Our Next Program
Friday May 23, 2008 7:00 p.m.
A Century of Service on America's Last Interurban:
The South Shore Line
by William Shapotkin
Who would have known that a local streetcar line in East Chicago, IN, would become the country’s last existing interurban. Bill will take us for a journey on “The Little Train that could (and still does)” through the streets of South Bend, Michigan City, and East Chicago, before arriving in Chicago. He will also show the South Shore’s freight service, two streetcar operations, and interurban passenger equipment. Bill will also discuss the interurban’s plans for the future.
Electric Rail Highlights will follow the program.
Persons with electric rail photography or announcements are encouraged to participate. CERA volunteers can assist with presentations. Please send your digital images in advance to Tony Coppoletta at tony@elevatedconsulting.com.
The meeting starts at 1900 hours (7:00 pm). Doors open at 1800 hours (6:00 pm). This program will be held at University Center, The Lake Room, 525 S. State St., 2nd floor. Click here for a map of 525 S. State St.
June 2008 at CERA
Our next regularly scheduled membership meeting will be held on Friday, 27 June 2008, at 1900 Hours (7:00 p.m.), at University Center, 525 S. State Street, in the 2nd floor conference center. The June program, "Chicago Streetcar Memories" by Jeff Wien and Bradley Criss, presents the memories of 8 Chicagoans in addition to historic Chicago streetcar photographs and film footage in a manner similiar to WTTW's Remembering Chicago series.
For a complete calendar of events of other railroad enthusiast organizations in the extended Chicago metropolitan area, please go to http://www.railcc.org/Events.html.
July 2008 at CERA
A special July CERA event is planned for Thursday, 10 July 2008, at 1215 Hours (12:15 p.m.) at the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph, in the 2nd floor Claudia Cassidy Auditorium. This July program, presented by Tony Coppoletta and Graham Garfield, is titled “The Mysterious Phantom ‘L’ Lines of Chicago.”
Update Your Address Books
CERA's Email Addresses Change
CERA has new email addresses. The addresses are now hosted at our domain.
If you have a question regarding a book order, the email address is books@cera-chicago.net.
If you have a general information question regarding CERA, the email address is info@cera-chicago.net.
Please remember that as a volunteer organization, email is generally only checked once a week on Tuesdays.
CERA Profiles
In recognition of CERA's 70th Anniversary, we have launched a new section in the About CERA area. Starting this month, we will be publishing profiles and photos of the "founding fathers" and other members who have given their time and talents to make CERA a continuing and successful organization.
For our inaugural profile, Art Peterson provides a profile of one of the founding CERA members, George Krambles (Membership #1):
Talented, a quick study, hard-working, and generous – these were just a few of the attributes of CERA founder George Krambles. They were the characteristics that made him a leader throughout his life and led to his success in professional and recreational endeavors alike.
Without “GK” as he was known to family, friends and colleagues, CERA would still have existed, but certainly the quality and quantity of its bulletins, the content of its meetings and the extent of its fantrips would probably have been quite different. He was able to strike the right balance between professional and hobby activities, knowing when there was a railroad (or surface system) that needed to be run and when it was appropriate to “play train.” His appreciation of history was a distinct benefit to CTA and CERA (along with many other railfan organizations in which he was an active participant/director). Read more...
If you would like to write or suggest a profile of a previous or current member, please contact the webmaster at cera-chicago.org.
Also be sure to take a look at a photograph of the CERA Board from 1942.
Latest Addition to Digital Archive
Bulletin #84: Gary Railways
by James J. Buckley
“The purpose of this bulletin is to tell the complete story of the Gary Railways, Inc., from its beginning in 1908 to the cessation of streetcar service in 1947. Every effort has been made to make this story as complete and accurate as possible.” read more and download PDF...
Our Latest Books
Pig & Whistle: The Story of the Philadelphia & Western Railway
by Ronald DeGraw
The men who founded the Philadelphia & Western dreamed of completing a coast-to-coast railroad network, with the P&W serving as the eastern link into Philadelphia and New York City. This idea failed, but the little railroad which served a collection of Philadelphia -area communities managed to thrive and become an electric railway success story. Three decades after its conception, the company placed into service some of the most revolutionary railway cars ever built, the famous high speed "Bullets." read more about this fine book...
The Shoreline Electric Railway Company by O.R. Cummings
One of the nation’s more unprofitable traction companies during the otherwise prosperous 1910-1924 period was Connecticut’s Shore Line Electric Railway. At its height from mid-1916 until mid-1919, the Shore Line Electric Railway operated a nearly 230-mile system that included almost 17 miles of main track in the adjacent state of Rhode Island.
Unable to withstand competition from paralleling steam railroads and the private automobile, resulted in the abandonment of various lines beginning in 1920 with all operations ending in 1924. Read more about this fine book...
The Chicago “L” by Greg Borzo.
Published by Arcadia Publishing and available at a special retail price through the CERA site, discover the world famous Chicago “L” in all its grit and glory. The thundering “L” is one of Chicago's most enduring icons. Operating 24/7 since 1892, it is not only an antique but a working antique. More than 10 billion people have ridden the “L,” which now carries half a million people a day over 222 miles of track. The heavy, rumbling “L” has a light side too. It is sought out by tourists, featured in major motion pictures, enjoyed by wide eyed kids, photographed by admirers, and studied by historians. Read more about this fine book...
Our Next Trip
There are currently no trips planned. Watch for upcoming trips.
Photos for the August 2006 Trip to Toronto are now online
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