Illinois Central Photo Album - 1925-1934

(Illinois Central Railroad Photo Album) Suburban engines 1402-1450. A remarkable photo album filled with 50 silver gelatin images of the Chicago Commuter Service steam locomotives on the Illinois Central Railroad before electrification began to phase out their use. Many of the photographs depict the 1401 steam locomotive renumbered 201 for the Chicago World’s Fair in 1933, with images of passengers and train engineers in period dress, alongside period Pullman passenger cars, and the locomotive. Chicago, IL: Office of Mechanical Engineer, Illinois Central Railroad, 1925-1934. 36 silver gelatin photos, backed in linen w/ linen hinges, sized 8 x 10 in., all w/ File Copy stamp on verso, all dated w/in negative, 14 silver gelatin photos, laid-in, on glossy photo paper stock (a couple w/ minor tears at fore-edges, some edgewear). Original black pebbled cloth post-binder, brass screw posts at gutter margin, ink manuscript cloth spine-label, expected minor wear, overall in vg cond. with excellent contrast in all images.

An exceptional locomotive photo album providing an invaluable snapshot of the Suburban line Forney design steam locomotives at the end of the Age of Steam operated by the Illinois Central Railroad. The album begins with the 1402 locomotive which was built by Rogers Locomotive & Machine works in Feb., 1881, # 2691, and initially numbered as 214, but renumbered 1402 in July, 1900 for the Van Buren St. line. It would be eventually sold to Briggs & Turivas in 1928. The album continues with the 2-4-4T Locomotives numbered 1403 the Burnside Line (built by Rogers in 1883), the Blue Island line 1410 (built by Rogers in 1885), along with the 67th Street 1423; South Chicago 1432 2-4-6 Locomotives; 67th Street Special 1436; South Chicago Special 1437; the Kensington Express 1447, and the 67th Street 1450 rebuilt as a 2-6-4T all built by Rogers in 1893, and the entire line was either sold or scrapped from 1926 to 1933. The Forney Locomotives were patented by Matthias Forney between 1861 and 1864, and the Paterson, NJ based Rogers Locomotives built many of them for Chicago surface and elevated commuter lines which required a small, fast locomotive that tracked well and could deal with tight curves. Of special interest are the number of photos devoted to the 1401 Illinois Central RR 2-4-4T Locomotive which was built originally by Rogers in May, 1880, serial no. 2588 as the 213, renumbered finally in July 1900 as the 1401 and then retired in Nov., 1928. It was retained by the ICRR and was preserved for tourist and special runs during the Chicago World’s Fair from 1933-1934, with riders shown in period dress in these photos riding in Pullman cars hitched to the 1401. In early 1934, the locomotive was renumbered as the 201 where it remained until sold to Pete Vonachen in 1965, then Ruben Kaplan in July, 1975. The locomotive was donated to the Illinois Railway Museum in Dec., 2002 where it remains on display in Union, IL. See: Donn Ross, Illinois Central RR, Chicago Commuter Service (2017); Steve Llanso, Illinois Central 2-4-4 Locomotives in the USA; Illinois Central Photographic Roster, RR Picture Archives (2018).