My Dad was born and raised in Chicago and turned into a railfan at an early age. Born in 1928, he was 20 years old when the Chicago Railroad Fair opened and with camera in hand he attended the fair.

When he died in 2002 in St. Charles IL., I had to empty out his house which was a formidable task since he was the supreme packrat. He threw nothing away. The basement was almost unusable except for a narrow path, due to piles of stuff everywhere. As I proceeded on my archeological dig through the basement I found this old vanilla envelope tucked inside a filing cabinet. The envelope was obviously old and stuffed full of papers. When I opened it up, inside I discoverd about 60 souvenir pamphlets, postcards and booklets from the 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair.

I don't know where else to share these where they would be appreciated so if it's ok, I can scan them and post them here.



From the September 5, 1948 Chicago Sunday Tribune

Steve

This is part of a centerpage spread that is too big to scan from the Chicago Tribune July 18, 1948.



I'll scan and post the other 3 quarters of this centerspread.


Steve

Not sure how well the details will show up.

Steve

I never heard of Wallace E. Brodeur, Chicago artist. I wonder if this painting of the 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair still exists.

I intend to photograph this centerspread in its entirety once I get my 16 mp camera setup.

Steve

I also have dozens of slide photos from the fair that my father took. I can scan those and post them. They've never been published before along with many other train photos he took around Chicago during this time period.

I'll call it the Rod O'Connor Railroad Photography Collection :)

I also have a couple railroad souvenirs from the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago. I can scan those also.

Steve

Wow and thank you for sharing.

That is what makes it worth while. You're very welcome.

Much more to come . . .

Steve

I suppose the day for celebrating railroad technology as a public festival has come and gone - unless, an agreement could be drawn between a host location and the biggest and best operable steam and Diesel owners and manufacturers to set up something like a World's Fair, planned several years in advance. Would the general public find it interesting, exciting, entertaining?

Steve,

Thank you for posting -- I look forward to seeing some of the slides.

I was there (probably in 1949) although I don't remember very much.

Glen Brewer
RailroadGloryDays.com

I am interested in any pictures of AT&SF 0-4-0 Little Buttercup.

Ken

I will see what I can find.

This is from a website:

http://www.railarchive.net/rrfair/rrfair4913.htm



Steve

You are very welcome. My Dad took many slides of the displays and I'll scan them after Christmas.

Did you live in Chicago at the time?

Steve

This video is pretty nice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkIm9yOt9nU

And a time piece:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh5e18uXG7A

In this second video about the 25:15 mark is the Buttercup locomotive running past.


Steve

I went there with my parents in both '48 and '49. Dad was an engineer on the Frisco and it was kind of a busman's holiday. I was 8 and 9 and had a ball.
Please do post your slides.