A special note must be made of car 320 which assumed some special importance. The car had been sold to the Iowa Railway Historical Museum in Centerville, Iowa. On Friday, April 6, 1962, Jim and Bob Lewis of the Museum and V. Allan Vaughn of the Iowa Chapter of the NRHS were in Wheaton to prepare 320 for movement to Iowa. That morning was spent oiling journals and motors, removing motor brushes, and boarding up the car for movement. Arrangements had already been made with Walter Schneider, head of the Commercial Metals scrapping operation, for a special movement of this car. At 1:00 P.M. the Commercial Metals EJ&E switcher 212 came up to the car and was coupled up with an adapter coupler. By 1:30, the diesel and car 320 headed down the Aurora branch. By 2:30 P.M. the diesel and car reached the CB&Q interchange at Aurora. After arriving in Aurora, additional work was done on boarding up the windows for the trip west. On Sunday, a CB&Q switcher pulled 320 to the Eola Yard where it was placed on a flat car for shipment to Centerville, Iowa. Only days later the Commercial Metals locomotive would return to Aurora to start ripping up rail. However, 320 arrived safely in Centerville and began museum operations on June 9 and 10, 1962. Consequently, 320 was the last car to operate over CA&E mainline rail. It was also the first museum car to operate after the abandonment of the CA&E. In all, 12 wooden passenger cars, seven steel passenger cars, one line car, and one flat car were saved. As far as is known, all but one car (320) left Wheaton through a temporary interchange track installed by the C&NW in Wheaton. Additional information: Yes, the December 7, 1958 fantrip did take place, and was actually the last passenger train to ever run on the CA&E. Wood cars 319 and 320 were operated that day. We have previously posted a picture taken from that wintry day, and will include it in this post as well. Interestingly, both cars were saved. 319 is at the Illinois Railway Museum, while 320 is in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. 320 had a notable distinction as, I believe, the last car ever to leave the CA&E property in April 1962, just prior to the complete dismantling of the railroad. As Larry Plachno has written: A special note must be made of car 320 which assumed some special importance. The car had been sold to the Iowa Railway Historical Museum in Centerville, Iowa. On Friday, April 6, 1962, Jim and Bob Lewis of the Museum and V. Allan Vaughn of the Iowa Chapter of the NRHS were in Wheaton to prepare 320 for movement to Iowa. That morning was spent oiling journals and motors, removing motor brushes, and boarding up the car for movement. Arrangements had already been made with Walter Schneider, head of the Commercial Metals scrapping operation, for a special movement of this car. At 1:00 P.M. the Commercial Metals EJ&E switcher 212 came up to the car and was coupled up with an adapter coupler. By 1:30, the diesel and car 320 headed down the Aurora branch. By 2:30 P.M. the diesel and car reached the CB&Q interchange at Aurora. After arriving in Aurora, additional work was done on boarding up the windows for the trip west. On Sunday, a CB&Q switcher pulled 320 to the Eola Yard where it was placed on a flat car for shipment to Centerville, Iowa. Only days later the Commercial Metals locomotive would return to Aurora to start ripping up rail. However, 320 arrived safely in Centerville and began museum operations on June 9 and 10, 1962. Consequently, 320 was the last car to operate over CA&E mainline rail. It was also the first museum car to operate after the abandonment of the CA&E. In all, 12 wooden passenger cars, seven steel passenger cars, one line car, and one flat car were saved.as far as is known.

In order to sell to customers whose requirements (and electrical and track structure capacity) would not support a Class D, Baldwin-Westinghouse downwardly engineered this design in order to replace the Class A in its catalog. The better built steam road subsidiaries and those lines that delivered considerable tonnage per train could order larger Class D motors (and even operate them in multiple), while B-W could offer a smaller unit to potential customers with less demanding requirements. The Class B locomotives were better suited than the D's for use on lightly built interurban lines, due to their reduced weight and power draw.

One of the reasons there was a Baldwin-Westinghouse at all was because Baldwin Locomotive Works was so successful as an integrated manufacturer. Baldwin had sufficient capacity in its tender shop in downtown Philadelphia that it could easily underbid any proposed assembly by Westinghouse's own forces out in East Pittsburgh. Baldwin built the structure of each locomotive, riveting together an empty box with trucks and couplers (and at least rudimentary train air brakes), based on the familiar technology of locomotive tenders. The frame itself was assembled from standard steel shapes, with heavy Baldwin castings at each end to tie everything together. Even the trucks themselves were adapted from tender trucks used beneath thousands of Baldwin-built steam locomotive tenders. Windows and a host of additional appurtenances would be installed, then the locomotive-to-be would be shunted out to the interchange track. It would be handed off to a line-haul railroad and waybilled (as if it were a freight car) across Pennsylvania to the East Pittsburgh Works of Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing. Westinghouse installed and tested electrical gear at East Pittsburgh. The locomotive would be finish painted, tested and otherwise prepared for delivery. A short stretch of adjustable-voltage overhead behind the Works allowed road testing (and publicity photographs) when the locomotive was complete. The track was historically 'pantograph country' so locomotives destined for customers who used only trolley poles or third rail were often pictured at this site fitted with pantographs, which would be removed prior to shipment. In the early years the consortium delivered interurban freight locomotives to specific order, rather than producing them on speculation for stock. However, Westinghouse occasionally ordered freight locomotives from Baldwin for stock, or in anticipation of orders not yet in hand. This practice tied up capital, but as the market for new locomotives dwindled (and credit grew tighter) during the late 1920's, Westinghouse decided to keep at least one or two new locomotives (with generic equipment) on the back lot in East Pittsburgh.

This appears to be a location to change over from 3rd rail to trolley wire.