Illinois Railway Museum feature

Sloan · **Posted:** Thu Jul 10, 2008 2:37 pm

http://www.lakecountyjournals.com/artic ... 575624.txt

Andy Nold · **Joined:** Tue Dec 14, 2004 5:45 pm **Posts:** 297

Quote:

There are some fabulously unique cars and locomotives housed at the museum. The 1936 Nebraska Zephyr, for one, which is the only remaining Chicago streamlined PCC streetcar. There also is the 1940 E5a type diesel locomotive, “Silver Pilot,” the first GP7 diesel engine, the first Fairbanks Morse locomotive, the oldest surviving street railway car and an 1859 horse car.

Wow, Chicago had a 1936 streamlined PCC called the Nebraska Zephyr? That'd be something to see.

I'm also curious what is the oldest surviving street railway car?

Barbara F. Lanphier · **Joined:** Sun Aug 22, 2004 12:44 pm **Posts:** 25

I suspect the writer left something out of her notes and subsequently the article, since our beautiful Chicago "green hornet" PCC streetcar (St. Louis Car Co.--1948) is the last survivor of its fleet! Our oldest operating Chicago streetcar is the 144, built by Pullman in 1908.

The 1936 Nebraska Zephyr (originally the Twin Cities Zephyr) is still off-site undergoing repairs.

This weekend--July 12 & 13--is our Diesel Days celebration......should be a good visit for anyone who loves diesel power!

Bill Dennehy · **Posted:** Fri Jul 11, 2008 10:51 am

Among the oldest surviving street railway cars would be one at the Como-Harriet Streetcar Line, Minnesota Streetcar Museum, which I believe is from Duluth, MN and dates to the 1890s. Sorry, could not pull up exact car info from their website.

Frank Hicks · **Posted:** Fri Jul 11, 2008 10:12 pm

Andy Nold wrote:

I'm also curious what is the oldest surviving street railway car?

I'm guessing that the author was referring to "West Chicago Street Railway 4" (actually a faux historical restoration of Chicago Union Traction 4022) which is in the IRM collection - it is the oldest electric car at the museum, dating to 1895.

However IRM's horsecar, North Chicago Street Railroad 8, was built by Stephenson in 1859 (it did go through heavy rebuild/restoration c1933). Robert Reich from Seashore would be more of an authority, but when I looked through his list of preserved North American horsecars a few years back, I thought I read that the two oldest cars both dated to 1859 - IRM's and a car preserved in Manhattan, if memory serves. So IRM may arguably have the oldest (or close to the oldest) surviving street railway car - in America, at least.