This is one of the very first CTA trains to use the permanent routing into the DesPlaines terminal on March 20, 1960. This bridge, originally designed for three tracks, is still in use. But with expressway construction far from finished, note the grade crossing right behind the bridge. That implies that the bridge was built first and then the area around it was later cleared out for the highway. Cars today go underneath the “L”. Behind the train, you can see a handsome 1939 field house, still in use today in a nearby park.
In the first of two posts, as we close out 2015, we are featuring highlights from our recent E-book collection, The “New Look” in Chicago Transit: 1938-1973. Today’s highlights are from the CTA Transit News and mainly cover the period 1958-61. Watch this space for another helping in a few days.
There is a tremendous amount of useful information in the Transit News, and there are thousands of pages of material on this DVD data disc we are offering.
FYI, all current orders for The “New Look” have now shipped.
The “New Look” in Chicago Transit: 1938-1973
Edited by David Sadowski
Over a period of 35 years, between 1938 and 1973, Chicago’s transit system was radically transformed, for better or for worse.
This transformation included the creation of the Chicago Transit Authority in 1945 by act of the state legislature. CTA represented public ownership and unification of Chicago’s mass transit system. The Chicago Rapid Transit Company, Chicago Surface Lines, and (later) Chicago Motor Coach Company were all merged.
The venerable Loop “L” was supplemented by two new subways, under State and Dearborn streets. Several “L” lines and dozens of stations were abandoned. New rapid transit lines were built in three different expressways.
Streetcars and trolley buses were eliminated, as were many grade crossings. Two of Chicago’s three major interurbans expired.
High-speed rapid transit cars were developed by the Chicago Transit Authority, and put into use on the new Skokie Swift service and, eventually, throughout the system. Air conditioning became standard on rapid transit cars.
By the early 1960s, the CTA began calling it a “New Look” in transit.
Now, to examine this transformation, we have collected many original CTA source documents from this revolution together in one place, as our third DVD data disc release, The “New Look” in Chicago Transit: 1938-1973, edited by David Sadowski.
Since our previous release Chicago’s PCC Streetcars: The Rest of the Story covered surface system changes, this new collection’s primary focus is rapid transit. Naturally, there is some overlap between the two E-books, but The “New Look” includes over 1000 pages of new material, including:
An introductory essay by transit historian David Sadowski, which puts the era into perspective
Special commemorative publications put out by the City of Chicago in 1943 and 1951, when the State Street and Dearborn subways opened
43 entire issues of CTA Transit News in hi-res (an employee publication, primarily covering the important transition period from 1958 through 1961), plus additional scans from 1964-65, 1967-68, and 1969-70
High-resolution scans of the 1958 and 1961 CTA Annual Reports (all reports from 1945-76 are also included in lower-res scans)
Rapid transit system track maps
A short book, The Story of the Chicago Rapid Transit Lines (circa 1938)
Numerous CTA pamphlets, covering A/B “skip stop” service, Rider’s Reader, opening of the Congress rapid transit line, “New Look” (aka “Fishbowl”) buses, bus overhaul shops, and the elevation of the outer end of the Lake Street “L”.
In addition, we have included a variety of CTA technical publications, including the operation of various old interlockings, signal systems, and troubleshooting manuals for the 4000-series rapid transit cars.
# of Discs – 1
Price: $19.95
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Transit historian and author Andre Kristopans has sent us a preliminary list, which still needs work, of the CSL/CTA off-street turning loops:
Root/Halsted 1/1895 out 8/9/53
Cable Ct/harper 7/08 out 1960
Wentworth/63 11/08 out 6/22/58
Western/Flournoy 6/09 out 7/18/65
Cottage Grove/72 11/10 out 9/28/56
State/63 01/11 out 1/9/57
Western/Roscoe 7/11 out 1/24/51
Vincennes/80 8/11 out 1990’s
Clark/Arthur 11/11 active
Halsted/79 12/12 active
63/King 6/13 out 6/28/69 (temporarily reactivated circa 1977 when Ryan L out of service at 18th)
Halsted/Waveland 3/15 active
Clark/Howard 4/15 out 12/3/61
75/Lakefront 5/15 active (cul-de-sac)
Broadway/Ardmore 12/15 out 12/26/63
Torrence/112 3/17 active
Devon/Sheridan 5/17 (CMC) out 10/18/53
Archer/Cicero 12/17 active (relocated 1955)
Navy Pier 6/21 active (relocated 1959, relocated again 1990’s)
Madison/Austin 7/21 active
Milwaukee/Imlay 9/27 active
Montrose/Milwaukee 1/31 out 1980’s
Montrose/Narragansett 1/31 out 1990’s
Belmont/Pacific 5/31 out 1/9/49
18th/Lake Shore 6/33 out 3/9/49
Roosevelt/Columbus 8/33 out 4/11/53
Hamlin/Fulton (CMC) 6/35 out 2/11/53
87/Western 7/35 active
Belmont/Central 9/35 out 1/9/49 (relocated across street 1930’s)
Diversey/Western 9/35 out 7/1/55
Diversey/Neva 10/38 active
Caldwell/Central 8/39 (relocated 1961)
83/Green Bay 5/40 out 10/30/63
Bell & Howell 12/42 out 1976
76/Keeler 7/43 out 3/16/53
76/Kilpatrick 7/43 out 6/21/59
115/Cottage Grove 9/24/63 out 6/16/63 (south of 115th)
Montrose/Broadway 7/29/46 out 1970’s
Monroe Parking Lot 8/15/46 out 1972
Soldier Field Parking Lot 8/15/46 out 1990’s
Merchandise mart plaza 9/16/46 out 1990’s
Torrence/128 10/21/46 relocated to 130th west of Torrence 1980’s, out 1990’s
Torrence/112 10/21/46 out 4/25/48 (south of RR)
74/Damen 11/1/46 active
Irving Park/Cumberland 2/4/47 active (moved 1/24/64)
Damen/Elston 6/19/47 out 9/30/63
84/State 6/28/47 out 11/26/58
116/Burley 6/30/47 out 1990’s
Cortland/Paulina 8/31/47 out 4/17/59
31/Ellis 2/29/48 out 9/27/56
Narragansett/63 Pl 4/25/48 active
63/Archer 4/25/48 active (relocated 1990’s)
Harlem/64 Pl 6/15/48 active
Western/79 7/31/48 active
Devon/Kedzie 9/13/48 active
Irving Pk/Neenah 11/17/48 (moved from S to N of Irving Pk 7/9/58) out 1980’s
16th/47th Ct 12/12/48 active
Belmont/Halsted 1/9/49 active
Belmont/Cumberland 1/9/49 active
Belmont/Octavia 1/9/49 active
Western/Berwyn 1/10/49 active
Western/Howard 2/17/49 active
North/Clybourn 7/3/49 out 2000’s
Lehigh/Touhy 7/14/49 out 2/20/55
Cermak/Harlem (West Towns Garage) 8/13/49 out 1/16/57
Harrison/Central 8/14/49 active
Addison/Pontiac (CMC) 8/17/49 active
Western/Leland 11/14/49 active
Fullerton/Parkside 12/4/49 out 1990’s
North/Clark 12/4/49 active
North/Narragansett 12/4/49 active
Jersey/Peterson 5/13/50 out 1973
31/California 5/17/50 out 1990’s
111/Harding 10/21/50 active
Central/Milwaukee 11/17/50 out 9/24/70
Grand/Nordica 4/1/51 active
47/Lake Park 4/15/51 active (moved from W of Lake Park to E 7/26/66)
Cicero/Pensacola 5/10/51 active
Lincoln/Wrightwood 7/2/51 out 4/27/60
Elston/Kentucky 7/19/51 out 7/8/55
Pulaski/Peterson 7/20/51 active
Archer/Neva 11/2/51 active
Lincoln Village 11/13/51 out 1/30/55 (McCormick N of Lincoln)
Lincoln/Whipple 11/23/51 out 1970’s
Cicero/24 Pl 11/25/51 active
31/Komensky 12/6/51 active
Logan Square 12/19/51 out 1/31/70
North/Winchester 5/5/52 out 1973
Grand/Latrobe 5/24/52 active
Cermak/54 Av 5/25/52 active (moved 2000’s)
Fairbanks/Ontario 7/20/52 out 1990’s, new built 2000’s
79/Lakefront 8/11/52 relocated 2012
Roosevelt/Monitor 9/7/52 out 2000’s
Pulaski/Foster 9/8/52 out 1990’s
95/Western Evergreen Plaza 9/28/52 out 2015
Chicago/Mayfield 12/13/52 active (moved to Austin 1980’s)
Roosevelt/Wabash 5/12/53 out 1972
Racine/87 5/28/53 active
26/Kenton 6/18/53 out 1970’s
Desplaines/Congress 10/9/53 active relocated numerous times
Jackson/Central Fieldhouse 10/29/53 out 7/8/55
Niles Center/Pratt 11/15/53 out 1/15/54
Kedzie/63 Pl 12/15/53 active
42/Packers 2/14/54 out 11/9/70 (moved 4/22/63)
87/Cicero 8/13/54 active moved to shopping center across Cicero 1980’s
Ashland/95 11/4/54 active
California/Addison 11/26/54 out 2015
Grand/Natchez 12/20/54 out 2/22/67
Western/119 2/9/55 active
Cermak/57 Ac 4/17/55 out 1980’s
Jackson/Austin 7/8/55 active
Forest Glen garage 12/4/55
Damen/87 12/9/55 active
Cottage Grove/Burnside 8/22/56 out 2000’s
North Park Garage 12/4/55 no longer used as turnaround since 1980’s
Brother Rice High School 9/10/56 active
Cermak Plaza 1/14/57 active relocated to N Riverside Park Mall 1975
59/Keating 5/5/57 out 1990’s
Howard/Kedzie 1/26/58 out 11/19/60 (east of Channel)
Jackson/Kedzie Garage 7/3/58 not used as turnaround since 1990’s
83/Wentworth 7/14/58 out 1990’s
Teletype Corp 9/8/58 out 1980’s
Pulaski/104 9/17/58 active
Cicero/64 11/27/58 out 1990’s
Pulaski/77 6/21/59 out 6/1/62
79/Kilpatrick 6/21/58 out 1990’s
Indianapolis/101 7/5/59 out 1970’s
Cumberland/Montrose 8/3/59 out 7/13/64
Howard/McCormick 11/3/60 active
Cermak/State 11/19/60 out 9/28/69
McCormick Place 11/19/60 replaced 1970, out 1970’s
115/Pulaski 12/4/60 out 8/3/64
67/Oglesby 12/15/60 active
Howard/Hermiatage 12/3/61 replaced 1990’s
Pulaski/75 6/1/62 out 7/21/63
Pulaski/81 7/21/63 active
Beverly Garage 2/10/64 not used as turnaround after 1990’s
Skokie Swift 4/19/64 active
Old Orchard 4/20/64 moved 1970’s
Marist High School 8/24/64 out 2000’s
Randolph/Lake Shore 9/14/64 active moved to Randolph/Harbor 1970’s
55/St Louis 11/11/64 active replaced 2000’s
51/St Louis 1/13/65 out 1990’s
115/Springfield 5/10/65 active
King Dr/Burnside 6/20/65 out 1970’s
Ford City 8/12/65 active relocated 1990’s
Luther High School (87/Sacramento) 11/24/65 out 1990’s
Pratt/Kedzie 8/1/66 out 1990’s
Mercy Hospital 2/1/68 out 1980’s
Ashland/63 5/6/69 active
95/Dan Ryan 9/28/69 active
79/Perry 9/28/69 active
69/Dan Ryan 9/28/69 active
Cermak/Clark 9/28/69 out 1980’s
Jefferson Park 2/1/70 active
Irving Park/Keystone 2/1/70 active
Belmont/Kimball 2/1/70 active
Logan Square 2/1/70 active
Olive/Harvey 2/8/71 active relocated 1970’s and 1990’s
International Towers 6/7/71 out 1973
King Dr/96 1970’s out 1970’s
95/St Lawrence 1970’s active
Archer/Halsted 1990’s active
Archer/Ashland 1990’s active
Lincoln Village (Lincoln/Jersey) 1980’s out 1990’s
103rd Garage 1990’s active
Limits Garage 1860’s out 1990’s
47/Laramie 1970’s out 1980’s
Western/49 1990’s active
Archer/Leavitt 1990’s active
Kedzie/49 1990’s active
Pulaski/51 1990’s active
Skokie Courthouse 1990’s active
73/Kostner 1990’s active
59/Kilpatrick 1990’s active
71/Pulaski 1980’s active
Division/Austin 1970’s active
Clark/Wisconsin 1970’s out 1990’s
Chicago-Read hospital 1970’s out 2015 (relocated across Oak park Av 1980’s)
River Rd/Kennedy 1980’s – CTA stopped using 1990’s
Cumberland/Bryn Mawr – 1980’s active
Pavilion Apts – 1970’s active (relocated 1980’s)
Lincolnwood Town Ctr – 1990’s active
Bryn Mawr/Lake Shore 1980’s active
Wright College 1990’s active
Higgins/Harlem 1980’s active
Touhy/Overhill 1970’s – CTA has not used since 2000’s (replaced last Y terminal)
Evanston Twp High School Parking Lot 1990’s out 2000’s
74th Garage first used as turnaround 2015 active
Avon @ Golf/Waukegan 1990’s active
Pullman Plaza parking lot (Doty W/109) 2000’s
Grand/Columbus 1970’s out 1990’s
Desplaines/Harrison 1990’s active
Field Museum turn-in on McFetridge 1980’s active
King/24th Pl 1980’s active
McCormick Place South driveway 1980’s out 1990’s
Wilson/E Ravenswood 1970’s out 1990’s
Nature Museum (Cannon/Fullerton) 1980’s active
South Blvd/Sheridan 1973 out 1990’s inherited from Evanston Bus Co.
From 1951 to 1958, the CTA Dearborn-Milwaukee subway ended at a stub-end terminal at the LaSalle Street station. The original plans were for an underground loop just east of the old Main Post Office, but that was given up in order to save money.
In January 1951, a fire threatened CTA’s little-used North Water Street stub terminal, which managed to survive until 1963.
The CTA Transit News included many rare photos of Congress rapid transit line construction. This picture was taken around January 1958 at the DesPlaines terminal and looks to the northeast. While most of the Congress line went into service in June 1958, the portion west of the Lotus tunnel was not finished until 1961. Work in the terminal area continued into 1962.
The ramp connecting Congress with Douglas was still being built in February 1958, four months before service began. If a similar ramp could have been built to the west of Marshfield, interurban trains of the Chicago, Aurora & Elgin would have been able to access the Loop via the Paulina Connector and the Lake Street “L”, just as the Pink Line (successor to the Douglas Park “L”) does today.
Until 1969, the Englewood branch of the south side “L” ended at Loomis, not a convenient place for bus transfers going north and south. CTA made some improvements, but the ultimate solution was a short extension of the line to nearby Ashland Avenue. This photo is from about February 1958.
In May 1958, service continued uninterrupted during major projects.
Among many other things, the CTA improved safety and reduced labor costs by replacing manually operated gates with automatic ones, as shown in this April 1958 photo. There was some resistance to automatic gates, since some people thought that manually operated ones were safer.
Signal systems, which were primitive on the older “L” lines, were also gradually improved. Automatic block signals were installed in the new subways and the Congress expressway median line.
The CTA added “Metropolitan Transit” to its logo early in 1958, to emphasize how their role extended outside the Chicago city limits. It was during this time that two of the three area interurbans were failing, and CTA unsuccessfully lobbied the Illinois legislature for financial aid that might have made it possible to incorporate larger parts of them into the CTA system. As it turned out, both the Chicago, Aurora & Elgin and Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee railroads went out of business and were liquidated. Only a few miles of each line survives in the present rapid transit network.
By the time this picture was taken in May 1958, the four-track Metropolitan “L”, shown here near Aberdeen Street, had been shaved back to two, since part of the “L” footprint was needed for the expressway. Behind the two-car train of 6000s there is a ramp leading down to the temporary Van Buren trackage of about 2 ½ miles heading west.
The new Congress median rapid transit line shortly before being put into service.
By Spring 1958, work was nearly complete on the ramp connecting the Douglas and Congress lines.
The temporary “L” service in Van Buren Street, which operated from September 1953 to June 1958, shown here at Loomis prior to the demolition of the cavernous Throop street shops at right.
CTA’s first new rapid transit line opened on June 22, 1958, at least as far as the Cicero Avenue station. Work continued west of there until 1961. While service was faster than the Garfield Park “L” it replaced, the project was a major factor in the abandonment of the “Roarin’ Elgin
The first section of the old Garfield Park “L” to be removed after the opening of the Congress line.
The opening of the Congress line was a matter of considerable civic pride for Chicago, the CTA, and Mayor Richard J. Daley.
Bob Heinlein, shown here at right during his CTA days, has been a well-known railfan for many years. He’s a great guy.
The Congress line, in the median of an expressway, inspired two additional rapid transit extensions in other local highways a decade later. However, such operations are not without problems caused by truck and auto accidents, road salt, noise, wind, poor drainage, or snow.
This picture was taken in May 1958 on what was indeed the final operation of a red Pullman (#144) on Chicago streetcar tracks.
CTA opened a new bus turnaround loop at Irving Park and Neenah in July 1958. This was one of more than 100 such off-street loops. This particular loop is no longer in use and was sold to developers. It is now part of a driveway.
It was originally used by the #80 Irving Park and #86 Narragansett routes. Over time, this loop became superfluous as the 86 was extended farther north and some of the short-turns were eliminated on 80.
The same location today.
July 1958. These sections of “L” were very close to the expressway.
Between 1959 and 1961, CTA embarked on a major construction project to fill a gap in the side “L”, where four tracks went down to two and then four again.
October 1958.
November 1958.
Many of CTA’s more than 100 off-street loops were beautifully landscaped, a tradition going back to the 1930s and the Chicago Surface Lines. Unfortunately, over the years many of these manicured green spaces have been replaced by asphalt.
The loop at Western and Berwyn today. Those trees in the middle have grown a lot larger in the 56 years since the earlier photo was taken.
I realize that the article about Garfield Park “L” stations being demolished is a CTA press release, but the stations named: St. Louis, Independence (actually known as “Garfield Park”), Tripp, Cicero, and Kedzie, were all on steel structure, not ground level. Surely, someone at CTA should have known that.
There were other errors. In the 1951 blurb about the “L” fire, they said it was near the Market Street stub, which was torn down in 1950. It was actually North Water terminal.
None of the pictures on this ‘thread’ are enlargeable, with the sole exception of the cover graphic piece. I don’t think it’s my pc as all the others readily enlarge.
We’ve just about run out of our 13 GB allotment of storage space for images. As a short-term fix, I started another free WordPress blog, which gives us an additional 3 GB. However, it seems that as a result, the pictures are not enlargeable.
This may be because they are links that are not pointed to the storage space for this blog, even though it’s just another WordPress blog. I’ll have to find out if there is a way to get around this issue, at least until more funds are available and we can purchase additional storage space from WordPress, thanks.
[…] In the second of two posts, our last for this year, we again feature highlights from our recent E-book collection, The “New Look” in Chicago Transit: 1938-1973. Today’s highlights are from the CTA Transit News and mainly cover the period 1958-61. You will find the first installment here. […]
I remember the Loomis station, but that auxiliary entrance doesn’t ring a bell. We always entered through the station house on the east side of Loomis, and my mother always bought me a pack of gum from the newsstand in there before we hopped on the Speedramp up to the platform.
The Neenah turnaround also brings back a memory of an assignment I had as a traffic engineer working for the City’s Dept. of Transportation. I had to rework the traffic signal arrangement and timing to eliminate the movement for the loop, using the existing equipment. I suspect it’s still working the same way it was from my redesign.
Thanks for sharing those memories.
[…] recent post mentioned a May 25, 1958 CERA fantrip, where Chicago Transit Authority personnel brought out cars […]