Electroliner

By Yi -
The Electroliner was an articulated interurban EMU built by the St Louis Car Company in 1941 for the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad. It was smaller than standard mainline railroad equipment in size and was designed to be able to fit within the clearance of the Chicago L and serve downtown stations. It also ran on the streetcar tracks in Milwaukee. The Electroliner shared trucks between cars and ran in 4-car sets. Two sets of the Electroliner were ever built. The Electroliner could reach a top speed of 110 mph but was only permitted to operated at 90 mph, because the streamlined EMU would arrive at a grade crossing faster than the gates could come down.

Electroliner at the Illinois Railway Museum
Electroliner on the Chicago L

Sadly, due to decrease in ridership (with the completion of the interstate freeway system and wider adoption of personal automobiles), the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad, along with the Electroliners ceased operation in 1963. The Electroliners were able to enjoy a few more years of livelihood at the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company, but were eventually withdrawn in 1976. Today, one Electroliner trainset is preserved and restored into operating condition at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL.

Consist of the Electroliner

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