The 1948-49 Chicago Railroad Fair.

The Chicago Railroad Fair was organized to celebrate and commemorate 100 years of railroad history west of Chicago, Illinois. It was held in Chicago in 1948 and 1949 along the shore of Lake Michigan and is often referred to as "the last great railroad fair," with 39 railroad companies participating.

Entrance and Ticket Booths to the Chicago Railroad Fair.

The fair was rapidly planned during the winter and spring of 1948 and was initially scheduled to run between July and August of that summer. Erected on 50 acres of Burnham Park in Chicago between 21st and 31st Streets, the fair opened after only six months of planning.

I purchased both the 1948 and 1949 Chicago Railroad Fair Official Guide Books.

Click to download - Chicago Railroad Fair Official Guide Book in PDF - 1948

Click to download - Chicago Railroad Fair Official Guide Book in PDF - 1949

The grand opening for the fair commenced on July 20 with a parade that featured such spectacles as a military marching band and a replica of a troop train. There was a contingent of cowboys and Indians and a replica of the first American locomotive, the Tom Thumb. The spry, octogenarian widow of Casey Jones, who served as honorary Grand Master of the parade.

The price of admission was one dollar, except for food. All the attractions, displays, exhibits and shows were free. Besides the thirty-nine railroads that participated in the fair, there were more than twenty equipment manufacturers, including General Motors.

A highlight of the fair was the presence of the Freedom Train. The Freedom Train traveled the country from September 17, 1947, through January 22, 1949, and was at the Railroad Fair from July 5 – 9. It held many documents and artifacts from the National Archives.

September 27, 1948, Time magazine photo.

The original United States Constitution, Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights were available for public viewing. The security of the documents was the responsibility of the Marine Corps.

CLICK FOR A FULL-SIZE MAP

VIDEO

Wheels A-Rolling: 100 Years of Railroad Progress 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair.

[runtime 33:49]

PARTICIPATING RAILROADS:

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

Boston and Maine Railroad

Burlington Lines

Chesapeake and Ohio Railway

Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad

Chicago Great Western Railway

Chicago and Illinois Midland Railway

Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway (Monon Railroad)

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road)

Chicago and North Western Railway

Colorado and Wyoming Railway

Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad

Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway

Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway

Erie Railroad

Grand Trunk Railway

Great Northern Railway

Green Bay and Western Railroad

Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad (The Alton Route)

Illinois Central Railroad

Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad

Maine Central Railroad

Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway

Monongahela Railway

New York Central Railroad

Nickel Plate Road

Norfolk Southern Railway

Northern Pacific Railway

Pennsylvania Railroad

Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway

Pullman Company

Rock Island Lines

Soo Line Railroad

Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway

Texas Mexican Railway

Union Pacific Railroad

Wabash Railroad

Western Pacific Railroad

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.