IRON HORSEPLAY

The railroads, which usually talk to the public in conservative full-page ads and statistics, last week tried it with whoop-de-do and the can can. To mark the 100th anniversary of the first train out of Chicago, some 37 railroads and 30 equipment makers chipped in $12 million to make their Railroad Fair the biggest since the New York World's Fair. They packed 50 acres of Chicago's lake shore with sideshows, pageants, new coaches and exhibits, including this iron horse, a replica of the Best Friend of Charleston (1830), first U.S. -built locomotive in regular scheduled service. All this was by way of announcing that the railroads are spending an estimated $1 billion in the next two years on new cars and "dreamlined" trains to lure back travelers now riding buses and airlines.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.