The Chicago Railroad Fair, which ran for 2 years, attracted over 5 1/2 million people.  Technology was revolutionizing the industry.  Railroad management was optimistic about the future.  The great rail systems still took pride in the operations of their passenger trains, especially the luxurious limiteds.  Passenger trains were run on-time. 

The nation had not yet started building interstate highways with public funds.  Few could have realized that this celebration of railroads was to mark the end of an era -- an era where the U.S. rail lines provided the backbone of our economy and united the nation.

The fair was sponsored by 38 railroads and the Pullman Company.  It was held at Burnham Park, south of Soldier Field.  In recognition of the importance of the railroad industry to the city and the nation's economy, business and civic leaders joined the planning and festivities.  Chicago was celebrating 100 years of rail service.  

While the fair featured a variety of attractions for rail enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike, the "Wheels a-Rolling" pageant was staged four times a day and played to crowds of up to 20,000 visitors per show.  The show paid tribute to transportation in America from the Native American Indians to the highly anticipated "Train of Tomorrow."  That vision for the future, however, was never attained.

There were also historical events that were commemorated.  Leonard D. Tomasso, who in 1909 drove the last spike in the completion of the Western Pacific, was honored at the fair on September 9, 1949.

A railroad fireman who brought the New York Central's Number 999 to the Chicago Columbian Exposition in 1893 after it set a record of 112 1/2 miles an hour was honored and mounted 999 again.  He proclaimed her to be pretty good shape.

The 1948-1948 fair marked the last large display of vintage railroad equipment -- never again would such a large number of operating railroad artifacts be brought together and appreciated by such large crowds of people.

The fair's rides, shows, and exhibits were the main attractions.  An 1880 San Francisco cable car took visitors to the lake on front and two narrow-gauge railways carrying hundreds of thousands of passengers.  Companies that supplied equipment to the railroads sponsored an ice show.  There was even a water thrill show on the lake.  

The Santa Fe built a New Mexico Pueblo village complete with Indians.  The Illinois Central had a Old New Orleans exhibit.  Eventually, many of the exhibits ended up at the Museum of Science and Industry.

According to the Chicago Tribune, "The Railroad Fair has been successful, far beyond the expectations of the men who started it. The people of America, and particularly the people of Mid-America, want Chicago to put on an annual fair and will support it handsomely. The present location is just about perfect."

The rail industry was to enter a period of change, uncertainty, and decline.  The Chicago Railroad Fair of 1948-1948 represented the last celebration of an era when the nation's freight and economic growth  was powered by mighty locomotives.  It was the last grand celebration of the glory days of passenger service in the U.S.

Chicago Railroad Fair Photos

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