Talk of unifying the various elevated companies into a single entity began soon after the South Side elevated began operations in 1892, before any of the others had even begun operation. Charles Tyson Yerkes was an early advocate, though most likely more in the interest of financial gain than rider convenience. Yerkes actually did achieve some measure of unification in that he eventually owned the Lake Street, Northwestern, and Union Loop elevateds and ran them with largely the same staff, general counsel, and offices. In 1901, the Northwestern actually absorbed the Union Elevated, though this produced no appreciable changes or improvement noticeable to the public.

In 1909, utilities magnate Samuel Insull initiated the first serious effort at unifying the "L" companies, proposing to incorporate the Central Terminal Company to lease the "L" companies' rolling stock and routes. The financial details of this transaction couldn't be worked out, however.

The next unification plan came the next year, in May 1910. Henry A. Blair, a director of Sam Insull's Commonwealth Edison company, as well as president of the Chicago Railways Company streetcar system, proposed that an investment syndicate purchase all outstanding shares of the elevated companies and issue new ones in the name of the unified corporation. By summer, Blair had secured the blessing of all four "L" companies, but due to a bleak financial outlook the plan was put on hold for a year after banks refused to underwrite the transaction. In May 1911, Samuel Insull overcame the hurdle by having Commonwealth Edison underwrite the consolidation to the tune of $6 million.

The Blair syndicate offered to purchase all outstanding shares of the Northwestern, South Side, and Metropolitan companies, but not the Chicago & Oak Park (C&OP), which was in receivership. The C&OP was, in fact, included in the transaction because its receiver was none other than Samuel Insull and the Blair-controlled Northwestern Elevated owned 52% of the C&OP's holding company. It was estimated that the consolidation would yield annual savings of up to $700,000 -- most of it in electric power savings -- which could be used for improvements to the system.

By the end of June 1911, Blair's group had enough shares in the four companies to put their plan into action. However, they decided not to form a new corporation to transfer control to. Rather, they formed a "voluntary association" called the Chicago Elevated Railways Collateral Trust (CER), which would function as a holding company, yielding the benefits of consolidated operations without reorganizing or dissolving the original companies. Effective July 1, 1911, the consolidation plan went into effect.

In August 1911, the companies' management and organization were overhauled. Samuel Insull was elected the CER's chairman and he brought Metropolitan elevated president Britton Budd over to be the CER's chief executive. The Northwestern and South Side companies were then reorganized with Insull and Budd as chairman and president, respectively. In November, Budd became president of the Chicago & Oak Park and other individuals were similarly placed in identical positions in the various companies to reduce administrative overhead and duplication.

The September 9, 1911 edition of Electric Railway Journal (Vol. XXXVIII, No. 11) ran an extensive story on the management personnel of the Chicago Elevated Railways, which is reproduced below:

Personnel of Chicago Elevated Railways

The complete personnel of the Chicago elevated railways has been announced. In the Electric Railway Journal of Aug. 12, 1911, the election was noted of F. A. Delano to the board of governors of the company, of Britton I. Budd as president of the company and E. C. Noe as general superintendent of the company. A biography and portrait of Mr. Budd were published at that time. The announcement now made covers the other officers of the company, of whom brief biographies are presented herewith. The Chicago Elevated Railways controls about 150 miles of road and operates more than 1200 cars. The operating headquarters of the company arc on the tenth floor of the Royal Insurance Building, Chicago, where the headquarters of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway were located. The offices of the treasury and accounting departments of the company are at 4430 Evanston Avenue, where the headquarters of the Northwestern Elevated Railroad were located. It was expected that all the officers would be located in the new quarters by Sept. 9.

Elzer C. Noe, general manager and purchasing agent of the Northwestern Elevated Railroad and general manager and purchasing agent of the Chicago & Oak Park Elevated Railroad for several years has also been appointed general manager of the South Side Elevated Railroad and the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway. He was born at Western Star, Summit County, Ohio, on March 25, 1862, and began work as an engineer in a flour mill in Cleveland, Ohio. Shortly after the Brush arc lighting exhibition in 1879, Mr. Noe became identified with electrical work. In 1882 he became connected with the Western Edison Light Company, Chicago, and served with that company and the General Electric Company until 1903, when he was appointed general superintendent of the Northwestern Elevated Railroad and the Chicago & Oak Park Elevated Railroad.

Garrett T. Seeley, formerly vice-president and general manager of the South Side Elevated Railroad, was appointed assistant general manager of the South Side Elevated Railroad, Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway and Northwestern Elevated Railroad, effective Sept. 4. Mr. Seeley was graduated from the University of Illinois in 1899 and then spent one year in Oklahoma as a topographer for the Santa Fe Railroad. During 1900 and 1901 he was in the engineering department of the Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad engaged in track elevation work. In 1901 he was apointed [sic] engineer of maintenance of way of the South Side Elevated Railroad and in March, 1909 was appointed assistant to the general manager, with the heads of the operating organization reporting to him as representative of the general manager. In January, 1910, Mr. Seeley was elected second vice-president and general manager of the South Side Elevated Railroad.

Mr. P. D. Sexton, formerly secretary and treasurer of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway, Chicago. Ill., has been appointed secretary of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway, South Side Elevated Railroad and Northwestern Elevated Railroad.

W. V. Griffin, formerly secretary and treasurer of the Northwestern Elevated Railroad and the Chicago & Oak Park Elevated Railroad, has also been appointed treasurer of the South Side Elevated Railroad and Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway.

E. D. Adams, formerly secretary and treasurer of the South Side Elevated Railroad, has been appointed assistant secretary and assistant treasurer of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway, South Side Elevated Railroad. and Northwestern Elevated Railroad. Mr. Adams has been secretary and treasurer of the South Side Elevated Railroad since Dec. 1, 1910, and for fifteen years previous to his railway experience he was assistant manager of the Auditorium Theatre, Chicago.

Thaddeus D. MacRae, formerly auditor Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway, was also appointed auditor of the Northwestern Elevated Railroad and the South Side Elevated Railroad, effective Sept. 4. Mr. MacRae was born at Jackson, La., on Feb. 1, 1865, and was educated at the United States Military Academy. He entered railway service as a clerk in the local office of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway at Cedar Rapids, Ia., and served from Oct. 1, 1888, to Nov. 1, 1890, as clerk in the freight auditor's office of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railway; from Oct. 1, 1890, to Dec. 31, 1894, as traveling auditor, and from Jan. 1, 1895, to July 19, 1902, as chief accountant in the general auditor's office of that road. From July 19, 1902, to Oct. 1, 1902, he was a clerk in the comtroller's office of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway at Chicago, closing the books and acounts [sic] of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railway. From Oct. 1. 1902, to Feb. 25. 1905, he was clerk in the office of the auditor of disbursements of the same road. On March 1, 1905, Mr. MacRae was appointed auditor of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway.

M. I. Feron, formerly superintendent of transportation of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway, has been appointed general superintendent of transportation of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway, Northwestern Elevated Railroad and South Side Elevated Railroad. Mr. Feron has been connected with the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway about seventeen years. He was previously for several years with the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad as yardmaster. Mr. Feron entered the employ of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway as switchman and since has served as dispatcher, trainmaster and superintendent.

E. F. Schaaf, roadmaster of the Northwestern Elevated Railroad, Chicago, Ill., has been appointed superintendent of transportation of that property. Mr. Schaaf began railway service with the Chicago & Oak Park Elevated Railway when the motive power of the road was changed from steam to electricity, and had charge of the electrical equipment of the cars of that road for five years. In 1900 he became connected with the Northwestern Elevated Railroad as shop foreman in charge of electrically equipping the Northwestern cars. In 1903 he was appointed superintendent of motive power and in 1904 was given the title of roadmaster and put in charge of the track, roadway and electrical departments. During the last five or six years Mr. Schaaf has assisted in the transportation department and now assumes charge of that department for the Northwestern Elevated Railroad, which hereafter is to be operated as a part of the Chicago Elevated Railways.

John Feldhake has been reappointed superintendent of transportation of the South Side Elevated Railroad, Chicago, Ill. Mr. Feldhake began railway service as a telegraph operator on the Cincinnati & Northern Railroad and later served with the Lake Erie & Western Railroad. From 1889 to 1892 he was connected with the transportation department of the Kings County division of the Brooklyn Elevated Railroad and then for a short time was with the Long Island Railroad. In 1893 he began service as a ticket agent with the South Side Elevated Railroad and occupied successively the positions of train dispatcher, trainmaster and superintendent.

C. E. Patten, since 1908 general agent of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway, has also been appointed general agent of the South Side Elevated Railroad and Northwestern Elevated Railroad. In 1888 he began his railroad service as a telegraph operator with the Illinois Central Railroad. He next became connected with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, serving in the general office. then as dispatcher for the Chicago terminals and later as chief clerk to the general superintendent. In 1905 he entered the service of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway as secretary to the president, and in 1908 he was appointed general agent in charge of all the ticket agents, station facilities, promotion of traffic, advertising, real estate and the handling of leases and contracts. During Mr. Patten's connection with the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway that company was successful in locating a number of very large industrial plants at the ends of its branches, thus assisting materially in building up traffic for the rush hours to move in the opposite direction from that traffic which is handled to and from the central business district at morning and night.

C. M. Mock, formerly chief engineer and assistant general manager of the Northwestern Elevated Railroad and chief engineer of the Chicago & Oak Park Elevated Railroad, has been appointed chief engineer of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway, South Side Elevated Railroad and Northwestern Elevated Railroad. and retains the title of chief engineer of the Chicago & Oak Park Elevated Railroad. Mr. Mock was graduated from Purdue University in 1888 a a mechanical and civil engineer. For some time thereafter he was engaged in railroad and public works engineering in the West and with the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He entered the service of the Northwestern Elevated Railroad as assistant engineer in 1897 and later was made assistant chief engineer and then chief engineer of the Northwestern Elevated Railroad and Union Elevated Loop and the Chicago & Oak Park Elevated Railway, succeeding Mr. C. V. Weston, who became president of the South Side Elevated Railroad. In 1907 Mr. Mock was appointed assistant general manager of the Northwestern Elevated Railroad, retaining his position as chief engineer of that company and the Chicago & Oak Park Elevated Railway, which three positions he held at the time of the consolidation.

E. J. Blair, electrical engineer of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway, has also been appointed electrical engineer of the Northwestern Elevated Railroad and the South Side Elevated Railroad. Mr. Blair was graduated from Cornell University in 1905 and began work in the shops of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway. In 1900 he was transferred to the construction division of the engineering department, in 1907 to the maintenance-of-way department and in 1908 to the power department, in which he was given charge of the lines, cables, substations and storage batteries. Mr. Blair was appointed electrical engineer of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway in 1910.

B. J. Fallon, formerly assistant general manager Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway, has been appointed engineer of maintenance of way of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway, Northwestern Elevated Railroad and the South Side Elevated Railroad. Mr. Fallon graduated from De La Salle Institute, Chicago, in 1890 and began work with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, in whose service he spent eight and one-half years, during which time he served as rodman, assistant maintenance engineer. locating and constructing engineer, division engineer Chicago division, assistant engineer and superintendent of track elevation at Chicago. In 1907 Mr. Fallon was appointed engineer of maintenance of way of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway and in March, 1910, he was made ass is tan t general manager of that property.

H. A. Johnson, formerly master mechanic of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway, has also been appointed master mechanic of the Northwestern Elevated Railroad and South Side Elevated Railroad. Mr. Johnson was graduated from Purdue University with the degree of mechanical engineer and immediately thereafter entered the service of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, specializing in locomotive work. He has been connected with the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway since 1908, serving in the inspection and electrical departments, the armature shop, power house and in the drafting department. More recently he was appointed superintendent of motive power and equipment and during the construction of the Douglas Park extension of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway he served as engineer in charge.

E. E. Kretschmer has been appointed purchasing agent of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway, South Side Elevated Railroad and Northwestern Elevated Railroad. Mr. Kretschmer has been chief clerk to Mr. E. C. Noe, general manager of the Northwestern Elevated Railroad, since 1893, and previous to that time was connected with the General Electric Company of Chicago.

P. F. McCall has been appointed general storekeeper of the South Side Elevated Railroad, Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway and Northwestern Elevated Railroad. Mr. McCall was formerly stock clerk and storekeeper for one of the large Chicago packing houses. About three years ago he entered the service of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway as stock clerk and shortly thereafter was appointed storekeeper.

Dan Sheehan, road master of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway, Chicago, Ill., has also been appointed roadmaster of the Northwestern Elevated Railroad and South Side Elevated Railroad. Previous to his connection with the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway, which began in April, 1911, Mr. Sheehan served for a long period with the North American Railway Construction Company as construction superintendent of several of the elevated railways in Chicago. He had charge of the erection of the steel structure for the four-track main line of the Northwestern Elevated Railroad, the third-track reconstruction of the South Side Elevated Railroad and the construction of the Logan Square branch of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway.