Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway

Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway by Paul W. Jaenicke and Ralph A. Eisenbrandt. In 1884, the Joliet, Aurora and Northern Railroad was formed to connect the industrial cities of Joliet and Aurora. This system evolved into the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway. By 1893, it encircled Chicago from Waukegan, via Joliet to Porter, Indiana. It primarily served the steel mills and facilities of U.S. Steel. It was one of the first Class I railroads to completely convert to diesel locomotive power in 1949 and the first in the world to install an automatic, electrically operated car retarder yard in 1952. A great book for a railroad enthusiast.