Notes: Engine #912 is seen pulling an eastbound freight into Rondout, Illinois (headed geographically southwest) through a snowy landscape. A Center Cab leading a switcher was routine power on trains of this time period.

Notes: This photo shows the EJ&E Swing Bridge over Calumet River at South Chicago, Illinois. USS South Works is seen to the left.

Notes: #305 and #921 head a westbound freight (heading geographically north) at Batavia Road.

Notes: A westbound EJ&E freight runs between Frankfort and Brisbane.

Notes: A westbound EJ&E freight train, headed by #305 and a 900-class engine, and empty westbound GM&O coal unit train, are seen at Matteson, Illinois, while an Illinois Central train arrives on the interchange track.

Notes: Engine #925 hauls westbound freight through Hartsdale Interlocking, between Griffith and Dyer, Indiana.

Notes: Engine #654 on an eastbound freight train passes the caboose of a westbound freight, about one mile west of Brisbane, Illinois.

Notes: Here is Alco #807 heading west across the diamonds at Griffith, with a special train for a high-wide-heavy load. The reason I was there was to photograph an eastbound GTW steam-powered passenger extra, which came along a few minutes later. (Photo below)

Notes: GTW 4-8-4 #6323 heads across the EJ&E diamonds at Griffith doing full speed, with an eastbound passenger extra. Only 18 days later, this engine would end the era of U.S. Class 1 railroad, standard gauge, regular service passenger steam in the Detroit area, on September 20.

Notes: #717 heads geographically northeast with a westbound train, just about two miles from the end of its run at East Joliet Yard. Because of the long curve here, it's crossing Rowell Avenue for the second time.

Notes: Engine #915 prepares to depart eastbound out of East Joliet Yard, as unique switcher #475 waits to resume its duties once the train has pulled out. I think this is the only EJ&E photo I have with railfans in it taking photos.

Notes: This may be the first EJ&E photo I ever took. The EJ&E had a seldom-used industrial track in North Chicago that crossed the Chicago-Milwaukee main line of the North Shore electric interurban. This shot was taken looking north towards Milwaukee as engine #306 crossed the line, protected only by manual "smash-board" gates. Since this location was just north of the North Chicago station where passenger trains rounded a sharp "S" curve, apparently this type of manual interlocking was considered adequate. The electric line only had a little more than a year to go before it was abandoned.

Notes: Engine #603 hauls a westbound freight geographically south over the Grand Calumet river bridge, on the Gary-Griffith main line.

Notes: This shot is the first of a two shot set taken as #418 headed west at State Line Tower near Hammond, Indiana. At that time the EJ&E had a South Chicago via Hammond route which came off EJ&E-owned tracks onto Eire railroad tracks, just east of State Line Tower. The Eire tracks became Chicago & Western Indiana tracks at the Illinois state line. In 1965, to my knowledge, there was only one industry served by the EJ&E west of State Line Tower. In addition to the Eire tracks on which the EJ&E train rolls, the double tracks on the right are the Nickel Plate, and the single track at an angle is the Monon. The cross track in the foreground is the Indiana Harbor Belt, and the cross track in the distance is the Baltimore & Ohio. On the Friday after Thanksgiving in 1957, I had been here when both the Nickel Plate and Baltimore & Ohio had main line freights with steam power.

Notes: This is the second of two shots at State Line Tower. It shows the interior of the 229-lever manual interlocking plant.

Notes: #606 and #603 are seen coming into East Joliet with a westbound train.

Notes: The same train as above enters the South end of East Joliet Yard.

Notes: This series of photos shows a fast-running westbound headed by two 900's and a single unit struggling upgrade with an eastbound, both meeting on the long curve where the line turns geographically east towards Griffith, after heading south out of Joliet.

Notes: An eastbound train approaches the same westbound train shown above.

Notes: A single Center Cab passes the same westbound train shown above, while going eastbound.

Notes: Here #654, 920(?), & 924 head an eastbound train geographically south, over the Burlington Northern (ex-CB&Q) at Eola, Illinois.

Notes: EJ&E #903 hauls an eastbound train at Hartsdale, about two miles west of Griffith. The train is going under the U.S. Route 41 bridge, while going over the double track Pennsylvania RR "Panhandle" line.

Notes: Pink-faced #909 and an unidentified 800-class head south towards Griffith with a westbound freight, about a mile after crossing the Nickel Plate at Van Loon. My understanding about the paint scheme is that when the "orange with black frame and silver trucks" scheme was being developed, someone thought its frontal appearance should be more "special," and the #909 was selected to get this "shocking pink" front end treatment. I think when the higher-ups first saw it, they wanted it re-painted immediately, and I don't think it lasted more than a few days.

Notes: An eastbound EJ&E train with #914 leading, passes the mechanical interlocking at Rock Island Tower. The train has crossed over the Rock Island and is about to cross the New York Central's Joliet branch, as it heads geographically south out of the East Joliet Yard.

Notes: Note the shadow of the bell on the grill. The green cars on the extreme right were the camp cars used to house temporary workers on cross-tie installation gangs. I was in charge of such a gang situated west of Griffith in the late 60's, and my office was in an old troop sleeper heated by a pot-bellied stove. The gang had a kitchen and meal car, in addition to the bunk cars.

Notes: Switcher #475 works the south end of the yard.

Notes: Through deepening shadows, an EJ&E freight with engine #915 heads eastbound across the valley known as "Skunk Hollow" east of Frankfort, Illinois.

Notes: An EJ&E eastbound freight with locomotive #903 is seen bathed in the golden tones of sunset, two miles east of Brisbane (Near New Lennox) Illinois.

Notes: Alco #801 heads along Lake Michigan from USS South Works to USS Gary, with molten slag cars. The rotary dumper in the background was used by a slag operation known as the "Indian Hill and Iron Range." This operation leased a B&OCT 0-8-0 until December, 1958. To my knowledge this was the last regular steam operation in the Chicago area.

Notes: On a dark rainy day, #601 heads a long freight towards Gary on the Lakefront Line, east of Indiana Harbor. The grading going on was for construction of the new direct connection that would go from the EJ&E Eastern Sub main, to the NIPSCO power plant.

Notes: This photo shows #914 coming into Griffith from Gary. At this date, the line to Porter, Indiana was still in service as a double-track junction.

Notes: Here's #903 and another 900 series heading geographically south towards Griffith with a westbound freight. The location is about 2-3 miles out of Kirk Yard in Gary, just south (RR west) of the junction with the Whiting and Hammond branches.

Notes: #921 heads geographically north about one mile north of Normantown, Illinois, along US 30 at the former junction with the Aurora branch.

Notes: This photo shows EJ&E #906 in the new solid orange scheme as it heads geographically south with eastbound freight at Eola, Illinois. This may have been the first 900-class changed from the original colors. The black under-frame really sets off the silver trucks. Note the roller bearings painted red.

Notes: This shot shows three Alco PA's with an westbound Eire-Lackawanna freight, about one mile southeast of Griffith and the EJ&E main.

Notes: This picture was taken from the old Wabash railroad bridge.

Notes: This is a shot of #711 on an eastbound train, headed geographically south on the long curve south of East Joliet Yard. This is where the line turns eastward towards Griffith. Note that the front truck has friction bearings whereas the back truck has roller bearings.

Notes: This shot shows #722 stopped while laying over at Porter, Indiana.

Notes: This photo of one of the two 500-class locos shows #500 pulling a cut of stored cars south (railroad east) out of "A" yard, which was a remnant of the old Joliet coke plant complex, located north of the EJ&E between the Santa Fe and GM&O mainlines. The tracks on the left are the Santa Fe main.

Notes: #717 is seen heading north (railroad east) out of Griffith for Gary, with a loaded coal train. If my memory serves me correctly, the house on the right was owned and maintained by the EJ&E for use by the Griffith track maintenance gang foreman and his family.

Notes: For a time in the late 1960's, #500 and #501 both worked the north (railroad west) end of East Joliet Yard often. This first photo shows #501 in the foreground and #500 in the background.

Notes: This photo shows an eastbound #903 running east of Brisbane and west of Frankfort. Note the radiator fan visible in the front.

Notes: #921 is passing Weber Road and climbing the long westbound grade out of the Des Plaines River Valley, northwest of Joliet.

Notes: #913 is seen bringing a westbound train into East Joliet Yard.

Notes: Here's #912 westbound at Griffith, Indiana. Note the old Griffith Depot to the left of the train. The tower is on the right.

Notes: Here #925 (in the lead) and #912 both bring a westbound freight into the south end of East Joliet Yard. In the background, the interlocking tower at the Rock Island crossing can be seen.

Notes: The same train as above is seen from the opposite side of the bridge. The Maintenance of Way storage yard on the right was known as the Cass Street Quarry, and the building on the right was where the track supervisor's office was at this time.

Notes: Here's #920 heading geographically southwest through Lake Zurich, Illinois (about one block Northeast of the old depot) with an eastbound freight, on a beautiful autumn day.

Notes: Switcher #304 heads for Aurora along US highway 30 at Wolfs, 3.15 miles from the junction with the EJ&E main at Normantown. The weedy track, short train, and totally rural setting without parallel electrical or communication lines, makes the photo the antithesis of what the EJ&E normally represented.

Notes: On the same job as the above photo... Westbound #304 is seen further north on the Aurora Branch, as it crosses over the Fox River. The surprisingly (for Illinois) swift current at this location made the center pier of this bridge a troublesome one to maintain.

Notes: The Aurora Branch stub-ended here, west of the Aurora central business district. After the branch went westward across the Fox River and under the CB&Q (now BNSF) main line, it turned sharply to the northeast to reach the station. This photo looks to the southwest.