SEVENTY YEARS OF PRESERVATION.

In 1953, ten ferroequinologists pooled their money to purchase an electric car from an Iowa interurban company and found a non-profit organization they called the Illinois Electric Railway Museum.

Seventy years later, the museum has expanded by subtracting the "electric" from that title, although they honor the museum's roots with a periodic parade of the electric cars.  That initial purchase, Indiana Railroad "high speed" car 65, is still operable, and it led off the parade of seventy pieces of electrically operated rolling stock last Saturday.

Saturday's weather might have put a damper on the festivities, literally, as there are cars the curators would prefer not venture out in the rain.  A delay of the start of the show, however, took advantage of a break in the rain long enough to marshal and parade the seventy cars.  I set up at the east end of the station platform, where the city car line diverges from the main line.  Thanks to the weather delay, there was still a lot of staging of the cars going on.

I am still putting together the video of the parade itself. Another ferroequinologist was recording west of Spaulding Tower, and captured all of the movements of long trains.

There are many preservation railways that would be delighted to lay on one train of more than one electric car, and here we see four operable wooden L cars, four early steel L cars, three of which are in revenue service, seven latter-day L cars, and the beat goes on ... plus four wood Roarin' Elgin cars, four steel Roarin' Elgin cars, three of which are in revenue service, five North Shore cars, and an Electroliner.  Oh, the city cars and the freight equipment also got in on the action.  Enjoy.

Then find yourself a preservation railway and support it.