CA&E Ardmore Station, Villa Park, Illinois

One of my favorite stations. Now used by the Chamber of Commerce in Villa Park for offices. The new Metra Station in Elburn Illinois seems inspired too me by this structure.

M&StL at Grinnll, Iowa

Lyndon "Cash" Groth has a nice webpage devoted to the Minneapolis & St. Louis, Iowa Central, and the Chicago & Northwestern railroads.

You'll find some nice pictures of the joint M&StL and Rock Island Depot in Grinnell, Iowa.

I whiled away the hours at this Depot while a student at Grinnell College in the early 70s.

The old M&StL tracks cut right through the middle of campus. When I was a student the C&NW had taken over the M&StL but there were still three or four trains a day.

Now it's the Union Pacific but the traffic seems to be steady based on this article on Students and Trains.

At Grinnell College, trains have been a part of campus life since the school's 1846 founding.

Cargo trains pass through campus, running north and south, two or three times each day, said Dann Hayes, director of media relations. There is another line that runs east to west through the town of Grinnell.

"Because of that, cross trains have to go extra slow, which is a bonus for us," Hayes said.

The trains blast their horns at least two intersections before arriving on campus, giving plenty of warning. To further ensure student safety, procedures to deal with train collisions have been outlined in handbooks that will be distributed in every classroom, office and at every telephone at the school, Hayes said.

"For the most part, I think it's just common sense."

Wayne's Dunham Depot

From the Daily Herald of September 25, 2005 about preservation efforts for an old train station.

Train depots have plenty of history in Wayne. Karen Armbrust said the first one, known as Dunham Depot, was built in 1850 when one of the village’s founding fathers, Solomon Dunham, wanted a rail line closer to the land he owned.

The newer, bigger depot that the village is now trying to restore into the museum was built in 1884 and eventually boarded up after the last stops in 1950. A few years later, Karen said, it was moved to the Dunham Castle property by family member Jane Dunham.

Anyone interested in getting involved or seeking more information about the museum project can contact the village at (630) 584-3090.

The picture is not on the link but it's a spitting image of the old Revell Small Town station.

GACX Express Reefer HO kits

Steve Sandifer compares Walthers and Broadway Limited cars in a link I found posted on yahoo's passenger car list.

Elburn's Metra Station a look alike for CA&E's Ardmore Station

Elburn's Mayor Willey's blogsite has a drawing of Elburn's new Metra Station. It looks like the Metra folks were inspired by the Chicago Aurora & Elgin's Ardmore station in Villa Park.

Of people, rails, and places

Here's a blog by a fellow who enjoys Russian trains: Of people, rails, and places. Problem is he writes in Russian. No matter, I look at the pictures.

Fox River Trolly Museum

Below are some pictures taken today at the Fox River Trolly Museum. Hard to believe it's forty years old now, and that I remember visting when I was just a kid. I have a picture taken then of CA&E Car 20 I'll dig out and post. Afterwords I'm sure we went to Morris's for Bar-B-Que.

Sad_South_Shore_Car 

CTA_Interior 

CTA_Car 

CTA_Articulated 

CAE_Car20_Front_View 

CAE_Sign 

Branchline's Railway Express Agency Reefer

Branchline has some pictures up of their soon to be released model of an REA Reefer. I didn't realize the green/silver scheme was the 'as delivered' scheme. It didn't hold up well and the cars soon repainted the standard REA solid green.

Russian Model Railroading

You'll need a cyrillac character font on your browser for these to download correctly. I can't read Russian but like to fiddle around in the link looking at the models. The Russian Railway ring has an option to switch to English.

http://railroad.mnc.ru/
Russian Railway Ring

And then check this site in Polish. I can't read a thing but gaze at the pics.

Layout ideas: Elgin, Illinois industrial circle

Paul Behrens's book Steam Trains to Geneva Lake: C&NW's Elgin - Williams Bay Branch contains wonderful maps of this branch line including one on page 89 of the complete circle in downtown Elgin that served a number of factories and businesses.

It's really an oval with dimensions of two by three city blocks and traversed a small branch of the fox river with two bridges. It's a perfect concept for the traditional model railroad oval on 4 x 8 sheet. The line from West Chicago to Lake Geneva would be one side of the oval and the brick Elgin station sat just east of the oval.

It looks like Elgin's Hemmens Auditorium and new Library occupy most of this site but I'll try and get down there with a digital camera. I'll also check the Elgin Historical society for any photos or plans they might share.

Last train ran on this line in the late 1980s so this layout could cover a number of eras.

Elgin Joliet & Eastern

Found this site devoted to the EJ&E.

Wheaton Train Show - April 10, 2005

Wheaton continues to diminish in number of vendors with today having the smallest showing I've seen.

-The European Train Enthusiast had their module layout operating in the main building.

-Edward Golding of Goldinhands cradle , (847) 727-0857, displayed cradles for holding models while you work on them. They're adjustable and one version has two metal leads to hook to a powerpack so you can run the model for testing. These cradles are nicely finished in oak (I think) and look awfully nice.

-Saw some copies of Dale Jenkins's The Illinois Terminal Railroad. Excellent maps throughout the book. Copies were going for $55.

-Lombard hobbies had a big table with excellent deals on popular locomotives. I'd link their website but it's down. I don't think Lombard's keen on sales over the internet, so maybe they've let the site slide.

-I bought two pairs of car sides from NKP Car Company. An ex Pere Marquette Budd coach for the Chicago and Eastern Illinois (C&EI), and C&EI Pullman Standard coach. Also bought a set of Train Station Products core kits. Model Railroader recently ran a series on constructing these types of models. I need to get a hold of someone at the C&EI society to get the colors straight for these.

-Rib Side Cars told me they have plans to produce a 50' vesrion of the Milwaukee's rib sided box car once sales of the 40' version justify production. The mold they're using is expandable so it's just a question of selling enough box cars.

Noticed a guy using a walkie-talkie to discuss prices with someone else wandering the show. He would give him buy orders almost like the board-of-trade.

Overheard one vendor talk about the ongoing decline in patrons but saying the annual and semi-annual shows in Rockford, Appleton, or Madison continue to get big turn-outs. At seven bucks entrance for the show now, I think twice about going.

My other blog and number one daugter's drawing of a steam loco

I have another blog where I rant and yak on politics and current events, but I posted a pic there of number one daughter's xmas present to me: a nice drawing of a steam loco.

A letter from Margaret J. Ters, Editorial Secretary, Model Railroader magazine

MRLetter


A letter from Margaret J. Ters at Model Railroader dated April 4, 1967 in response to a question I wrote MR regarding career opportunities in the Model Railroading field. My parents so impressed by her response they sealed the letter in plastic with card stock backing. It hangs in my office today. Here's what Ms. Ters wrote back:

April 4, 1967

Mr. Bill Baar
1047 S. Clinton
Oak Park, Ill 60304

Yours is an interesting question, Bill...
for a fellow
your age.

As far as I know, the fellows working here were never exactly groomed for careers in the model railroading field. The Art Department became skilled in their line of work, and those with a special desire to work with railroad art found just what they wanted here.

The editors, of course, were skilled in the handling of words, and they could have succeeded anywhere. It happens, however, that some of them are more interested in railroading, and thoroughly enjoy their jobs. The man who succeeds in doing the work he would rather do than anything else is lucky indeed. So many people work at jobs which either bring good salaries, jobs which may be convenient to their homes, or jobs which they may hold for any number of reasons other than that they really enjoy them.

If you think you may have an aptitude toward writing, you might wish to do an article some day on your own railroad pike. If you are lucky enough to have it published, you might be on the way to becoming a "career model railroader", creating a job for yourself in that field --or if you have money-- you might want to start a hobby shop some day.

This all sounds like dreams stuff, Bill, but hope it does some good.

Sincerley,
Margaret J. Ters
Editorial Secretary

So when a a 13 year old kid asks you a big question, consider your response as it will hang in their office for the next 40 years. Ms. Ters gave a thoughtful, wise, and kind response to me. God bless her.