Chicago, Aurora and Elgin

Overview

America in the 1950s comes to life in this portrait of a well-loved interurban line which linked the bustle of Chicago with the quiet of the Illinois prairie towns. Two major lines are covered almost in their entirety, from track-side and from the cab. Trains dating back to the early 1900s burn up the Illinois countryside at speeds which rival those of modern day rapid transit. This feature is an important historic record, but also an ode to a time when life in America was a little slower and a little sweeter. Film by Frank Pfuhler.