Today we are featuring classic streetcar photos from the Chicago Surface Lines and Chicago and West Towns Railways. To find more such pictures in our earlier posts, use the search window on this page.
Photos are a wonderful aid to memory. As always, if you can help identify locations, or have interesting facts or reminiscences to add, don’t hesitate to drop us a line. You can leave comments on this post, or write us directly at:
thetrolleydodger@gmail.com
FYI there will be additional Surface Lines photos coming up in the near future, so watch this space.
-David Sadowski
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American Streetcar R.P.O.s: 1893-1929
Mainline Railway Post Offices were in use in the United States from 1862 to 1978 (with the final year being operated by boat instead of on rails), but for a much briefer era, cable cars and streetcars were also used for mail handling in the following 15 cities*:
Baltimore
Boston
Brooklyn
Chicago
Cincinnati
Cleveland
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New York City
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Rochester, New York
St. Louis
San Francisco
Seattle
Washington, D.C.
*As noted by some of our readers, this list does not include interurban RPOs.
Our latest E-book American Streetcar R.P.O.s collects 12 books on this subject (over 1000 pages in all) onto a DVD data disc that can be read on any computer using Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is free software. All have been out of print for decades and are hard to find. In addition, there is an introductory essay by David Sadowski.
The rolling stock, routes, operations, and cancellation markings of the various American street railway post office systems are covered in detail. The era of the streetcar R.P.O. was relatively brief, covering 1893 to 1929, but it represented an improvement in mail handling over what came before, and it moved a lot of mail. In many places, it was possible to deposit a letter into a mail slot on a streetcar or cable car and have it delivered across town within a short number of hours.
These operations present a very interesting history, but are not well-known to railfans. We feel they deserve greater scrutiny, and therefore we are donating $1 from each sale of this item to the Mobile Post Office Society, in support of their efforts.
# of Discs – 1
Price: $19.95

CTA 3381, now in CTA green, near the south end of route 4 – Cottage Grove, circa 1952. We can tell that this car has been converted to one man because of the sign that says, “Enter at Front.” (Earl Clark Photo)

In this 1945 view, CSL 6191 has just turned from Pine onto Lake, heading east on route 16. Looks like the trolley has come off the wire. (Stephen D, Maguire Photo)

Westbound CTA 1758 is turning from Lake onto Pine in this March 1953 view. This is where Lake switched over to the other side of the Chicago & North Western embankment. The streetcar would continue on to Austin Boulevard, the city limits. That looks like a 1952 Kaiser at left.

The Pine Avenue viaduct looking south. I assume the tracks have not really shifted location, and this is an optical illusion based on the fact that the Google Street View camera was in motion when it took this picture. In other words, it was the camera that shifted its position, not the tracks.

CTA 3153 and 1772 at Lake and Austin, the west end of route 16, on May 15, 1954, same day as the famous “Farewell to Red Cars” fantrip run by Central Electric Railfans’ Association.

CTA 818 by the Park Theatre at Lake and Austin on August 13, 1948. I don’t believe the movie theatre stayed open much later than this. (John F. Bromley Collection)

Chicago Surface Lines work cars P8, P251, P9 and S55 on the scrap line at South Shops, May 12, 1943.

CTA 144 at, I believe, the east end of the 63rd Street line on 64th just west of Stony Island. The Charles J. Klees Golf Shop opened in 1910 across the street from the Jackson Park Golf Course and is still in business today at 10436 S. Western Avenue. Car 144 is preserved in operating condition at the Illinois Railway Museum. (Roy W. Bruce Photo)

CSL 5660 on through route 9 – Ashland in 1941. Paraphrasing Don’s Rail Photos, 5660 was built by Kuhlman Car Co in June 1907 (order) #350 for the Chicago & Southern Traction Company. It was purchased and rebuilt as Chicago City Ry 5660 in 1912 and became CSL 5660 in 1914. (Stephen D. Maguire Photo)

CTA Sedan (aka “Peter Witt”) 6310 appears to have been converted to one-man in this view circa 1952 view at South Shops. However, it may not have been used in service this way before being scrapped. (Roy W. Bruce Photo)

CTA 114 heading east on 63rd street, just about to go under the Jackson Park branch of the “L”. M. E. adds, “At the right side of the picture in the foreground are two vertical posts that supported the structure that went south across 63rd St. to the lower 63rd St. yard. Therefore this picture was taken just about underneath that structure.” (Roy W. Bruce Photo)

314 E. 63rd Street today. In the previous photo, the photographer appears to have been standing under the ramp going down to the CTA’s 63rd Street Lower Yard. The ramp has been rebuilt since the earlier picture was taken. The broken lines in the ramp are due to the movement of the camera while this Google Street View picture was being taken.

CSL 2530 in Hegewisch on March 16, 1943. Note the South Shore Line station at rear. (Gordon Lloyd Photo)

Don’s Rail Photos says CSL 2595 was “built by St Louis Car Co in 1901.” The 2501-2625 cars are known as Robertson rebuilds. 2595 is shown on the Riverdale line on November 11, 1939.

C&WT 138 at Cermak and Kenton in the 1940s. Here riders could transfer to the Chicago Surface Lines route 21 streetcar at right. (Joe L. Diaz Photo)

C&WT 155 on private right-of-way west of the Brookfield Zoo on April 11, 1948, on the CERA “day after abandonment” fantrip. (John F. Bromley Collection)

C&WT 138 at the Brookfield Zoo on July 22, 1938, on the busy LaGrange line. The zoo first opened in 1934. Within a year or two, all West Towns streetcars would be repainted blue. (John F. Bromley Collection)

C&WT 15 on DesPlaines Avenue on April 11, 1948. The occasion was a Central Electric Railfans’ Association fantrip, held the day after West Towns streetcar service came to an end. Note one of the distinctive C&WT shelters at rear. (John F. Bromley Collection)
The picture of baby Pullman 818 at Lake and Austin and possibly another waiting to go into the pocket had me bugged. Thought I knew all the car house/route assignments during my early teenage years. Turtle backs and usually some 1800/1900 flyers were assigned after Lake was cut back and later went to one-man cars. The baby Pullmans migrated to North carhouse after Lincoln closed in 46. The picture makes sense to me now.
Sent from my iPad
Dave Carlson writes:
very good pics ! I noticed the hedgewich station photo with the big SOUTH SHORE LINE sign
in march 1976 i was photographing the parallel ERIE LACKAWANNA railroad, which was about to be abandoned by CONRAIL on April 1st. I noticed the station back then but didn’t photograph it
Is that original station still standing ? is the big sign still there ?
I certainly would have photographed it if I had taken the time in 1976 to survey the station
the closest thing I ever experienced to an INSULL lines station was the South SHore storefront station in Michigan City in July 1972. It was so old ! No modernazation. Nothing. It was like walking back in time
Even then, at 17 I appreciated how cool it was. I would like to think that how the Wheaton CA&E station had a feel to it.
The station has been rebuilt and the large sign is gone. Here is a picture of the old station:
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3507/3993664009_e44aeffc1b_z.jpg
That’s part of a Flickr gallery showing several old South Shore stations/stops.
And the newer one:
http://www.dhke.com/CRJ/hegsta.jpg
Information on the history of this junction:
http://www.dhke.com/CRJ/burnham.html
I don’t recall offhand whether the station location was changed when it was rebuilt.
Hegewisch South Shore station was relocated about 2 blocks east along Brainard, almost to the ex PRR Bernice Cutoff crossing.
2753 shot is on Vincennes south of 78th. The “old South Shops” building is in the background, and the car is pulling out of 77th carhouse.
3333 justturned off Indiana onto Cottage Grove at Cermak.
There were about 25 sedans one-manned for Cottage Grove service, but never ran again due to political objections. One-man prewar PCC’s were used instead when route finally did go one man.
Lead across 63rd to Lower 63rdYard was rebuilt in 1990’s as one night the old structure buckled under the weight of crane S363 coming across. It was shored up and single-tracked for a while, but eventually replaced by an all-new structure.
Thanks!
I think I can shed some light on the “political objections” you refer to. The CTA originally intended to change both 63rd Street and Cottage Grove to one-man streetcars circa 1951-52. However, they held public hearings and there was some opposition to the change on 63rd.
Because of this opposition, 63rd was changed over to one-man buses instead. The pre-war PCCs were used on Cottage Grove only as one-man, and this in turn likely made the 25 or so one-man Sedans superfluous. These were simply scrapped instead.
Along with the bustitution of 63rd, the route at the west end was altered so that the buses ran on 63rd Street all the way, no longer using the private right-of-way between Central and Narragansett that was just south of there.
When did the Peter Witts (Sedans) get wings?
Looks like wings were added on the cars that were repainted green in the CTA era. The photos I have found where the cars have wings date to 1952. The repainting may have started in 1951, however.
The lead photo of CTA 6284 is listed as Cottage Grove and Cermak. I believe it is actually Indiana Ave and Cermak. I took photos of these building before they were torn down and replaced by the current building, The LEX.
I fixed the caption, thanks.
[…] We have published numerous pictures taken at this location, and a few years ago, we even went back and shot some pictures of rail. You can see those here. […]