Last night I saw im the local paper Mundelein Review that the CB&Q NE-
1 waycar #14497 has been moved from West Chicago, IL to Mundelein,
IL. It is now displayed on the ground's of the Fort Hill Heritage
Society's (FHHS)original Soo Line depot near the intersection of Noel
and Courtland in Mundelein. Now I can see a piece of the Q right in
my own town!
According to the paper, the move was made on July 13, 2001.
According to the paper, #14497 was built in 1890 in Aurora, IL,
donated to West Chicago in 1976, and that the inside has fire
damage.
The FHHS is interested in any available information on this waycar
and may be interested in restoring the interior. Do any blue prints
exist for #14497 or for the NE-1 class? Was #14497 ever known by
another road number? Although #14497 is currently in the mineral red
livery (without the Burlington Route logo), did it ever wear any of
the other paint schemes (Chinese red, pre-merger green, other?)? Was
#14497 always a CB&Q waycar, or was it ever assigned to a predecessor
line? Does anyone know if the out-of-print book "Waycars of the
Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy RR" has any information either on the
#14497 or on the NE-1 class?
Does anyone know why West Chicago gave this waycar away? Is the West
Chicago CB&Q depot / museum still there or in any danger of closing?
I enjoyed visiting it during the 1999 Aurora Fall BRHS meet.
Thanks for any info you may have.
Bill Hayward
haywarb@b...
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