Chicago's Celebrated Stations and Trains
Chicago's Celebrated Stations and Trains
ITEM E556
By John Kelly
No other American city had such a fascinating group of passenger train stations as Chicago, Illinois. John Kelly’s new Chicago’s Celebrated Stations and Trains highlights the architectural styles of the six major Chicago railroad stations, the men who designed them, and the trains that served them. The book is illustrated with vibrant color and black-and-white images from the 1920s to 1970s of Dearborn Station, Grand Central Station, Central Station, La Salle Street Station, Chicago & North Western Station, and Chicago Union Station. Steam- and diesel-powered streamlined passenger trains are shown arriving and departing the stations. Train ephemera, travel brochures, postcards, and detail maps of the six Chicago stations are included.
The book also features three interurban lines that extended north, west, and southeast from Chicago. They were Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad; Chicago, Aurora & Elgin Railroad; and Chicago, South Shore & South Bend Railroad. Chicago was the “Crossroads of the Nation,” and its six magnificent stations were the gates to everywhere aboard trains with glorious names such as the 20th Century Limited, Broadway Limited, Capitol Limited, California Zephyr, City of New Orleans, Golden State, Hiawatha, Super Chief, and 400.
Sftbd., 8.5"x11"; 108 pgs., Color and B&W photos
In his 1914 poem, Chicago, Carl Sandberg called the metropolis the “Player with Railroads and the Nation’s Freight Handler; Stormy, husky, brawling, City of the Big Shoulders.” John Kelly’s visually engaging new book presents the Player with Railroads through an informative look at its six train stations and the legendary trains that served them. It offers a comprehensive collection of black-and-white and color images of the stations, railroad rolling stock and timetables, postcards, promotional materials, and content-rich captions and text. Chapter 1 covers the Dearborn Station, 1885–1971, and the Santa Fe. Chapter 2 features the Grand Central Station, 1890–1969, and the Baltimore and Ohio. Chapter 3 looks at the Central Station, 1893–1972, and the Illinois Central. Chapter 4 surveys the La Salle Street Station, 1903–1981, and the New York Central and Rock Island. Chapter 5 addresses the Chicago & Northwestern Station, 1911 to today, and the Chicago & Northwestern and Union Pacific. Chapter 6 deals with the Chicago Union Station, 1925 to today, and the Pennsylvania; Milwaukee Road; Burlington; Gulf, Mobile, & Ohio; and Chicago & Alton. Chicago Suburban Trains and Electric Interurbans are featured in Chapter 7. The book closes with a brief look at Chicago’s railroads in the 21st century.
Book Review by Robert Gabrick
