

It is legend that a local railfan purchased the very last Electroburger served that Sunday night, wrapped it in a napkin, took it home and placed in his freezer for posterity. He's since passed away, and we can only assume a well-meaning family member tossed it when they cleaned out his residence.

NZ

In 1963 I was 11 and living north of New York City, and I didn't visit Chicago until several years later, so I have no memories of the Electroliners in service. But in the late 1970s I finally managed to ride the Red Arrow Lines, which had been recently taken over by SEPTA. The Electroliners ("Liberty Liners", aka "boozer cruisers") were still in the yard, painted in SEPTA colors, but no longer in regular service. So I did see them, but couldn't ride.

The Skokie Swift line out of Howard Street, Chicago was still partially catenary-equipped when I was in school in Chicago in the 1970s. Third rail went as far as the CTA Skokie Shop, then CNS&M catenary went to the end of the line. The most interesting equipment run were a couple of three-section articulated cars equipped with bow collectors. They covered rush hour service. Single cars with bow collectors handled the off-peak. In 1975 one of the USDOT "State of the Art Cars" ran on the Skokie Swift for a few weeks in "demonstration" service.

I was first in Chicago in the summer of 1968, so I missed the North Shore by only five years. I've always been sorry I did.

Thanks……the Illinois Railway Museum is certainly on the bucket list when I’m in the area this fall.

And looking at the aerial imagery in google maps, I was quite surprised to see have easy it is to still follow the old right-of-way all the way to Milwaukee after all the years.