Take a Trip Around Chicago's Outer Belt

In the Summer of 1972, the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Company attached a professional 16mm film camera to the top of a hi-rail truck and took movies of their mainline from Waukegan to Joliet to Gary, as well as the South Chicago and Porter branches.

The reason for this movie shoot has been lost to history, and if it wasn't for the actions of a Blackhawk Chapter member and EJ&E employee, the films themselves might have been lost too.

Fortunately, the films were rescued from the trash heap, put on reels and finally shown, displaying a railroad and suburban landscape vastly different from what exists today.

Now, the Blackhawk Chapter is offering fans of “the J” and 1970s-era railroading a unique perspective of this unique railroad. Experience an engineer-eye's view of the EJ&E as it rolls past heavy industry, cruises through unspoiled farmland and intersects the region's other railroads at many famous and some long-forgotten junctions.

These original 16mm all-color and silent films from the Blackhawk Chapter archives have been transferred to DVD, and include a map and system timetable for reference.

Remembering the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern - Volume 1 features a round-trip on the Porter Line from Griffith to Hobart, McCool, Crocker and Porter. Remembering the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern - Volume 2 features the Eastern Subdivision north from Griffith through Van Loon, Ivanhoe and Cavanaugh to Kirk Yard. The second part takes the Gary Division Lake Front Line westward from Kirk Yard through Buffington, Indiana Harbor and Whiting to South Chicago and then the Gary Division Lake Front Line eastward from South Chicago through Whiting, Indiana Harbor and Buffington to Kirk Junction.

Rembering the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern - Volume 3
In part one, we travel the EJ&E's Eastern Subdivision eastbound from East Joliet Yard through Marble Falls, Brisbane (New
Lenox), Frankfort, Matteson, Chicago Heights, Dyer and Hartsdale to Griffith.

In part two, we return westbound from Griffith through Hartsdale, Dyer, Chicago Heights and Matteson to Frankfort.

Rembering the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern - Volume 4
In part one, we travel the EJ&E's Western Subdivision eastbound from Roundout through Barrington and on to West Chicago.

In part two, we continue on from West Chicago to Eola, Plainfeld and points inbetween till we reach the yard at East Joliet.

Coming in 2012 - Remembering the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern - Volume 5
From Roundout to Waukegan

Each all-color and silent (no dubbed sound or music) DVD is priced at $25.

Click here to order from The Blackhawk Store