CERA's South Shore Line Inspection Trip

by Phil O'Keefe

South Shore Line Train 507 sits at Randolph Street Station in Chicago awaiting its 10:00am departure to South Bend, Indiana on October 23, 1999.  The last two cars of this four car train were reserved for the Central Electric Railfans' Association (CERA) inspection trip.  The South Shore Line is the Chicago area's only surviving electric interurban railway.

On Saturday, October 23, 1999, the Central Electric Railfans’ Association (CERA) organized an inspection trip on the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad, otherwise known as the South Shore Line. The South Shore Line is the last remaining interurban electric railroad in the Chicago area. It extends over 100 miles from South Bend, Indiana to downtown Chicago.

The railroad extends approximately 100 miles from downtown Chicago along Lake Michigan's south shore to South Bend, Indiana.

Our trip began at 10:00 am when Train 507 left Randolph Street Station in downtown Chicago.  At Michigan City, Indiana, the two CERA cars were uncoupled from the train and the front two cars proceeded to South Bend. Michigan City is the site of the South Shore Line shop complex, storage yard, and general offices.

In Michigan City, the South Shore Line runs down the city streets in true interurban fashion.  Note the three color block signal on the parkway in front of a home. This photograph was taken shortly after the new cars were introduced in the early 1980s.

The Michigan City shop complex is on the east side of town and it is home to the modern interuban car fleet.

The CERA group was given the opportunity to tour the Michigan City shop complex, view cars in various states of repair, and ask railroad officials questions. Although the new stainless steel cars were interesting to look at, I could not help but to imagine what the shop must have looked like thirty years ago filled with the old orange cars and electric locomotives from the 1920’s.

The stainless steel interurban cars are repaired and maintained in the railroad's modern shop facility.  The facility consists of two buildings: "the new shop" and "the new-new shop".  The latter was once an indoor tennis court that was purchased by the railroad and adapted for railcar repair.  CERA visitors were given an extensive tour of both facilities.

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