EL's Chicago Interchanges / E8s on Freight

This part of the railroad seems to be what the late David P. Morgan would've called "seldom remarked." I've been a fan of the EL since 1967 but I really don't know too much about EL in Chicago.

I have learned some things recently though (and I'd like to learn more).

One thing I find very interesting is, around 1970 the EL began converting unneeded E8s to freight service. One of the places they seemed to be used quite a bit was in the Chicago area. A former Milwaukee Road employee said he used to see four of 'em bringing transfer runs from Hammond IN to the CMStP&P yard at Bensenville IL (near O'Hare Airport) fairly regularly in the mid-1970s. To his knowledge the transfers were operated on IHB with IHB crews.

Below are a couple photo links from the Elwood Fallen Flags site of EL E8s on the MILW and CNW in the Chicago area.

Melrose Park IL - 02/28/76 - {Larry Berger Collection} – CNW
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/el/loco/el810alb.jpg

Bensonville IL - 6-75 {used with permission, Mainline Photos}
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/el/loco/el810m.jpg

Melrose Park IL - 02/28/76 - {Larry Berger Collection} – CNW
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/el/loco/el819alb.jpg


On a Milwaukee Road forum I saw comments that the EL E8s even made it as far west as Council Bluffs! I couldn't find a photo but below is a link to a Elwood site shot of an E8 in Savanna IL.

Savanna IL - 10-75 {Used with permission, JM Gruber Collection}
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/el/loco/el821g.jpg

They also made it east. I have 2 pix on George's site of a w/b freight circa 1970 @ Falconer NY w/3 E's. EL regeared them & changed the wheels to 38" diam for freight service.
Don

Lots of great Chicago area photos with many E8s on Mark LLunuza"s Flickr site
http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=7547061@N02&q=erie

anyone ever get a photo of an EL train / power with an Amtrak SDP40F in the same scene ?

As per the Erie Lackawanna Historical society list the following EL E units were converted from EL class PE-22 to FE-22:

809, 810, 812, 813, 814, 815, 817,
818, 819, 820, 826, 828, 832.

They were regeared from 57:20 to 62:15, steam boilers were replaced with a weight block and fuel capacity was increased by converting the water portion to fuel or replacing the entire tank.

Don wrote:They also made it east.

Nice pix! There are also shots (in various books) of E8As on EL in the Canisteo River valley and east of Elmira. I can recall seeing cab units on the EL near Elmira circa 1975 or so, but I was only 6 yo at the time... so I don't know if I was looking at Es or Fs.