CTA 662 in the historic Pullman neighborhood, northbound at St. Lawrence and 111th Place, on route 4. Thanks to George Foelschow for providing the correct location.
This is the third installment in our ongoing series featuring color pictures of Chicago streetcars. (You can read our first post here, and our second one here.)
As always, half the fun is trying to guess some of the locations where we do not have the information. I am always impressed at how knowledgeable and clever some of our readers are.
If you can help us out with some of the missing facts, please let us know. When referring to individual pictures, you can either use the car numbers or the image numbers. As always, you can bring up a larger version of each picture in your browser by clicking on it.
Unfortunately, we don’t know the names of the shutterbugs who took most of these pictures. One is by the great Truman Hefner, a legendary photographer who I had the pleasure of talking to last year. As far as I know, he is still going strong in his late 80s.
When we do know who pushed the button, rest assured we will always give proper credit to the photographers who took these great pictures.
Enjoy.
-David Sadowski
CTA 350 at the east end of route 66 – Chicago Avenue.
CTA 556 southbound at Milwaukee/Desplaines/Kinzie, on route 56, according to Andre Kristopans.
CTA 521 is northbound southbound at Milwaukee/Desplaines/Kinzie, on route 56, according to Andre Kristopans. This photo looks almost like a painting.
CTA 547, signed for route 56 – Milwaukee, on a shoofly going around Lower Wacker Drive construction, circa 1951. According to George Foelschow, the car “is on Madison Street with the Madison and Wells “L” station in the background.”
CTA 553 on route 56 – Milwaukee.
According to Bill Shapotkin, CTA 277 “is at State/Wacker. Car is S/B. View looks N/W.”
CTA 563, advertising WBBM-TV. Chuck Amstein adds, “also at 94th and Ashland, looking northeast. Same details looking through and around the car as img671 and img666 (chimney, red neon restaurant sign, Beverly Motors sign).”
CTA 414. Tony Waller writes, “Image 665 is probably at California & Roscoe – the actual north end of Route #52.” Bill Shapotkin: “No doubt about it — this IS at California and Roscoe — view looks north.”
CTA 532 at the Imlay loop on route 56 – Milwaukee.
CTA 201, signed to terminate at Pulaski and Cermak.
CTA 550 on Madison, going by the Chicago Daily News building, just east of North Western Station.
CTA 585 on the north end of route 56 – Milwaukee, where the street is wider.
CTA 529 at North Western Station.
CTA 458.
CTA 225 is westbound on Belmont at Clark, on the short-turn loop via Halsted-Belmont-Clark, according to Andre Kristopans. Len Marcus adds, “turning southbound onto Clark Street.” This car is preserved at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.
CTA 578 at the Imlay loop on route 56 – Milwaukee.
CTA 578 heads south on route 56 – Milwaukee, crossing both Damen and North.
Two Pullmans at the end of the line at Ashland and 95th, according to Andre Kristopans. Chuck Amstein adds, “the large building to the left of the streetcars is Beverly Bowling lanes (I practically grew up in there).”
CTA 230 at Chicago and Wells.
CTA 585 heads south on route 56 – Milwaukee. The landmark Montgomery Wards complex on Chicago Avenue is just barely visible at rear.
CTA 271 at North and Narragansett in November 1948. This was the west end of route 72, and streetcars turned back right in the middle of the street, as they did on many other lines.
CTA 629 on that section of route 4 – Cottage Grove that parallels the Illinois Central electric.
CTA 532 at the Imlay loop on route 56 – Milwaukee.
Red cars pass each other on a drawbridge on route 9 – Ashland. According to Andre Kristopans, this is the Sanitary and Ship Canal at 29th Street or so.
Car 501 heads southbound at 4700 North Milwaukee on route 56. The building at rear is still standing as of 2015.
CTA 5527 in route 9 – Ashland. Chuck Amstein adds, “75% sure img671 is at 94th and Ashland, looking northeast. The red neon restaurant sign at the left of the car can be seen through the car in img666. Also, the smokestack above the cars in both 666 and 671 appears the same.”
CTA 1725 is westbound on Randolph just east of Halsted on route 58 – Ogden. This is the approximate location of where the Kennedy expressway crosses Randolph today.
CTA 1010, signed for through route 3 – Lincoln-Indiana, is outbound on Lincoln Avenue at Catalpa, at the infamous Lincoln Avenue bend, according to Len Marcus.
CTA 585 on the north end of route 56 – Milwaukee, where the street is wider.
CSL 5377 at Southport and Clark, the north end of route 9 – Ashland.
CTA 566 stopped at a safety island. Chuck Amstein says 566 “is at 94th & Ashland, looking northeast. The blue and red sign at left matches that on the right side of img680 (at 95th & Ashland).”
CTA 540, northbound at Desplaines and Milwaukee, is on route 56, according to Andre Kristopans.
CTA 1746 on route 58, passes People’s Pontiac, then located at 3120-58 W. Ogden. The dealership later moved to 6060 N. Western, the same address as “Z” Frank Chevrolet.
CTA 3182 and 660 at the south terminal of route 4 – Cottage Grove.
CTA 460, eastbound at about 4600 W. 63rd Street, crossing the Belt Railway circa 1952-53 after PCCs were taken off this route. This car is preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum.
CTA 330 at Kedzie Station (car barn) in March 1951.
CTA 1046 is at Southport and Clark on route 9 – Ashland, according to Andre Kristopans.
In image 693, Car 277 is coming Southbound off the Dearborn St bridge about to cross Wacker. The Steele-Wedeles building is now the site of the Westin Hotel
Someone else says State Street. Which is correct?
The street sign—reading STATE ST—can clearly be read.
That’s good enough for me, thanks!
Car 225 is westbound on Belmont between Halsted & Clark, looks like it is turning southbound onto Clark Street.
Car 1010 is southbound on Lincoln Avenue at Catalpa, at the infamous Lincoln Avenue bend.
Thanks for the information!
I am not one to nitpick, but the first photo is on St. Lawrence at 111th Place in Pullman.
Thanks, I will change it.
Don’t worry, we welcome such corrections.
556, 521 both at Milwaukee/Desplaines/Kinzie. 556 SB, 521 NB
225 is WB on Belmont at Clark, on the short-turn loop via Halsted-Belmont-Clark
the two Pullmans at the end of the line are at Ashland/95th
two cars at drawbridge on Ashland I would say at Sanitary & Ship canal (29th St or so)
540 again at Desplaines & Milwaukee NB
1046 at Southport & Clark
277 is on State. Look at the very left edge of the photo, you can see the wooden bridge house for Dearborn, which was a VERY old bridge, whereas State was brand new at the time.
Thanks for clarifying that!
Not sure, but isn’t Car 144 on California near Roscoe?
This post doesn’t have any pictures of 144 in it. Perhaps you are thinking of a different car number?
There is a picture showing car 414. Is that what you had in mind?
img666 is at 94th & Ashland, looking northeast. The blue & red sign at left matches that on the right side of img680 (95th & Ashland).
The large building to the left of the streetcars in img680 is Beverly Bowling lanes (I practically grew up in there).
Thanks!
75% sure img671 is at 94th & Ashland, looking northeast. The red neon restarurant sign at the left of the car can be seen through the car in img666. Also, the smokestack above the cars in both 666 & 671 appears the same.
In image 666, there is a reflection of part of a sign that appears to say “Beverly Motors,” and another sign that might say “Service.” Looks like Beverly Motors was located at 9425 South Ashland. So it looks as though your hunch is correct.
They were authorized Hudson dealers.
img661 is a great photo – shows a complete set of manually operated crossing gates, perfect lighting. Note the bell on the gateman’s tower. Belt Ry. of Chicago crossing. You should send this photo to Classic Trains Magazine.
Glad you like it, thanks!
img691 is also at 94th & Ashland, looking northeast. Same details looking through and around the car as img671 & img666 (chimney, red neon restarurant sign, Beverly Motors sign).
In the picture of car 1746 passing People’s Pontiac, the stately red-brick-and-mansard-roof building at left rear was the Douglas Park Auditorium, at Ogden and Kedzie. It was a renowned center of Yiddish theater and social organizations back in the days when North Lawndale was an Eastern European Jewish neighborhood. The building still stands today, now used as a church.
That’s great information, thanks!
In that same photo with car 1746, the building on the North East corner of Kedzie and Ogden, in between Peoples Pontiac and the Douglas Park Auditorium, was owned by my grandfather and had an ice cream parlor on the main level and two floors of apartments above it. He lived there from the early 1900s through 1956.
[…] CSL 5659 at 95th, the south end of the #9 Ashland through-route. We previously posted some photos of this same location here:http://thetrolleydodger.com/2015/03/20/chicago-streetcars-in-color-part-3/ […]
Image 665 is probably at California & Roscoe – the actual north end of Route #52. Image 243 in a previous photo group is on 63rd St. Look at the pre-war PCC. It’s door arrangement is that of two-man car. Cottage Grove and Western only had pre-war PCCs in one man operation.
Thanks. I have updated the captions accordingly.
[…] previous posts in the Chicago Streetcars in Color series. Here are the links to parts One, Two, Three, and Four. It’s been a while, though– the last such post was in […]