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CERA News for November 13, 2014

Thursday, November 13, 2014 10:33 AM | Ed Graziano (Administrator)

CERA News for November 2014

Used Book Exchange
The CERA Used Book Exchange is taking this month off. The continued availability of used books is dependent on the generosity of our Members, and we thank you for both your donations and purchases.

B-146 Progress Report
We are in the home stretch of working on Bulletin 146, the Chicago Streetcar Pictorial: the PCC Car Era, 1936-1958. Layout work on the book is essentially complete; the text sections for the book are finished, the nearly 1000 photos selected, locations identified, captions written and double-checked for accuracy. The DVD inserts are already at the printer, as are the reproduction 1936 CSL brochures that will accompany each copy of the book.

This book will have more pictures, and with better reproduction quality, than any previous CERA book ever.

We expect the book will soon be in the hands of the printer and 3-4 weeks later, copies will be mailed out from there. This book is a two-year entitlement for those who were CERA Members in 2012 and 2013, and we also are sending it anyone who was a Contributing or Sustaining Member in either year.

Since we stand behind what we sell, we will cheerfully offer a refund anyone who pre-ordered the book and does not want to wait any longer to receive it. Because the book is already very popular and likely to sell out quickly, we expect that very few people (if any) will take us up on this offer.

CERA Archives Update
CERA wishes to thank both Beverly Petzhold and Edward Halstead for their recent donations of material to our Archives. Mrs. Petzhold is the widow of Charlie Petzhold, who died 20 years ago. His personal collection of engineering documents will give us a leg up on required research for a book we are planning, Building Chicago’s Subways. It is hoped that this book can be published in 2018, a year full of anniversaries.

2018 will be the 80th anniversary of CERA, the 80th anniversary of when construction began on Chicago’s Initial System of Subways, the 75th anniversary of the opening of the State Street Subway,and the 60th anniversary of the opening of the CTA Congress rapid transit line (which was referred to as a “subway,” since it is below grade). It also marks 65 years since the Chicago, Aurora & Elginstopped running downtown due to expressway construction.

Therefore, considering all these anniversaries, it seems the perfect time for CERA to put out a book on this subject.

2015 Membership Cards
We thank those of you who have already renewed your CERA Memberships for 2015. If you have renewed, your Membership card will arrive in your mailbox, along with the November program notice. If you have not yet renewed your membership, we encourage you to do so.  New Members are also welcome!

We thank you for your support.

-Your CERA Directors


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