February 24th, 1899 – Aurora & Chicago Railway Company and the Elgin & Chicago Railway Company incorporated by the Everett-Moore syndicate

February 25th, 1899 – The Chicago, Wheaton & Aurora Railroad Company incorporated by the competing Pomeroy-Mandelbaum syndicate

March 11th, 1899 – Aurora, Wheaton & Chicago Railway Company incorporated (Everett-Moore syndicate)

February 21st, 1901 – Batavia & Eastern Railway Company incorporated (Everett-Moore syndicate)

March 12th, 1901 – Stockholders change the corporate name of the Aurora, Wheaton & Chicago Railway Company to the Aurora, Elgin & Chicago Railway Company at the second annual meeting of the AW&C

May 16, 1902 – First inspection trip held

May 17, 1902 – Batavia Power house boilers lit for the first time. Certain imperfections come to light and are remedied

July 29th, 1902 – First six cars are delivered from the Niles Car & Manufacturing Company

August 25th, 1902 – The Aurora, Elgin and Chicago (AE&C) begins regular service from Aurora to 52nd Avenue (Laramie) in Chicago. Passengers are required to transfer to Garfield Park trains of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated to reach downtown Chicago.

Late September 1902 – Service begins on the Batavia branch

May 29th, 1903 – The Elgin Branch is placed into service

August 30th, 1904 – Parlor-buffet service begins

March 8th, 1905 – The AE&C ends local service between Forest Park and 52nd Avenue and begins operating to downtown Chicago over the Metropolitan West Side Elevated’s Garfield Park branch and main line with trains terminating at the Metropolitan's Fifth Avenue Terminal. On the same day, the Metropolitan extends Garfield Park rapid transit service west and takes over the local service between laramie and Forest Park

March 18th, 1906 – The Mt. Carmel (Cook County) Branch is placed into service

March 26th, 1906 – Elgin, Aurora & Southern Traction Company (the Fox River Lines) and the Aurora, Elgin & Chicago Railway (the Great Third Rail) are formally consolidated into the Aurora, Elgin & Chicago Railroad

August 27th, 1908 – Chicago, Wheaton & Western Railway organized

September 21st, 1909 – The Chicago, Wheaton & Western Railway begins service with AE&C third rail equipment over what would later be known as the Geneva Branch. Trains only operate as far as West Chicago

December 1909 – Chicago Wheaton & Western extends service to Geneva

August 25th, 1910 – Chicago Wheaton & Western extends service to St. Charles

October 28th, 1910 – Chicago, Wheaton & Western Railway is deeded to the Aurora, Elgin & Chicago Railroad

March, 24th, 1913 – Fire destroys the general offices in Wheaton

September 14th, 1915 – New Aurora Terminal opens in the Hotel Arthur building. (Hotel Arthur comes to be known as the Traction Terminal building.)

August 9th, 1919 – AE&C is forced into involuntary bankruptcy. Joseph K. Choate is named receiver.

July 1st, 1922 – The Third Rail Division of the Aurora Elgin & Chicago Railroad is reorganized as the Chicago Aurora & Elgin Railroad (CA&E)

Early 1926 – Samuel Insull assumes control of the CA&E

October 1st, 1926 – The CRT begins service on the Westchester Branch. The CA&E ends local service between Forest Park and Bellwood

October 31st, 1926 – The CA&E ends passenger service on the Mt. Carmel (Cook County) Branch due to close proximity to the new Westchester service.

June 7th, 1932 – Samuel Insull resigns from CA&E Board of Directors

October 31st, 1937 – Last regular trains operate over Geneva Branch

December 31st, 1939 – Third (and last) Aurora Terminal opens

December 7th, 1941 – Bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese

April 7th, 1942 – 1905 agreement allowing the Aurora & Elgin use of the ‘L’ to gain access to Chicago expires. No new agreement written since both companies (CRT and CA&E) in receivership. Operations continue without formal agreement.

December 9th, 1951 – CTA suspends service on the Westchester Branch. The CA&E resumes service between Bellwood and Forest Park.

September 20th, 1953 – The CA&E ceases operations to the Wells Street Terminal and begins terminating trains at Desplaines in Forest Park

July 3rd, 1957 – The CA&E ceases all passenger service at 12:13 PM

April 29th, 1959 – CA&E files a petition with the Illinois Commerce Commission to abandon freight service

June 9th, 1959 – Illinois Commerce Commission authorizes the CA&E to suspend freight service the next day

June 10th, 1959 – Freight service is “suspended”

July 6th, 1961 – CA&E officially abandoned at 5:00 PM