CA&E Connecting Motor Coach Service
(Lakewood Transfer)
- Opened: November 1, 1937
- Extended: September 20, 1953
- Abandoned: July 3, 1957
- Length of Route:
- Route No. 1: 7.9 mi
- Routes 2 & 3: 8.5 mi, 11.3 mi (1953-57)
The Chicago Aurora & Elgin Connecting Motor Coach service was a bus line operated by the railroad to serve as a replacement for the abandoned Geneva branch rail line. Busses connected with the Elgin branch at Lakewood and traveled west to St. Charles and Geneva. In 1953 the route was extended to serve Batavia during periods outside of rush hour.
Route:
The connecting motor coach service from Lakewood to Geneva followed two routes. Route 1 left Lakewood St. Charles–Geneva Transfer and headed west on State Route 64 (North Avenue) to 1st Avenue [Riverside Drive], St. Charles. At 1st Avenue, buses turned south and continued in that direction as the road became Riverside Drive then Bennet Street until reaching the interesection of State and Bennett Streets in Geneva. Routes 2 and 3 followed the same course, but were separated by direction: Route 2 was eastbound while Route 3 was westbound. As with Route 1, Route 3 began by heading west on 64, but then diverged from the previous route by continuing to Third Street, St. Charles. Buses then turned and headed south on Third/Anderson Boulevard until State Street and then headed east to the interesction of State and Bennet Streets in Geneva. Between Main Street and 1st Avenue in St. Charles and State and Bennet Streets in Geneva, Routes 2 and 3 operated over the same streets as the western section of the Geneva branch.
After 1953, buses also served Batavia outside of rush hour. After leaving Lakweood, the route traveled west on 64 to Third Street, St. Charles and then south on Third Street/Anderson Boulevard to State Street. From State and Anderson, buses headed east on State Street to Route 31 (First Street), then south on 31 (where it became Batavia Avenue) to Wilson Street and then east to the Batavia terminal. Trips to Lakewood began by heading east on Wilson to State Route 25 (Washington Avenue, Crissey Avenue, Bennett Street) then north on 25 to State Street. The route turned west on State Street to Anderson Blulevard then north on Anderson/Third Street to Main Street, St. Charles. From there, the route was east on Main Street/North Avenue to Lakewood.
