Here are some photos from last Saturday’s CERA inspection trip to the Illinois Railway Museum. We salute the entire crew of volunteers at IRM for giving us such a warm welcome, and for arranging to put out all the various pieces of equipment we requested. The weather was beautiful.

CERA and IRM celebrated the four various Chicago-area Insull properties, the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee, Chicago Aurora and Elgin, Chicago South Shore & South Bend, and the Chicago Rapid Transit Co. We rode on trains from all four properties, and this culminated in an unprecedented “Insull Parade” on IRM’s Main Line.

In addition to this, Indiana Railroad car 65 also made a rare appearance. We hope you will enjoy these souvenirs of a wonderful time spent in Union, Illinois.

-David Sadowski

IRM helped CERA celebrate its 75th anniversary on September 21, 2013. (Photo by David Sadowski)

C&WT 141 is the last survivor of that street railway. (Photo by David Sadowski)

Chicago and West Towns car 141 has been restored. (Photo by David Sadowski)

The South Shore cars are rarely operated at IRM since they use pantographs. The overhead is designed for poles, not pans. (Photo by David Sadowski)

These signs were a familiar sight on South Shore trains in the 1970s and 80s. (Photo by David Sadowski)

CRT/CTA 1268 and 1797. Despite the difference in numbers, they are about the same age. (Photo by David Sadowski)

CERA fantrip riders on the wooden “L” cars. (Photo by David Sadowski)

CRT/CTA wooden “L” car 1024 is undergoing restoration. (Photo by David Sadowski)

Boarding the two-car “L” train. (Photo by Diana Koester)

Our three-car steel CA&E train (409-431-460). (Photo by David Sadowski)

CA&E and South Shore cars, representing two of the four Chicago-area Insull properties. (Photo by David Sadowski)

Cars 460 and 431 can couple together, despite being of different vintages. (Photo by David Sadowski)

CA&E 460 was the last new car built for the line (1945-46). Some have called it the last “standard” interurban car built in the US, but that is open to interpretation. (Photo by David Sadowski)

The CERA crowd lines up to board the “Roarin’ Elgin” train. (Photo by Diana Koester)

The Nebraska Zephyr at IRM. (Photo by Diana Koester)

The two-car North Shore train (714-749) stops to pick up passengers along the Main Line. (Photo by David Sadowski)

Riders on North Shore 714. (Photo by Diana Koester)

The North Shore trains are looking pretty good at Union. (Photo by David Sadowski)

CNS&M 749 at the Depot. (Photo by David Sadowski)

Indiana Railroad car 65, IRM’s first acquisition, was also out that day. (Photo by David Sadowski)

The elegant Indiana Railroad logo. (Photo by David Sadowski)

IR 65 on the Trolley Loop. (Photo by David Sadowski)