Nostalgia & History > EJ&E Illinois then and now 1963 and 2021

West Chicago, Illinois is where my Grandparents had a farm. The west side of the property is bordered by the EJ&E and the north was bordered by the CGW. My brother and I had many fabulous hours standing next to 6 CGW Funits while they switched the small
yard at Ingalton. When it was quiet on the north we would walk to the other side and hope for one or two of the big, rebuilt Center-cab baldwins to come by. Photos of the J are rare. My brother ran across this poor quality 620 photo while I was there for a december 2021 funeral trip to the area.
So I went to the place where I had stood countless times in the last 60+ years and took a photo looking southwest at Hawthorne lane and, in my mind I added a J train.  When the timemachine is perfected, I will go to that place and tell my 13 year old self to run back to the farmhouse and get Uncle Lou's 35 mm camera and chuck the box camera in the slough. 
So here we are :1963 Hawthorne land and 2021 Hawthorne lane.
Rick Zorko
 

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I bet the current CN runs three times as many trains today past the property as the combined EJ&E and CGW did back then.   It's amazing how much CN has invested in upgrading the line since they purchased it.  

Thanks for sharing the photo and your memories with us here.   

Even a less than perfect image is far better than nothing. They are our time machines.

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