July 26, 2024:

July 26, 2024:

I got up and got dressed. I went across the street to the IHOP. After breakfast I went back to my room for a few minutes. I then headed out and walked to the bus stop. I boarded a bus that took me to the Western station on the Brown line. I rode to the loop and got off at LaSalle. I then walked to the Blue line and boarded a train to Forest Park. At Forest Park I took some photos.

I waited for PACE route #301. I had to wait several minutes with one bus on route #301 going out of service. A bus eventually did come and I rode to the Queen of Heaven Cemetery. I was once again going to visit Greg’s grave.

Following my trip last November, I had a good idea where to look. It didn’t take me long. I made my way to Greg’s grave.

I paused to remember Greg. It was unfortunate that Greg, Karl, and I were together on one occasion; the 2200 El car charter back in 2013.

I made my way back to the bus stop and caught a bus back to Forest Park. I boarded a train and rode to Clinton. I walked to Union Station. Along the way, I photographed a Proterra electric bus.

This Proterra did not appear to run for CTA. I have no idea who owns it.

I went to Union Station and bought lunch at the food court. I then walked back to the El and boarded a train to Jackson and transferred to the Red line. While waiting, I photographed El car #5544 wrapped for a TV series set in Chicago as it had a picture of an El train.

An El car wrapped with a picture of an El train.

When my train arrived I got on and rode to Roosevelt and walked to the Amtrak Yard. I walked to the Amtrak yard and took some photos.

I crossed the street and walked back up. I could see a CN freight train in the distance and attempted to photograph it.

I then took some more photos.

I then went to the Target store near the yard. I left a few minutes later. I then made my way back to the Red line. I boarded a northbound Red line train. I rode to Belmont station because the train overtook a Purple line train which will run express to Howard station making only one stop at Wilson. I photographed a Brown line train on the flyover constructed a few years ago to allow Kimball bound trains to pass above the Red and Purple lines without disrupting service.

I filmed the Red line train I came in on departing as well as an inbound train. I photographed the Purple line train when it pulled in.

I boarded the front car and the train departed. CTA is doing work on this part of the Red line. As a result, two tracks are out of service forcing the Purple to share the line with the Red line. As a result, we were held up by the Red Line train I had gotten off until we were past the construction and passed by the train.

We stopped at Wilson which is the only stop on the Purple line between Belmont and Howard. We soon departed and I got to Howard.

I then transferred to the Yellow line train. When I visited in November, the Yellow line was closed after a train on the line had collided with a work car. I had seen it on the news and the front end of the car was smashed in pretty badly. Fortunately no one was killed.

The Yellow line has long since reopened and I boarded a train of 5500 series cars. I rode to Dempster-Skokie which is the end of the line. I got off and photographed the train.

I then crossed over and filmed my train passing through the crossing. I then went to catch the train back to Howard. While waiting, I photographed some posters about the line’s 50^th anniversary.

I photographed supports that once held the wires when the line was powered by overhead wires instead of third rail. The line ran under overhead wires until 2004 when third rail was installed for ease of operation.

I photographed one more poster with a 5-50 series El car which is from the order car #48 at the Halton County Radial Railway Museum has in their collection. However #48 ran mostly on the Purple line in its last years.

My train pulled in. I photographed it before I got on.

The train soon departed. When we passed the Skokie shops which is CTA’s main shops, I took a couple photos including a shot of the historic 6000 series El cars.

The two closest to me was acquired from the National Museum of Transportation in St Louis and have run on at least one fan trip since returning to CTA. The other two were from the Fox River Trolley Museum and need work before they too can run. I had seen the cars in 2012 at Fox River.

Greg had mentioned the reason CTA had reacquired the cars was that they had two historic 4000 series El cars and some 2400s were kept as historic cars as well. However there was a large gap in between and wanted something to show for it. As a result, the two sets of 6000 were chosen.

As we approached Howard station, I photographed the historic 2400 series El cars which have been restored to their as-delivered appearance.

When I got to Howard station I got off and photographed my train.

I went to catch a bus to my hotel. I wondered if there was a bus would take me from Howard, however after looking at a CTA map, it was not the case. I headed back to the El and photographed the Yellow line train as it prepared to head back to Dempster-Skokie.

A Red line train came in. I boarded it and we departed. At Granville, I saw the train CTA had wrapped for Pride month was going the opposite way. I stepped off and photographed the train.

I got back on the train and rode to the next stop. I got off and caught a bus on route #84 to my hotel. I went to my hotel and went online for awhile and worked on this report. After awhile I went out to McDonald’s and had dinner. I then headed back to my hotel and worked on this report some more before I set the alarm on my phone and called it a night.

July 27, 2024:

I got up and got dressed. I went across the street to the IHOP. After breakfast I went to the bus stop and boarded the next route #11 bus southbound. I rode to Lincoln and Foster and got off. I transferred to route #92 and rode to the Jefferson Park Blue line station. I boarded the next train heading for O’Hare. It was a train of 7000 series El cars. I photographed the train when it arrived.

I rode to O’Hare station and got off. I photographed the train upon arriving there.

I made my way over to the monorail to take me to get to the rental cars. It was at the same station where the intercity buses depart from. After getting off, I photographed the train as it left.

I joined the long line for Dollar Rent-A-Car. When my turn came, I picked up an EZ-pass for the Illinois Tollway which would make things easier. I then went to pick up my rental car which was a Nissan Sentra. I then left and drove to the Illinois Railway Museum. I noticed the manned toll booths from when I drove in 2012 was replaced with automated sensors. It reminded me a bit of the Highway 407 back home.

I thought about all the electric cars being trucked to IRM and I was probably driving on the same road the CLRV and 2200s took to get to IRM. I got to the Illinois Railway Museum and photographed my rental car.

Here’s my rental car for this trip: a Nissan Sentra.

I then went and paid my admission. I then took some photos.

I had seen my main reason for coming to IRM: CLRV #4034.

These are part of the frames for the spare set of CLRV trucks TTC sent along with #4034.

CLRV #4034 is currently sitting on a short piece of TTC track gauge. When I met with Karl a few days ago, I told him about #4034 at IRM on a piece of TTC gauge track and asked if it reminded him of anything. He knew what I was talking about.

When I met Karl back in 2000, it was so he could take me to visit former Toronto PCC #4601 at the Michigan Transit Museum which at the time was sitting on a short piece of TTC track gauge completely isolated from all other trackage; much like how CLRV #4034 is at IRM.

However there are a couple things different with #4034. First is that IRM has put power on #4034 and moved it back and forth a few feet in either direction to keep things operational. Halton County did something similar with their M-1 subway cars the first few years after they arrived.

In addition, IRM also obtained a spare set of CLRV trucks which they are in the process of regauging to standard gauge. When they are done, they will lift 4034 off its TTC gauge trucks and onto the standard gauge trucks which will allow the car to run at IRM.

I then photographed E8 #515 which I saw at Streamliners at Spencer 10 years ago. Back then the unit was not part of the IRM collection, but was later acquired by IRM.

I also photographed the 2200 and 2400 series El cars IRM acquired after the cars stopped running with CTA.

I walked over to the barn where the trolleybuses were. I wondered if I would luck out again and see Edmonton #181 and TTC #9339 like in 2012. I photographed Seattle trolleybus #4123.

I had ridden a similar trolleybus in 2016 in Seattle on my first trip to San Francisco. However #4123 was already at the Illinois Railway Museum when this happened!

Here’s sister trolleybus #4173 back in 2016 in Seattle.

I then photographed former Janesville D35LF #433.

I then photographed former Boston trolleybus #4110. I had ridden similar trolleybuses in Boston in 2008, 2011, and 2012. The trolleybus lines had been “temporarily” replaced with diesel and battery powered buses. However it doesn’t seem likely they will get new trolleybuses.

I photographed CLRV #4034 again as well as some diesel locomotives parked nearby.

I went into the electric car barn and photographed various interurbans in the barn.

I photographed former CTA PCC El cars #22 and #41 which were running back in 2012.

I then went outside and photographed former Rock Island steam locomotive #938.

I then went inside a barn with streetcars and photographed PCCs on display from Chicago, Kansas City, and Newark.

I then photographed Illinois Terminal car #415. This car was the only car running when I first visited IRM in 2000.

I then photographed former Shaker Heights PCC #63 and open car #19. These were cars acquired from Trolleyville USA after the museum folded. PCC #63 is in the process of being repainted.

I then photographed Shaker Heights car #1218. This car was also part of the Trolleyville collection. However the car initially stayed in Cleveland after the rest of the collection went to new homes as they were considering putting the car on display in Cleveland. However the plans fell through and the car was acquired by the Illinois Railway Museum after I visited in 2012.

I photographed Chicago “Green Hornet” PCC #4391 which is the only surviving Green Hornet PCC. My friend Greg had been trained on the car.

I then went outside and photographed CTA 2243 and 2244.

I then photographed CTA 2433 and 2434.

I photographed one car of the former CTA historic 2000 series El cars. The cars were renumbered 1892 and 1992 for the 100^th anniversary of the El. The cars sat for years at the Skokie shops after the rest of the 2000 series El cars retired and went to scrap save for two at IRM. I have heard the two cars were acquired by IRM as a source of spare parts for their 2000s.

I only saw one of the cars; #1992. I knew the other was around the museum somewhere.

I then photographed the yard near where CLRV #4034 was.

I then took more photos in the barn

I photographed CTA 2153 and 2154. In the years since I was last at the Illinois Railway Museum, the cars had been repainted to their as delivered green and white livery.