IRM Electroliner

IRM Electroliner Fundraiser/ Blog for the Electroliner. Please send donations to Campaign for the Electroliner, Illinois Railway Museum, PO BOX 427, Union, IL 60180.

The North Shore Electroliner was one of a pair of high-speed Interurban sets. 801-802 and 803-804 were owned and operated by the Chicago North Shore and Milwuakee Railroad from 1941 to 1963. An estimated 5,000,000 miles were traveled by the two trains on the 90 mile trip between Chicago and Milwaukee. Five round trips a day for each "Liner" during nearly 22 years of service at speeds over 75 mph!

After the NSL abandoned the line in Jan of 1963, they were sold to the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company which later became SEPTA (The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) in 1964. They were renamed Valley Forge (801-802) and Independence Hall (803-804) and ran on a short, 14 mile route until they were retired in the late 1970's. The Illinois Railway Museum purchased the 801-802 car set in 1982. It was repainted to the NSL Electroliner Teal and Salmon livery in the early 1990's. It is now being restored to end of NSL operations condition and can be viewed in Barn 7 most days the museum is open. If you see the lights on, feel free to say hello! We may not be able to talk for long, but we are always happy to greet fellow fans of the Electroliners! 😁

This past weekend was another thrilling episode of motor work on the Electroliner. When the #1 motor was replaced last ...
05/04/2026

This past weekend was another thrilling episode of motor work on the Electroliner. When the #1 motor was replaced last summer, during subsequent testing a defect in the #5 motor (in the truck between the 802 A-1 and C cars) was discovered, whereby the motor was no longer driving the axle and spinning free under power instead. This problem was investigated this weekend. As before, the train was jacked up and the relevant truck pulled sideways to access the motor. The problem was traced to a misaligned coupling between motor and gearbox, known as a WN Drive, which over time had sheared and ground the teeth out of one half of the coupling. Fortunately a spare was sourced in short order and the affected coupling was replaced. The motor was shimmed up to level the coupling and discourage further uneven wear. At the end of the weekend the train was back down on the truck, ready for reattaching the motor leads. Further work will involve double checking the alignment of the other seven motors, as well as ensuring they are all properly lubricated. Thanks to Eric, JD, Kevin, Lou, Richard, Will, and a cast of many more for their assistance in this big effort.

A few weeks ago we shared photos of the recreated/restored electric marker lights for the Electroliner. A few folks aske...
02/03/2026

A few weeks ago we shared photos of the recreated/restored electric marker lights for the Electroliner. A few folks asked, “what about the white light?” As context, the operating rules on the Chicago Rapid Transit required North Shore trains to carry red marker lights plus a white light in the center rear of their trains while operating on the ‘L’. On the standard cars this was typically accomplished by a white Kero lantern hung on the safety chain. For the Electroliners, a white electric lamp was screwed to the center windowsill at each end of the train. The legend goes that someone from the Harrison Street Shops in Milwaukee was sent to Gimbels department store to purchase a quartet of desk lamps for this purpose when the two trains were prepared for service In early 1941. These lamps were in place and used until the end of service in 1963, but were removed as unnecessary components in 1964 when the Electroliners became Liberty Liners in Philadelphia.

As part of the cab restoration of 802, volunteers have finally chased down the correct style of fisheye lens desk lamp which matches in service photos. One has been refurbished and installed on a recreated beacket into the original mounting holes still found in the windowsill. A second matching lamp is on hand to be cleaned up and installed in the 801 cab when the time comes.

That’s not the only thing happening in the Electroliner right now though. Look out in the coming weeks for details of other recent developments, including completion of the 802 smoker section, ongoing B car work, and the start of work in the 801.

As we march onward into 2026, work continues behind the scenes on the Electroliner. Interior work is 90% complete on the...
01/12/2026

As we march onward into 2026, work continues behind the scenes on the Electroliner. Interior work is 90% complete on the 802 A1 car, with seats reinstalled in the smoker section. The B car bar Is receiving new ceiling paint (don’t worry, the elephants are safe!). Work is also beginning on the 801 A car, with seats and trim being removed from Its smoker section in preparation for repainting. One major effort lately has been the recreation of the train’s marker lights. From a point in the mid 1940’s, two pairs of Adlake electric “cannonball” class lights were repurposed as marker lights on the two Electroliners, replacing kerosene marker lights used on the railroad’s standard interurban cars. These went with the trains to Philadelphia, and were eventually lost when permanent marker lights were installed at roof level. Volunteers have wired in new electrical sockets on the 802, and refurbished a pair of Adlake marker lights, just as the North Shore Line did in the 1940’s. They were tested for the first time this weekend, and the results speak for themselves on the attached photos. This effort will be duplicated on the 801 end as that cab is refurbished.

Look out for more info in the new year as plans develop to address the ongoing motor issues discovered last fall and as interior work continues forward.

Saturday, August 16th, 2025 was another major day of mechanical work on the Electroliner, one step closer to operation. ...
08/18/2025

Saturday, August 16th, 2025 was another major day of mechanical work on the Electroliner, one step closer to operation. One rebuilt traction motor had grounded in January 2023, and it was finally replaced this past weekend with a rebuilt spare which was on hand. A large crew of 16+ volunteers assembled to make the swap possible. On Sunday, August 17th, the train again operated on all 8 motors. However, another budding mechanical issue reared its head in another truck which will need attention. It is not a motor replacement, but will require removal of a motor to access the issue, which is in the WN drive connecting the motor and gearbox on its axle. This is all part of the ongoing process of recommisioning the train, which has not regularly run since the late 1990’s. Another lift day will be scheduled in the near future to investigate. Thank you to everyone who came out to make the original motor swap happen on Saturday! More information is in the caption of each photo.

Address

7000 Olson Road
Union, IL
60180

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when IRM Electroliner posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The School

Send a message to IRM Electroliner:

Shortcuts

Share

Category