The Chicago, Aurora & Elgin Railway (CA&E) ran electric passenger and freight service from 1902 until 1959. Although classed as an interurban, CA&E trains were a hybrid of rapid transit and commuter rail, running to downtown Chicago via the metropolitan West Side “L,” ending at the Well Street terminal. It was a high-tech endeavor, intended to open Chicago’s western suburbs for development. The result was a high-speed operation, built to steam road standards, with an electrified third rail powering the trains. It thrived until World War I, was modernized in the Roaring Twenties, weathered the Great Depression, and did its duty during World War II. The CA&E began losing money in the 1950s due to highway construction that stopped it from running into Chicago. Efforts to save the railroad failed, and passenger service ended in 1957, with freight following two years later. Softcover, 6 x 9, 128 pgs., many photos.