CERA Home

Stony Island Avenue at 63rd Street in 1893
Photo courtesy of The Wisconsin Historical Society

A History of the South Side “L”
Englewood • Jackson Park • Kenwood • Normal Park
Stockyards • Dan Ryan

by Tony Coppoletta and Graham Garfield

Woodson Regional Public Library
9525 S. Halsted St.
Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
Sponsored by Central Electric Railfans’ Association

Our September Program
CERA's 70th Anniversary Celebration

As part of our celebration, we have 3 days of events planned. The a brief event listing is below. For times and pricing of the various events, Please download the Anniversary brochure. The brochure also has a mail back form for making reservations.

Friday, September 26, 2008
Illinois Railway Museum
CERA Inspection Trip #203

Tour the Illinois Railway Museum, car barns, and enjoy trips on three rare cars never used in museum service (with specially arranged photo opportunities)!

70th Anniversary Banquet. Join other electric rail enthusiasts and CERA members for a banquet to commemorate 70 years of railfan history, events, preservation, publications, and fun. Casual attire is welcome. The buffet-style banquet menu will be a selection of Southern Italian-style dishes.

1730-1900: Food, beverage, and dessert service
1930-2200: Program by Myles Jarrow

“A Remembrance of Early Years of the
Central Electric Railfans’ Association”
presented by Myles Jarrow,
Founding Member #0023

Saturday, September 27, 2008
South Shore Line Inspection Tour
CERA Inspection Trip #204

Explore the historic South Shore Line and NICTD yard facility at Carroll Avenue.
You’ll be whisked as far east as Hudson Lake, in style, by way of our very own car. A discussion about the future of NICTD will take place at the yard facility.

Sunday, September 28, 2008
Chicago “L” Tour: Old Meets New
CERA Inspection Trip #205

Get up close and personal with the latest developments on Chicago’s famed rapid transit system via a private, chartered train. This tour will focus on exploring both historic elements and modern facilities and passenger amenities on one of the world’s oldest electric railroads.

For a complete calendar of events of other railroad enthusiast organizations in the extended Chicago metropolitan area, please go to http://www.railcc.org/Events.html.

Update Your Address Books
CERA's Email Addresses Change

If you have a question regarding a book order, the email address is books@cera-chicago.org.

If you have a general information question regarding CERA, the email address is info@cera-chicago.org.

Please remember that as a volunteer organization, email is generally only checked once a week on Tuesdays.

Our Next Trips

Our next trips are part of CERA's 70th Anniversary Celebration and are listed above and on the Trips page.

CERA Profiles

In recognition of CERA's 70th Anniversary, we have launched a new section in the About CERA area. Starting this month, we will be publishing profiles and photos of the "founding fathers" and other members who have given their time and talents to make CERA a continuing and successful organization.

For our inaugural profile, Art Peterson provides a profile of one of the founding CERA members, George Krambles (Membership #1):

Talented, a quick study, hard-working, and generous – these were just a few of the attributes of CERA founder George Krambles. They were the characteristics that made him a leader throughout his life and led to his success in professional and recreational endeavors alike.

Without “GK” as he was known to family, friends and colleagues, CERA would still have existed, but certainly the quality and quantity of its bulletins, the content of its meetings and the extent of its fantrips would probably have been quite different. He was able to strike the right balance between professional and hobby activities, knowing when there was a railroad (or surface system) that needed to be run and when it was appropriate to “play train.” His appreciation of history was a distinct benefit to CTA and CERA (along with many other railfan organizations in which he was an active participant/director). Read more...

If you would like to write or suggest a profile of a previous or current member, please contact the webmaster at cera-chicago.org.

Latest Addition to Digital Archive

Bulletin #84: Gary Railways
by James J. Buckley

“The purpose of this bulletin is to tell the complete story of the Gary Railways, Inc., from its beginning in 1908 to the cessation of streetcar service in 1947. Every effort has been made to make this story as complete and accurate as possible.” read more and download PDF...

Our Latest Books

Picture of the Cover of the Bulletin #140

Pig & Whistle: The Story of the Philadelphia & Western Railway

The men who founded the Philadelphia & Western dreamed of completing a coast-to-coast railroad network, with the P&W serving as the eastern link into Philadelphia and New York City. This idea failed, but the little railroad which served a collection of Philadelphia -area communities managed to thrive and become an electric railway success story. Three decades after its conception, the company placed into service some of the most revolutionary railway cars ever built, the famous high speed "Bullets." read more about this fine book...

Picture of cover of The Shoreline electric Railway Company

One of the nation’s more unprofitable traction companies during the otherwise prosperous 1910-1924 period was Connecticut’s Shore Line Electric Railway. At its height from mid-1916 until mid-1919, the Shore Line Electric Railway operated a nearly 230-mile system that included almost 17 miles of main track in the adjacent state of Rhode Island.

Unable to withstand competition from paralleling steam railroads and the private automobile, resulted in the abandonment of various lines beginning in 1920 with all operations ending in 1924. Read more about this fine book...

Published by Arcadia Publishing and available at a special retail price through the CERA site, discover the world famous Chicago “L” in all its grit and glory. The thundering “L” is one of Chicago's most enduring icons. Operating 24/7 since 1892, it is not only an antique but a working antique. More than 10 billion people have ridden the “L,” which now carries half a million people a day over 222 miles of track. The heavy, rumbling “L” has a light side too. It is sought out by tourists, featured in major motion pictures, enjoyed by wide eyed kids, photographed by admirers, and studied by historians. Read more about this fine book...

August 2008

	A Special August Program Thursday 14 August 2008 6:30 p.m. Stony Island Avenue at 63rd Street in 1893 Photo courtesy of The Wisconsin Historical Society A History of the South Side “L” Englewood • Jackson Park • Kenwood • Normal Park Stockyards • Dan Ryan by Tony Coppoletta and Graham Garfield Woodson Regional Public Library 9525 S. Halsted St. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Sponsored by Central Electric Railfans’ Association Our September Program CERA's 70th Anniversary Celebration As part of our celebration, we have 3 days of events planned. The a brief event listing is below. For times and pricing of the various events, Please download the Anniversary brochure. The brochure also has a mail back form for making reservations. Friday, September 26, 2008 Illinois Railway Museum CERA Inspection Trip #203 Tour the Illinois Railway Museum, car barns, and enjoy trips on three rare cars never used in museum service (with specially arranged photo opportunities)! 70th Anniversary Program (and September Membership Meeting) Banquet and program at University Center, 525 S State, Chicago, IL. Click here for a map of 525 S. State St. 70th Anniversary Banquet. Join other electric rail enthusiasts and CERA members for a banquet to commemorate 70 years of railfan history, events, preservation, publications, and fun. Casual attire is welcome. The buffet-style banquet menu will be a selection of Southern Italian-style dishes. 1730-1900: Food, beverage, and dessert service 1930-2200: Program by Myles Jarrow “A Remembrance of Early Years of the Central Electric Railfans’ Association” presented by Myles Jarrow, Founding Member #0023 Saturday, September 27, 2008 South Shore Line Inspection Tour CERA Inspection Trip #204 Explore the historic South Shore Line and NICTD yard facility at Carroll Avenue. You’ll be whisked as far east as Hudson Lake, in style, by way of our very own car. A discussion about the future of NICTD will take place at the yard facility. Sunday, September 28, 2008 Chicago “L” Tour: Old Meets New CERA Inspection Trip #205 Get up close and personal with the latest developments on Chicago’s famed rapid transit system via a private, chartered train. This tour will focus on exploring both historic elements and modern facilities and passenger amenities on one of the world’s oldest electric railroads. For a complete calendar of events of other railroad enthusiast organizations in the extended Chicago metropolitan area, please go to http://www.railcc.org/Events.html. Update Your Address Books CERA's Email Addresses Change CERA has new email addresses. The addresses are now hosted at our domain. If you have a question regarding a book order, the email address is books@cera-chicago.org. If you have a general information question regarding CERA, the email address is info@cera-chicago.org. Please remember that as a volunteer organization, email is generally only checked once a week on Tuesdays. Our Next Trips Our next trips are part of CERA's 70th Anniversary Celebration and are listed above and on the Trips page. Photos for the August 2006 Trip to Toronto are now online CERA Profiles In recognition of CERA's 70th Anniversary, we have launched a new section in the About CERA area. Starting this month, we will be publishing profiles and photos of the "founding fathers" and other members who have given their time and talents to make CERA a continuing and successful organization. For our inaugural profile, Art Peterson provides a profile of one of the founding CERA members, George Krambles (Membership #1): Talented, a quick study, hard-working, and generous – these were just a few of the attributes of CERA founder George Krambles. They were the characteristics that made him a leader throughout his life and led to his success in professional and recreational endeavors alike. Without “GK” as he was known to family, friends and colleagues, CERA would still have existed, but certainly the quality and quantity of its bulletins, the content of its meetings and the extent of its fantrips would probably have been quite different. He was able to strike the right balance between professional and hobby activities, knowing when there was a railroad (or surface system) that needed to be run and when it was appropriate to “play train.” His appreciation of history was a distinct benefit to CTA and CERA (along with many other railfan organizations in which he was an active participant/director). Read more... If you would like to write or suggest a profile of a previous or current member, please contact the webmaster at cera-chicago.org. Also be sure to take a look at a photograph of the CERA Board from 1942. Latest Addition to Digital Archive Bulletin #84: Gary Railways by James J. Buckley “The purpose of this bulletin is to tell the complete story of the Gary Railways, Inc., from its beginning in 1908 to the cessation of streetcar service in 1947. Every effort has been made to make this story as complete and accurate as possible.” read more and download PDF... Our Latest Books Pig & Whistle: The Story of the Philadelphia & Western Railway by Ronald DeGraw The men who founded the Philadelphia & Western dreamed of completing a coast-to-coast railroad network, with the P&W serving as the eastern link into Philadelphia and New York City. This idea failed, but the little railroad which served a collection of Philadelphia -area communities managed to thrive and become an electric railway success story. Three decades after its conception, the company placed into service some of the most revolutionary railway cars ever built, the famous high speed "Bullets." read more about this fine book... *The Shoreline Electric Railway Company* by O.R. Cummings One of the nation’s more unprofitable traction companies during the otherwise prosperous 1910-1924 period was Connecticut’s Shore Line Electric Railway. At its height from mid-1916 until mid-1919, the Shore Line Electric Railway operated a nearly 230-mile system that included almost 17 miles of main track in the adjacent state of Rhode Island. Unable to withstand competition from paralleling steam railroads and the private automobile, resulted in the abandonment of various lines beginning in 1920 with all operations ending in 1924. Read more about this fine book... The Chicago “L” by Greg Borzo. Published by Arcadia Publishing and available at a special retail price through the CERA site, discover the world famous Chicago “L” in all its grit and glory. The thundering “L” is one of Chicago's most enduring icons. Operating 24/7 since 1892, it is not only an antique but a working antique. More than 10 billion people have ridden the “L,” which now carries half a million people a day over 222 miles of track. The heavy, rumbling “L” has a light side too. It is sought out by tourists, featured in major motion pictures, enjoyed by wide eyed kids, photographed by admirers, and studied by historians. Read more about this fine book...
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A Special August Program Thursday 14 August 2008 6:30 p.m.

A History of the South Side “L” Englewood • Jackson Park • Kenwood • Normal Park Stockyards • Dan Ryan