Trolley Pageant at the Illinois Railway Museum, July 6, 2013

The Illinois Railway Museum's annual Trolley Pageant is a chance for the museum to showcase their extensive collection of electric railroad equipment. Since this year marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the museum, the volunteers at the museum wanted this year's pageant to be spectacular. So I drove out to Union, Illinois, and set up my camera on the balcony of the museum's Spaulding Tower to film the day's main event.

We start off with a shot of the museum's Nebraska Zephyr as it returns to the East Union depot after the last mainline run before the parade. Then, with the mainline clear, the trolleys begin to line up for the parade.

This year's participants in the Trolley Pageant included...

Chicago & West Towns #141 (McGuire-Cummings Mfg. Company, 1924).

Illinois Terminal #415 (St. Louis Car Company. 1924).

Indiana Railroad #65 (Pullman/Pullman-Standard, 1931).

Chicago Surface Lines #3142 (Brill Company, 1923).

Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar #4391 (St. Louis Car Company, 1948).

Chicago Surface Lines #144 (Pullman/Pullman-Standard, 1908).

Chicago Surface Lines #1374 (St. Louis Car Company, 1906).

Sand Springs Railway #68 (Cincinnati Car Company, 1918).

Veracruz (Cooperativa de Transportes Urbanos y Sub-Urbanos) open streetcar #19.

Chicago Aurora & Elgin steel interurbans #409, #431 (Cincinnati Car Company, 1927), #460.

Chicago Aurora & Elgin wood interurbans #309 (Hicks, 1908), #36, #308 (Niles, 1906), and #319.

Chicago Rapid Transit motor car #1797 (American Car & Foundry, 1907) and control trailer #1268 (American Car & Foundry, 1907). Both were originally built as control trailers, 1797 was converted to a motor car and had its interior modernized sometime in the 1930's.

Chicago Transit Authority 4000-series cars #4290, #4412, and #4410 (all three Cincinnati Car Company, 1922).

Chicago Transit Authority 2000-series cars #2154 and #2153 (both Pullman-Standard, 1964).

Chicago Transit Authority 6000-series cars (St. Louis Car Company, 1959).

Commonwealth Edison steeplecab #4 (Alco/GE, 1911) pulling a pair of NYC "redbirds".

Wisconsin Electric Power steeplecab L7 (TMER&L, 1931).

Cornwall Street Railway & Light Company #14 (Baldwin/Westinghouse, 1929) and Charles City Western #300 (McGuire-Cummings, 1915).

Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee freight motor #229 (Cincinnati Car Company, 1922) pulling Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee line car #604 (Chicago & Milwaukee Electric, 1914).

Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee interurbans #749 (Pullman/Pullman-Standard, 1928), #714 (Cincinnati Car Company, 1926), #160 (Brill, 1915), #757 (Standard Steel Car Company, 1930), #251 (Jewett Car Company, 1917).

Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company electric side-dump car D13 (Differential Car Company, 1920) pulling an unrestored side-dump car.

Village of East Troy Wisconsin freight motor M15 (TMER&L, 1920).

Wisconsin Electric Power Company steeplecab L4 (TMER&L, 1920) pulling an unknown express trailer, Chicago South Shore & South Bend #504 (St. Louis Car Company, 1925), and Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee #213 (Cincinnati Car Company, 1919).

Illinois Terminal Railroad boxcab #1565 (Illinois Traction System, 1910) pulling a vintage freight train consisting of Bordens milk tank car #520 (MDC, 1935), Great Northern hopper #70104 (Pullman Standard, 1957), Shippers Car Line three dome tank car #42 (American Car & Foundry, 1935), Great Northern tank car #1390 (American Car & Foundry, 1956), and Chicago & North Western caboose #10304 (American Car & Foundry, 1928).

Illinois Terminal interurban train consisting of cars #277 (St. Louis Car Company, 1913), #518 (St. Louis Car Company, 1911), and #234 (Danville Car Company, 1910). Note the observation platform on the end of car #234.

Illinois Terminal interurban #101 (American Car Company, 1917).

Chicago, South Shore & South Bend line car #1100 (St. Louis Car Company, 1926).

Chicago, South Shore & South Bend interurbans #34 (Standard Steel Car Company, 1929) and #40 (Standard Steel Car Company, 1929).

Illinois Central electric commuter train consisting of #1380 and #1198 (both Pullman/Pullman-Standard, 1925).

I was surprised to see the last three trains operating, as the IC and South Shore run at a different voltage (1500 volts DC versus the 600 volts DC used by the museum). When I asked one of the crew volunteers, they said that they "run them at half-speed."

Thanks for watching!