| Electroliner | |
|---|---|
Passengers boarding the restored Electroliner at IRM. |
|
| In service | 1941–1976 |
| Manufacturer | St. Louis Car Company |
| Constructed | 1941 |
| Entered service | 1941 |
| Refurbishment | 1963 |
| Number built | 2 |
| Number in service | 2 |
| Number preserved | 2 |
| Fleet numbers | 801–802, 803–804 |
| Specifications | |
| Train length | 155 feet 4 inches (47.35 m)[1] |
| Height | 12 feet 7 inches (3.84 m)[1] |
| Weight | 214,000 pounds (97,000 kg)[1] |
| Electric system(s) | 650v DC |
| Current collection method | trolley pole, third rail |
| Bogies | Jacobs bogies |
| Multiple working | No |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Standard gauge |
The Electroliners were a pair of electric passenger train sets operated by the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad, which ran between Chicago, Illinois, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. These streamlined electric multiple unit interurban trains were built by St. Louis Car Company in 1941. Each train set carried two numbers, 801-802 and 803-804.
Contents |
Each trainset is made up of four sections: two end units and two center units. The sections are united with Jacobs bogies. Each end unit is divided at the side doors into a Luxury Coach, which seats 30, and a Smoking Coach section, which seats 10 and also has a restroom. Each door had steps and a trap door for boarding from street level, low-level and high-level platforms. One center unit is a coach unit that seats 40, and the other center unit is a Tavern Lounge which seats 26.
The Electroliners were cleverly designed to operate with the high platforms, sharp curves, and narrow clearances of the Chicago Loop and the Chicago 'L', to run at speeds of 80 miles per hour (130 km/h) or more on the North Shore's main line, and to make their way up Milwaukee city streets to the North Shore Milwaukee Terminal in downtown Milwaukee. The Electroliners' styling resembled that of the Pioneer Zephyr and influenced the styling of future electric trainsets, notably the Odakyū 3000 series SE Romance Cars. Although they were streamlined, the Electroliners were not permitted to run faster than the conventional equipment operated by the North Shore Line. When the Electroliners were first received in 1941, during one test run the traction motors were allowed full field shunt to determine absolute maximum speed. The Electroliner reached just over 110 mph (180 km/h), and North Shore personnel noted that at that speed, the train would reach highway crossings before the crossing gates could fully close, a dangerous situation. Thereafter, the Electroliners were limited to 90 mph (140 km/h).[2]
After the North Shore Line ceased operations in January 1963, the Electroliners were sold to the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company, then known as the Red Arrow Lines, and the two trainsets were renamed Liberty Liners. The trolley poles and steps were removed, new doors were added in the center coach sections, and updated third-rail contact shoes were installed in order to operate on the Norristown High Speed Line, which exclusively uses third rail and high-level platform stations between Upper Darby, Pennsylvania and Norristown. Electroliner 801-802 became Liberty Liner "Valley Forge", while 803-804 became "Independence Hall". The Liberty Liners were retired around 1976.
Electroliner 801-802 has been preserved and was restored to its early 1960s operating condition at the Illinois Railway Museum (IRM) in Union, Illinois.[3][4]
Former Electroliner 803-804, Liberty Liner "Independence Hall" is preserved at the Rockhill Trolley Museum in Orbisonia, Pennsylvania.
Model railroad company Con-Cor initially planned on releasing an HO scale Electroliner train set in 2003/2004, but cancelled the project due to lack of interest,[5] and produced a Pioneer Zephyr set instead. In 2007, the company announced that the project was being resumed; its model was released in mid-2009.[6] The trainset has been produced in brass in HO Scale by several companies. MTH Electric Trains announced the release of an O scale Electroliner in 2007.[7]
