C.A.E. Rail: Chicago, Aurora, Elgin Railroad

Main Street Station

On this site, in 1902, the Lombard Main Street Station of the Aurora, Elgin and Chicago Railway was constructed. It was a brick building with a canopy that covered the eastbound platform.  This was a rare feature since most stations only provided passengers with a shelter or waiting room.  On the south side of the tracks, a freight spur led to the Hammerschmidt Oil Company.

Located about 20 miles from the Wells Street Terminal in Chicago, all trains stopped here except the important limiteds such as the Cannonball.  For most limiteds, this was the first stop beyond Maywood.  In the 1940’s a mid-day limited was scheduled to cover the 20 miles from Chicago to Lombard in 38 minutes.

The Main Street Station also housed one of the railroad’s first electrical substations which powered the third rail.  A small sign warned, “Danger – Electric Current – Keep Off Tracks.”  The live electric third rail was a constant worry to residents.  Day and night, trains would sound warnings in “railroad language” of two long and two short piercing whistles.  Many residents complained of the annoyance.  In 1906, Lombard began to purchase electric current from the substation for street lamps and commercial use.  In 1907, the power was made available for home lighting customers.

Previously, in 1899, authorization had been granted to lay, operate, and maintain a double track railway through Lombard for fifty years.  The local rate of fare within Lombard was set at a maximum of five cents.

Construction on the “mile-a-minute” railway began in September 1900 and was finished by mid-1902.  Service started on August 25, 1902, with all trains operating as locals between Aurora and 52nd Avenue in Chicago, which later became Laramie Avenue.  From there it ran on the Chicago Rapid Transit tracks to the Loop.

As open prairie evolved into suburban landscapes, stations were added and the schedules were altered.  The line began to shift from the revolutionary high-speed interurban that it was when it first opened to a commuter railroad.  

Stewart Avenue Station

The Aurora, Elgin and Chicago Railway was established in 1901 (also known as Aurora, Elgin and Chicago Railroad [1919]; later as Chicago, Aurora and Elgin Railroad Company [1922]; then as Chicago, Aurora and Elgin Railway [1946]).

In use since 1902, when the railway began service, the Stewart Avenue Station, located on this site, was a relatively unimportant stop served only by local trains.  Located in a residential neighborhood, it was a small wooden structure with no ticket office.

The Aurora, Elgin and Chicago Railway was a revolutionary, super interurban railway.  It had better tracks, more powerful cars, and faster speeds than any previous interurban railway.  It was somewhat unique and experimental as the nation’s first high-speed interurban line.  The AE&C was considered the single most progressive and innovative interurban railway in the history of the industry when it open in 1902.

The railway used a third rail to carry its power.  The power distribution system for the electrified third rail included high voltage alternating current (AC) from the powerhouse to the substations and low voltage direct current (DC) to the cars.  Commonly called “The Third Rail,” it linked Lombard, which was essentially a rural community, with the cultural offerings of Chicago.

Westmore Station

The Aurora, Elgin and Chicago Railway was established in 1901 (also known as Aurora, Elgin and Chicago Railroad [1919]; later as Chicago, Aurora and Elgin Railroad Company [1922]; then as Chicago, Aurora and Elgin Railway [1946]).

This is the location of the Westmore Station.  When the Aurora, Elgin and Chicago Railway opened for business, in 1902, this flag stop was little more than a short platform in a rural wilderness.  Around 1910, a real estate company, Home Acres, was set up by E.A. Cummings and Company of Chicago to sell lots south of the tracks.  The prospect of rapid transit to Chicago was a factor for home buyers.

A wooden station was built during the 1930’s when Lombard’s population spread to the area.  It was constructed along the Chicago bound tracks.  There was no ticket agent.  However, Alfred Ciha, who owned the hardware store just south of the tracks on the west side of Meyers Road, was an authorized ticket agent for Westmore passengers.

West of the station were sidings to store rush-hour train sets.  The side tracks were long enough to hold an entire train, if needed.  A morning express originated here, picking up the first passengers at seven o’clock in the morning.  The train cars for express arrived from Wheaton at 6:45 and waited on the siding until departure time.

In 1902, the Aurora, Elgin and Chicago Railway was the first true high-speed interurban to be built.  It had the most powerful cars in existence and scheduled “mile-a-minute" trains over most of its tracks for more than five decades.  It originally operated some milk or newspaper trains.  An occasional parlor car would run an express service.  The railroad evolved into a commuter line connecting Chicago’s Loop with the DuPage County suburbs and the Fox River Valley communities.  It also had some carload freight business.  Since the evening train headed west into the sun, the Aurora, Elgin and Chicago was nicknamed “The Sunset Line.”  After 55 years of service, the railway ended passenger operations in 1957, and the abandoned track bed became part of the Illinois Prairie Path in 1965.