An eastbound
Chicago Local stopped at the Taft Avenue station in Berkeley
in March 1957. Note the raised flagstop semaphore and the
motorman looking back along the cars to observe boarding.
Today this is the setting for a small park. See photograph
to the right. (Photo by Richard Stark.)
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Just west of Taft
Avenue in Berkeley, the Prairie Path passes through the
multiple-use park and recreation area on the site of the
former eastbound CA&E platform and ticket office. The
Berkeley city hall and fire station are located to the left
of the right-of-way. (Photo by Peter Weller.)
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Central Electric
Railfans' Association's last special trip on the CA&E
stopped at Ardmore Avenue on October 26, 1958. (Photo by
Peter Weller)
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In July 1991, a
group of bicyclists are about to cross Ardmore Avenue on the
Prairie Path. The city of Villa Park installed old-style
streetlights along the stretch of the path between Ardmore
Avenue and Villa Avenue in the late 1980s. Although the
Ovaltine plant closed in 1985, its tall smokestack is still
visible through the trees in the center background of this
photograph.(Photo by Peter Weller.)
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Two trains meet at
Lakewood (St. Charles-Geneva transfer) in this photograph
taken from the Illinois Highway 64 overpass. The CA&E
bus at the left of the picture carried connecting passengers
between Batavia-Geneva-St. Charles and Lakewood to meet
trains to or from Chicago. (Photo by Peter
Weller.)
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The same location
on the Illinois Prairie Path, July 14, 1990. All remnants of
the former transfer facility are gone, and the trees now
provide a canopy over the path. The road paralleling the
path to the right is a driveway for a private residence.
(Photo by Peter Weller.)
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A CA&E car on
a regular run loads passengers ahead of the CERA Special in
downtown Aurora on May 19, 1957. (Photo by Peter
Weller.)
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The site of the
former Aurora station had been altered considerably when
this shot was taken on July 14, 1990. He had not expected to
see the station platform still standing thirty-two years
after he was last in Aurora; in October 1991, however, the
platform and canopy were demolished. (Photo by Peter
Weller.)
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On September 14,
1958, a westbound Douglas Park train is about to turn south
after leaving the expressway right-of-way on the newly
constructed ramp that began at Loomis Street, just west of
the Racine Avenue station. The former Marshfield Avenue
station was located just east of the rear car on this train.
A 1956 proposal to construct a ramp similar to this one,
beginning behind the camera and turning north at this point,
allowing CA&E trains to leave the expressway
right-of-way and continue to the Loop on the Lake Street "L"
line, came to nothing. (Photo by Peter Weller.)
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An eastbound
Garfield Park train of 4000-series Cincinnati-built cars
crosses Ogden Avenue in October 1956. At the time of this
photo, the Congress Street Expressway was open from the Loop
to Laramie Avenue. The westbound track of this temporary
line was laid approximately on the alignment of the former
eastbound Van Buren Street streetcar track. The rails of the
former westbound streetcar track remained in the street
along this stretch; here they are partially covered with
asphalt. (Photo by Peter Weller.)
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Car 320, which
made its final appearance in service at the 1991 reunion of
the Midwest Old Threshers, at the trolley barn stop, one of
six stops on the Midwest Electric Railway's trolley loop.
Following the 1991 reunion, the car began undergoing an
ambitious restoration that continues at present. (Photo by
Peter Weller.)
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Iowa Governor
Terry Branstad addresses the audience at the rededication of
CA&E car 320 on August 30, 1997. Dressed in primer paint
and sporting a newly rebuilt roof, the car was rolled out of
the barn for the occasion. Kay Williams, standing to the
left of the governor, and her late husband, Al, contributed
much to the rebuilding of this car. (Photo by Peter
Weller.)
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Following the
Illinois Commerce Commission's approval on July 29, 1953,
the CA&E posted this notice at all stations announcing
the suspension of service east of Des Plaines Avenue as of
September 20. After that date, passengers transferred to CTA
"L" trains to continue the trip to the Loop. (Fred Stark
Collection.)
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This final notice,
posted at all CA&E stations, informed the public that
the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railway had received permission
to go out of business on June 10, 1961, at 12:01 a.m. By
that time, no trains had operated over CA&E rails for
nearly two years, and the tracks had become rusty and
overgrown with weeds. (Fred Stark and Richard Stark
Collection.)
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Track
Maps
These are 2 of
39 map panels found in the book
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