Emory
Location | Arbor Ave. near Delles Rd. Wheaton, IL 60189 |
Established | TBD |
Original Line | Aurora, Elgin & Chicago RR |
Rebuilt | TBD |
Previous Names | N/A |
Tracks | 2 |
Platforms | 2, low level |
Flag stop | |
(View location) |
History:
For the station located at Roosevelt Road, see Emory (Chicago Ave.)
Emory was a local station on the Aurora branch of the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad at the crossing of Arbor Avenue in Wheaton, approximately 3/16 mile south of the Chicago Ave. stop. Not part of the railroad’s initial scheme of stops, Emory was added in the period between 1905 and 1920.
By 1920, the station featured a frame waiting station with a hip roof on the eastbound platform,1 railings on the east2 and westbound platforms in addition to a sign3 and platform lighting on the westbound platform.4 The platforms were eight feet wide and made of cinders but were of slightly different lengths: the eastbound platform was 51 feet 9 inches long while the westbound platform was 49 feet long.2 In both cases the platforms were approximately the length of a single car.
The stop was also equipped with flag stop semaphores to signal to the motormen of oncoming trains to stop. This was a swinging wooden board mounted atop a pole that was raised into a horizontal position by pulling a chain. As a flag stop (like most stops on the CA&E) trains only stopped if signaled by a person at the station raising the “flag” or by an onboard passenger alerting the train crew of his or her intention to disembark.
Following the United States’ entry into World War II, materials rationing put in place and nationwide changes were made to reduce manpower and materials for the war effort. CA&E management seized the opportunity of this national movement to attempt to revise service for faster trips by reducing non-essential stops. On January 15, 1943, a survey of the line was made which was then tabulated and studied by early February. After review, a subcommittee of the CA&E’s Budget and Expense Committee recommended the elimination of fifteen stops and this was informally brought before the Illinois Commerce Commission. The Commission instead suggested reducing station closings to twelve but noted that closing stations would require a formal public hearing and their approval before being enacted.5
The Budget and Expense Committee took a tour of the railroad on March 18, 1943, partly to examine the stops to be eliminated.5 After the inspection the subcommittee recommended closing Garden Home, Stratford Hills, Emory, Chicago Golf, Plamondon, Ferry Road, Diehl Road, Wagner Road, Hart Road, Glenwood Park, Wesley St., Pleasant Hill, Geneva Road, St. Andrews, Smith Road, and St. Charles Road. Afterward they again met with representatives of the Illinois Commerce Commission. This time the representatives suggested that the desired effect could be accomplished by revising the schedule to eliminate most stops at these stations thus avoiding the public hearings required for abandonment.6
A new timetable was devised, but before it could be put into effect, petitions were circulated and protests erupted, delaying it. Hearings were held before the Illinois Commerce Commission on December 3, where the CA&E argued that these changes were necessary for aiding the war effort. Attorneys representing passengers disagreed, claiming that the argument of “aiding the war effort” was a ruse. After additional hearings were scheduled the Commission eventually ruled that two stations could be closed: Stratford Hills and Emory. The other stations named would remain open but would receive reduced service.6
Emory was closed and written out of the following time table. At the same time, the next station north, Chicago Ave., was renamed Emory. The original Emory was demolished.
Today, the Illinois Prairie Path (a multi-use trail predominantly built upon the Chicago Aurora & Elgin right-of-way) runs through the site of the Emory stop, but there is no indication that a station was ever there.