Origin (1899–1901) The first known attempt to create an
electric railway between the
metropolis of
Chicago and the
Fox Valley settlement of
Aurora was in late 1891. By this time, passengers in Aurora and
Elgin were served by steam railways. Elgin was served by the
Milwaukee Road, Geneva and West Chicago served by the
Chicago and North Western Railway, St. Charles served by the
Chicago Great Western, and Aurora was served by the
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy (CB&Q). However, it was thought that an electric line would greatly facilitate interurban travel, as there would be no
freight trains to slow passenger trains. A group of investors founded the Chicago & Aurora Interurban Railway with a $1 million investment. However, the railroad was unable to secure additional funds; it failed to meet an 1893 construction deadline and effectively ceased operation thereafter. A second attempt came two years later with the Chicago, Elgin & Aurora Electric Railway. Plans called for the railroad to run through Turner (now
West Chicago),
Wheaton, and
Glen Ellyn. Like its predecessor, the railroad failed to acquire the necessary funds for construction. Yet another group incorporated the DuPage Interurban Electric Railway in 1897, but was met with a similar fate. Small electric lines opened in the 1890s that connected the municipalities of the Fox River Valley. A profitable streetcar railway stretched from Aurora north to
Carpentersville. The success of this railway inspired investors to again attempt an electric connection to Chicago. A group led by F. Mahler, E. W. Moore, Henry A. Everett, Edward Dickinson, and Elmer Barrett formed independent railway lines that were projected to stretch from Aurora and Elgin to Chicago. These two companies were incorporated on February 24, 1899. The Everett-Moore group was
Ohio's largest interurban railroad company and had experience administrating several lines around
Cleveland, most notably the
Lake Shore Electric Railway. These two companies, the Aurora, Wheaton & Chicago Railway and Elgin & Chicago Railway, were incorporated on February 24, 1899. Only one day after their founding, a second group of Cleveland-based investors, led by the Pomeroy-Mandelbaum group, incorporated the Aurora, Wheaton, & Chicago Rail
road Company. Pomeroy-Mandelbaum was the second largest interurban railway company in Ohio and intended to compete against the Everett-Moore group. A meeting between the Everett-Moore syndicate and Pomeroy-Mandelbaum group occurred in either 1900 or 1901 to discuss the future of the two companies. They came to an agreement: Everett-Moore would build and maintain the railways connecting Aurora to Chicago while the Pomeroy-Mandelbaum group would control railways linking cities in the Fox River Valley (eventually consolidating as the
Aurora, Elgin and Fox River Electric Company [AE&FRE]). A third railway, the Batavia & Eastern Railway Company, was incorporated by the Everett-Moore group in 1901 to link the town of
Batavia to the Aurora line. On March 12, 1901, all of the previously incorporated Everett-Moore companies were merged into one, renamed the Aurora, Elgin & Chicago Railway Company (AE&C). Three million dollars' worth of
bonds were issued in 1901 to support track construction.
Construction (1901–1902) Construction commenced on September 18, 1900, when the AE&C started to
grade its
right-of-way. The AE&C received permission to cross existing track lines in February 1902, alleviating one of the largest obstacles in the railway's construction. Construction escalated following the winter months; by April, the
third rail had been completed between Aurora and Wheaton. Later that month, the railway connected to the
Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad at 52nd Avenue (modern day Laramie Avenue) in Chicago. The company operated steam locomotives on completed portions to deliver construction goods to where they were needed. Wheaton was selected as the site of the railroad's headquarters, car barn, and
machine shop. $1.5 million in
preferred stock was issued in April 1902 to cover unexpected costs. AE&C purchased a lot south of Batavia and constructed a
power station to provide electricity. Commercial electric power was not yet available at the time, so the railroad needed to provide its own power for the third rail.
Steam boilers were fed with
coal provided by the
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. On April 11, 1902, they signed a contract with
General Electric to provide electrical generators, transformers, and converters for the powerhouse. The line completed a network of
utility poles through the right-of-way, allowing communication and power exchange between
electrical substations along the track in Aurora,
Warrenville, and
Lombard. A fifth station was built southeast of
Wayne for the Elgin branch. The substations converted the
alternating current in the power lines to a lower-
voltage direct current for use in the third rail. After its completion, the power station also provided power for at least three small trolley lines and several Fox Valley communities. The Cleveland Construction Company was hired to build the line. All three rails were
traditional "T" design rails laid on stone
ballast. Wooden
railroad ties were laid 2,816 ties to the mile and separated at
standard gauge. Every fifth tie was long to support the third rail. The majority of the line was a
double track, with a
single track running from the
Chicago Golf Club to Aurora. Roadbeds for the double track were wide and were surrounded by
woven wire fencing. The third rail was usually placed on the inner sides of the double track, providing safety for residents and employees. The third rail was interrupted at
railroad crossings, where a cable was placed underground to carry the current across the gap. The first inspection trip of the line was held on May 16, 1902. the train departed from 52nd Avenue to Aurora, then traversed the AE&FRE south to
Yorkville then north to
Dundee. AE&C management announced later that evening that they planned on opening the line on July 1. The AE&FRE announced soon afterward that it would offer express transfer service from Fox Valley communities to the AE&C. On May 17, the AE&C tested the powerhouse in Batavia and found several problems with its performance. Heavy rains in June stalled construction and washed out some completed roadbed. The opening date was pushed to July 12, but delays in
rolling stock production further stalled it to August. Poor investments forced the Everett-Moore syndicate to sell its shares in the AE&C in mid-1902. The company had formed a telephone company, but struggled to compete with the
Bell Telephone Company. In addition, one of their construction companies went
bankrupt, spurring a credit crisis in Cleveland. Creditors demanded pay, and the Everett-Moore group sold off several assets, including their shares of the railroad company totaling $200,000. The Pomeroy-Mandelbaum group still held a large share in the company and became leaders in its operation. The
G. C. Kuhlman Car Company was tasked with providing thirty passenger cars but, for unknown reasons, the deal fell through. An order was placed with the
Niles Car and Manufacturing Company in March 1902 for ten cars. Niles Cars were in such high demand that the company was unable to fulfill the full order, but did deliver the AE&C's first six cars on July 29, 1902. The cars were with four motors and wheels. They were described as "miniature
Pullmans" and could seat forty-six or fifty-two passengers. Another twenty cars were ordered from the
John Stephenson Car Company and would arrive after the railway was opened. One final problem for the AE&C was finding enough qualified
motormen to run the trains. The company found none in the immediate area and had to recruit sixteen men from
Dayton, Ohio. Another inspection tour occurred on August 4, from Wheaton to 52nd Avenue. A Niles Car was pulled by a steam locomotive along the track to ensure that none of the curves were too sharp for the intended rolling stock. Original plans called for the third rail to guide the car, but the company experienced many electrical problems along its power lines. By the time the third rail was functioning properly, two hundred and fifty utility poles had burned to the ground due to faulty
insulators. A final inspection took place on August 21 from Wheaton to Elmhurst. Although problems with the utility poles were noted, the inspection was otherwise considered a success. For the next three days, engineers tested the line from Aurora to Wheaton so that they would have a familiarity with the track.
Early service Despite a malfunctioning power system, a group of nearly-untrained motormen, and only six pieces of operational rolling stock, the Aurora branch of the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad opened on August 25, 1902. Fares were 25 cents one-way and 45 cents round-trip. Passengers who wanted to enter
The Loop had to transfer to the Metropolitan West Side Elevated at 52nd Avenue for an additional five cents. Service began at 5:33 am and concluded at 11:33 pm, with trains running every thirty minutes. Terminals were opened to the public at 52nd Avenue, Austin Avenue (in Chicago),
Oak Park, Harlem Avenue (in
Forest Park),
Maywood,
Bellwood, Wolf Road (in
Hillside), South
Elmhurst, Secker Road (in
Villa Park),
Lombard, Glen Ellyn, College Avenue (in Wheaton), Wheaton, Gary Road (in Wheaton), Chicago Golf Grounds, Warrenville, Ferry Road (in Warrenville), Eola Junction (in Aurora), and Aurora. A one-way trip from Aurora to Chicago was seventy-five minutes. The final four cars from the Niles Car Company arrived on September 5 and were put into service seven days later. The original train schedules posted at stations showed service on the Batavia branch. However, actual service did not begin until the last week of September 1902. The Batavia branch met the Aurora branch at Eola Junction. Even when opened, the Batavia branch experienced little traffic and may have been primarily used as convenient transport for railroad officials to the Batavia powerhouse. The AE&C issued promotional leaflets to citizens of Fox Valley cities and towns. They also sent these pamphlets to settlements west of Aurora, hoping that people would take a steam train to Aurora and then transfer to the electric line. They boasted that the AE&C was the "finest electric railroad in the world." By the end of the year, the AE&C was seeing monthly earnings in excess of $16,500. In addition, the nearby Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad had a dramatic decrease of passengers between Aurora and Chicago. The twenty cars from Stephenson arrived in December 1902. Fifteen cars were equipped with motors (even numbers 30–58) and five did not (odd numbers 101–109); these latter five cars were intended to only be used as trailing cars. Trailing cars would often be added or removed at Wheaton depending on the number of passengers. The Stephenson cars were almost identical in every respect to the Niles cars. These new cars reduced the travel time between Aurora and Chicago to one hour. The new cars also allowed the railroad to operate at faster speeds—one run from 52nd Avenue to Aurora averaged . Service to Elgin began on May 29, 1903. The branch split off from the main line at Wheaton, and allowed trains from Chicago to reach the Fox Valley city in sixty-five minutes. When opened, the AE&C was able to change its schedules to allow trains to leave 52nd Avenue every fifteen minutes, alternating between Aurora and Elgin. All trains at this point ran locally, stopping at every station. The AE&C briefly considered expanding to
Mendota in late 1903, but determined that it was not worth the financial risk. Though cars primarily carried passengers, some early morning cars carried light freight. Notably, the AE&C reached a deal with the
Chicago Record Herald in October 1903 to distribute the paper to the suburbs along the line. On December 1, 1909, the railroad added a branch from near Wheaton to Geneva. This was extended to St Charles August 25, 1910. Most of the interurban's lines used a
third rail for power collection, which was relatively unusual for interurban railroads. While third rail had become the standard for urban
elevated railroad and subway systems, most interurban railroads used
trolley poles to pick up power from
overhead wire; the AE&C only used trolley wire where necessary, such as in the few locations where the interurban had
street running. Originally, the railroad's Chicago terminus was the 52nd Avenue station that it shared with the
Garfield Park elevated railroad line of the
Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad, and where passengers transferred between interurban and elevated trains. Beginning on March 11, 1905, the interurban began operating over the Metropolitan's "L" tracks, allowing AE&C trains to directly serve downtown Chicago. At the same time, the Metropolitan's Garfield Park service was extended west of 52nd Avenue, replacing the AE&C as the provider of local service over the interurban's surface-level trackage as far west as Desplaines Avenue in
Forest Park. The interurban's trains terminated at the stub-ended
Wells Street Terminal, adjacent to
the Loop elevated. The interurban continued to use the "L" tracks through the years of
Chicago Rapid Transit Company (CRT) ownership and into the
Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) era. ==The Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad==