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Question about the North Shore Electroliners

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  • Member since
    June 2014
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Question about the North Shore Electroliners
Posted by fr8tman on Saturday, December 13, 2014 7:30 AM

How did crews put up the trolley poles when the trains moved from the third rail to the overhead wire territory?  How could they see what they were doing on the interior cars?

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Posted by Buslist on Sunday, December 14, 2014 6:56 PM

fr8tman

How did crews put up the trolley poles when the trains moved from the third rail to the overhead wire territory?  How could they see what they were doing on the interior cars?

 

The diaphragms between the first and second as well as between the third and fourth cars could be folded back and the poles were put up as on the conventional cars.

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Posted by fr8tman on Monday, December 15, 2014 5:43 AM

 

Did they have to stop the trains to do it?

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Posted by Falcon48 on Monday, December 15, 2014 10:29 AM

fr8tman

 

Did they have to stop the trains to do it?

 

No.  I rode the Electroliners many times.  The poles were put up at speed (about 40 mph) when the trolley wire started at East Prairie Avenue (just like the standard cars).  It's not as hard as you might think if the wire is pretty straight that the track is in good condition, both of which were true on the North Shore.  

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Posted by fr8tman on Monday, December 15, 2014 12:32 PM

Thank you!

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Posted by Firelock76 on Monday, December 15, 2014 7:31 PM

Check the "Classic Trains" back-issue section for the "Classic Trains" Summer 2013 issue, there is a fantastic article on the North Shore Line.

As a matter of fact the theme of the whole issue was interurbans.  Quite honestly I wasn't really interested in interurbans but that whole issue captivated me completely, so much so I kept it!  No recycle bin for this one.

Now my life won't be complete until I have an "Electro-Burger" on the Illinois Railroad Museums restored Electroliner, assuming they restore the snack bar car as well!

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Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, December 16, 2014 5:21 AM

Putting up the poles between cars at 40mph was not much fun on a snowy winter day, I assure you!

I think they have or will erstore the grill and will serve
Electroburgers.  And the animal-cracker decoration.

 

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Posted by Buslist on Tuesday, December 16, 2014 8:58 AM

daveklepper

Putting up the poles between cars at 40mph was not much fun on a snowy winter day, I assure you!

I think they have or will erstore the grill and will serve
Electroburgers.  And the animal-cracker decoration.

 

 

 

One problem IRM has with on-board food service is getting county Health Dept. certification for the food preparation area. Might make Electroburgers problematic.

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