CENTRAL ELECTRIC RAILFANS' ASSOCIATION

A not-for-profit technical & educational society, established in 1938

Upcoming Programs

What's new at CERA?

May 22, 2026 In Person and Zoom Presentation

Randolph St., 7th Floor Hospitality Room, Chicago, IL

In Person and

Easy Link to ZOOM Here

https://tinyurl.com/4thFridayCERA

Or

Older longer link to Zoom

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84655931559?pwd=CJDX4VulLCzaLufaL7cEvQiZ6d8EXQ.1 

Zoom meeting Number 846 5593 1559    Passcode  214592

Richard Aaron

Philadelphia From the 1970's

Tonight’s presenter made his first trip to Philadelphia in 1958 to ride the Red Arrow.  Subsequently, he would visit every few years as part of an east coast auto trip.  Tonight’s program features all aspects of electric rail transportation in “The City of Brotherly Love.”  

Initially, we will examine main line and suburban railroading pioneered by the Reading and Pennsylvania Railroad companies.  We also will inspect the Lindenwold line in New Jersey as well as the two heavy-rail subways.  Streetcar service on the seven routes that abandoned between 1977 and 1992 will be featured.

But, main emphasis will be on the Red Arrow lines.  We will inspect what has taken place on Sharon Hill, Media, and Ardmore lines.  On the Norristown Route, we will see Bullet cars and their N-5 replacements.  In the transition period between these two types of equipment, we will see ex-CTA 6000-series cars serving the western suburbs of Philadelphia as well as the North Shore Line’s Electroliners.

This program will also be presented on Zoom (CERA members only) for those members unable to attend the meeting in person.

If you have not yet paid your 2026 CERA Membership dues please do soon or contact me

for more information: Elmer Haneberg

elmer@corpevent.com

(773) 972-0470


Mark this date on your calendar!

Still time to Join our Fan trip to East Troy Railroad Museum

Saturday, June 6, 2026


If you have not yet paid your 2026 CERA Membership dues please do soon or contact me

for more information: Elmer Haneberg

elmer@corpevent.com

(773) 972-0470

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2026

Click  2026 Membership Renewal Form.docx to get a hard copy of the 2026 Membership Form for mailing


Click   2026 Membership Renewal On Line Credit Card to renew with a credit card


Please consider donating to CERA. Our members and non-members alike help us keep providing monthly programming, annual books, periodic trips and events and more. Simply click on the donate button.


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Year In Review: Since 1938,  Central Electric Railfans’ Association has presented programs, published books, and hosted fan trips. In 2025 CERA Published B153, The Illini Trai, and continued its successful online programs on Zoom, offering both “open-to-all” Zoom programs and programs marketed exclusively to members and prospective members. We also returned to our in-person programming at a new location and hosted a fan trip to the Minneapolis St. Paul, Minnesota where we had personal guided tours of two Trolley Museums and conducted our Fourth Friday In Person meeting and dinner. In On June 6, 2026 we have a Fan Trip planned for the East Troy Railroad Museum.

Publications: Since falling behind schedule in 2020 due to the Corona virus issues, we have been strenuously  striving to get caught up with our membership entitlements issuing B153, The Illini Trail, to our 2020 Membership, distributing three Shore Line Dispatches (a $90 value) to our 2021 Members and publishing B154, The Pittsburgh Harmony Line for our 2025 Members, scheduled to be mailed out in early 2026 and yet another entitlement for our 2022 Members before September of 2026.  That means we will have made FOUR entitlement commitments in the space of less than a year.

Historical Slides: The board has authorized exploring digitizing our extensive CERA Historical slide collection at considerable expense. Please consider an extra donation to help cover this or consider a one year bump up in your membership level .















B153 The Illini Trail

available now

CLICK HERE



Copyright 2018 Central Electric Railfans' Association. All Right Reserved 

Central Electric Railfans' Association is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.  P.O. Box 503, Chicago, IL  60690

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