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1948 Chicago Railroad Fair
https://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=34268		 Page 1 of 18
Author:  machinehead61 [ Mon Dec 17, 2012 12:34 pm ]
Post subject:  1948 Chicago Railroad Fair
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.

Image

From the September 5, 1948 Chicago Sunday Tribune

Steve
Author:  machinehead61 [ Mon Dec 17, 2012 12:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair
This is part of a centerpage spread that is too big to scan from the Chicago Tribune July 18, 1948.

Image

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


Steve
Author:  machinehead61 [ Mon Dec 17, 2012 1:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair
Image

Not sure how well the details will show up.

Steve
Author:  machinehead61 [ Mon Dec 17, 2012 1:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair
Image

I never heard of Wallace E. Brodeur, Chicago artist. I wonder if this painting of the 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair still exists.
Author:  machinehead61 [ Mon Dec 17, 2012 1:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair
Image

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

Steve
Author:  machinehead61 [ Mon Dec 17, 2012 1:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair
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
Author:  tomgears [ Mon Dec 17, 2012 3:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair
Wow and thank you for sharing.
Author:  machinehead61 [ Mon Dec 17, 2012 3:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair
tomgears wrote:
Wow and thank you for sharing.

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

Much more to come . . .

Steve
Author:  Richard Glueck [ Mon Dec 17, 2012 3:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair
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?
Author:  gbrewer [ Mon Dec 17, 2012 7:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair
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
Author:  Ken Middlebrook [ Mon Dec 17, 2012 7:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair
machinehead61 wrote:
tomgears wrote:
Wow and thank you for sharing.

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

Much more to come . . .

Steve


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

Ken
Author:  machinehead61 [ Mon Dec 17, 2012 8:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair
Ken Middlebrook wrote:
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

Image

Steve
Author:  machinehead61 [ Mon Dec 17, 2012 8:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair
gbrewer wrote:
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
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
Author:  machinehead61 [ Mon Dec 17, 2012 8:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair
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
Author:  Frisco1522 [ Mon Dec 17, 2012 10:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair
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.
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