There was still hope for resumption of service as long as the rails were still in place and the cars waited for the next run. During this period I made several trips to the yard and shops at Wheaton to take pictures.
CA&E Headquarters building, July 18, 1961.
CA&E Headquarters building. Note the signal in the foreground. May 11, 1961.
Car 307 at the shop building, December 30, 1960.
Old dispatcher's tower, July 18, 1961.
Old and new dispatcher's towers, May 11, 1961.
Cars awaiting their next run -- never to come. CA&E Wheaton shops, December 30, 1960.
West end of Wheaton shops, May 11, 1961.
Car 300 (Niles 1906) on December 30, 1960
Behind the shop December 30, 1960.
Car 300 was built by Niles in 1906.
September 28, 1958.
Along the north side of the shops, May 12, 1960.
December 30, 1960.
Car 314 was built by Kuhlman in 1909. December 30, 1960.
The newest cars were built by St. Louis in 1946, May 10, 1959.
Car 308 waiting to be removed from the property.
Cincinatti car 429, summer 1962.
St. Louis Car 460, December 30, 1960.
Cincinatti 431, Summer, 1962.
North of shops, the third rails are gone, April 7, 1962.
Saved! Car 303 in fresh paint, Pullman 409 and three other cars await move, April 7, 1962. An EJ&E diesel was doing the switching.
Line car 11.
Well lighted work car.
Snowplow 3 (AE&C 1909)
Wheaton, May 10, 1959.
Motor 2002 on its way after switching the Ovaltine factory, May 20, 1959.
Wheaton, May 10, 1959.
It was a sad sight, and clearly an end to all hope of resumption, when, one day, I found several of the cars had been turned over, doused with gasoline, and burned for scrap metal recovery. February 2, 1962.
June 10, 1962.
Looking across burned out car bodies at other doomed equipment
The scrappers used an EJ&E diesel to do their work. June 10, 1962.
The scrappers were taking up the east bound rails at the Route 53 bridge. June 1962.
Page 1 The 'Ror'n' Elgin as I remember it
Page 2 Wheaton (this page)
Page 3 Along the line (Elmhurst to Elgin after abandonment)
Page 4 Relics of the CA&E (epilogue, links, where are they now, bibliography)
Page 5 Newspaper clippings