Chicago’s famous “L” service first began on June 6, 1892, 125 years ago. The Chicago Transit Authority celebrated that anniversary this Tuesday with two special trains going around the Loop. A lucky few also received a commemorative poster (see above).
The event was well publicized. By the time I got to Clark and Lake around noon, there were hundreds of people waiting to ride historic cars 4271 and 4273, which were built in 1923. There was another train of 2400-series cars, which were retired a few years ago, but a lot fewer people were riding them.
In fact, some riders tried to board them without even realizing they were historic cars. They look very similar to current equipment.
This reminded me of stores I have heard about late 1950s streetcar fantrips here in Chicago. Although red cars were last used in regular service in 1954, they were such a familiar sight to Chicagoans that some tried to board the fantrip cars without realizing these type of cars were no longer being used.
On the way downtown via the Blue Line, I noticed a freight train running on the B&OCT, a rare occurrence nowadays. I also saw a work train, where a flatcar was being hauled by six 2400s. Using retired equipment in work service is a practice railroads have done for a long time.
When the CTA retired the last 4000s in 1973, only two cars were kept. In retrospect, it would have been preferable to have saved more, as evidenced by the large crowds yesterday. But at least something was saved.
Unfortunately, when the iconic 6000s were retired in the 1990s, none were retained as historic cars. The same is true of the 2200s, the last series with “blinker doors.” To see examples of these cars, you will need to visit a trolley museum.
I was one of the lucky few who snagged a poster, but there was no way I could get on the 4000s train at Clark and Lake. So I rode a few stops down, got some pictures, and crowded into the train, which had a “crush load.”
4271-4272 are part of a series of 455 “L” cars built between 1913 and 1924. In their time, they were “state of the art,” and provided good service for about 50 years.
To me, the best part of the 4000s is the gear noise they make when accelerating. While I did not shoot any video yesterday, figuring many other people would fill that gap, I did make some audio recordings, which I hope to post at a future date.
After riding to LaSalle and Van Buren, I got off for some more pictures, before riding the 2400s back to Clark and Lake. A fine, if crowded, time was had by all.
-David Sadowski
A rare freight on the B&OCT in Oak Park.
Clark and Lake.
Hundreds attempt to board the special train at Clark and Lake.
Clark and Lake.
Clark and Lake.
Between Clark and State.
Randolph and Wabash.
Randolph and Wabash.
The interior of 4271.
LaSalle and Van Buren.
The 2400s train.
An out of service train passes while we wait for the 4000s.
4000s between Library and LaSalle.
4000s between Library and LaSalle.
LaSalle and Van Buren.
2400s interior.
2400s at Clark and Lake.
Riders on the historic train also received vintage paper transfers, which are no longer in use.
Omnibus Society Trolley Bus Fantrips, 1972-73
North Avenue at the Kennedy Expressway, April 1, 1973.
Here are some photos from the last Chicago trolley bus fantrips, sponsored by the Omnibus Society of America. The April 1, 1973 trip took place one week after the last regular trolley bus runs on the CTA. Immediately after this trip, the last two trolley buses to run in Chicago were towed to the Illinois Railway Museum, which now has an operating trolley bus loop. The buses used were all built by Marmon-Herrington.
According to one of the participants on the April 1, 1973 trip, in the week since regular TB service had quit, wires were already removed from a short stretch on North Avenue, near the Kennedy Expressway. Chances are, this was done to provide trucks with greater clearance.
Central at North, northbound, December 3, 1972.
Belmont at Nagle westbound, December 3, 1972.
Belmont at Kimball eastbound, December 3, 1972.
Pulaski at Diversey southbound, December 3, 1972.
Belmont at Cumberland, eastbound, December 3, 1972.
Belmont at Cumberland, eastbound, December 3, 1972.
Central Avenue at North Avenue, northbound, December 3, 1972.
Pulaski Road, April 1, 1973.
Pulaski Road, April 1, 1973.
Pulaski Road at Diversey, with the old Marshall Fields man-made waterfall in the background, December 3, 1972.
Central at North Avenue, December 3, 1972.
North and Narragansett, eastbound, April 1, 1973.
Wires down, at the Kennedy Expressway, April 1, 1973.
Fullerton at Parkside, April 1, 1973. This bus turnaround has since been removed.
Belmont at Kimball westbound, April 1, 1973.
Fullerton at Orchard, westbound, April 1, 1973.
Fullerton at Orchard, westbound, April 1, 1973.
Fullerton Avenue eastbound, April 1, 1973.
Chicago Trolleys
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Yeah, so many things we could wish had been saved by the CTA, besides more 4000’s. I’m surprised at neither 6000’s nor 2200’s being saved. It would have been nice if they had bought a couple of the CA&E 450’s, and a couple of CNS&M Silverliners. Space, time, and money are probably the constraints here, and who wants people to remember that the L led to a wider world, until it didn’t.
#483 Olson Rug Co.
http://livinghistoryofillinois.com/pdf_files/Olson%20Rug%20Park%20and%20Waterfall,%20Chicago,%20IL.pdf
Belmont and Nagle is really Narragansett at that point. I love the Fullerton/Central turnaround with the Henry’s Hamburger Sign still visible in the upper left. I remember at this point if you wanted to travel West on Fullerton to Harlem you had to take a coach to get there. I never understood why they just didn’t extend the trolley line.
Sorry. My mistake. It is Nagle. The Fullerton/Central picture has a group photo in front of the trolley on the street and the main trolley has UNION as it’s destination. Must be some sort of fan tour.
All these pictures are from fantrips, thanks.
Agreed, it would have been wonderful if CTA had been in a position to save a full 8 car train set of the 6000s. However, such was not the case.
Somehow, New York has been able to save entire trains of historic rapid transit cars, such as the Lo-Vs.
More room for storage and more money, no doubt.
I’ll bet they didn’t save any articulated cars, like the Budd trainset or one of the Bluebirds.
Those were scrapped in the 1950s. Not much preservation going on then. The experimental aluminum-bodied car was scrapped during WWII for its metal content.
On the photo of the trolleybus with it poles down next the the Kennedy expressway, it appears that the bus is just sitting there. How was it towed beyond the wireless section? I presume that the fans riding on the bus didn’t just get out and push?
That’s a great question. I’ll have to ask someone who was on the trip.
You have managed to get me in one of your photographs of the 4000s at Clark and Lake. http://picsee.net/upload/2017-07-10/364ffdb9cb53.jpg
Here is the shot I got from that image. http://picsee.net/upload/2017-07-10/57c4b881b1f0.jpg
I did not get a poster. If I had, I would have folded it flat to fit it in my satchel (which you can glimpse hanging from my left shoulder).
I did not ride the 4000s this day. I did ride the 2400s. Most of my photographs (and videos) were shot on the Inner Loop @ Quincy and Wells.
Also, after having a late lunch @ Mr. Beef On Orleans, was walking to the Chicago Brown Line “L” station and espied the 4000s deadheading back to
Skokie Shops. http://picsee.net/upload/2017-07-10/9393f378bc4b.jpg
Sorry that I did not see your message right away, but somehow it landed in the WordPress spam folder. Usually the filter is so good, that it is rare for a legit message to end up there.
I try again. X=}
I am Steve De Rose. I am visible in p1070438.jpg (I illustrate = http://picsee.net/upload/2017-07-21/a8e5c1e33331.jpg).
I did not know you were there, Mr. David Sadowski, or I would have made the effort to introduce myself to you.
I did not get a poster. If I had, I would have folded it into quarters to make it fit into my satchel [visible hanging off my left shoulder].
I follow this blog, and I link to it on my public|regular bookmark page (unlinked because I don’t want to trigger an automatic spam alert on this response, but you can get there from my profile).
Anyhow, I shall refer in the photograph I got when Mr. D. Sadowski got me in his frame. http://picsee.net/upload/2017-07-21/21a3c1d6c3e7.jpg
I have been a member of C.E.R.A. since 1978, and I think my jean jacket dates back to then as well. I vaguely remember wearing it on a fantrip when we rode the South Shore Line to Shops in Michigan City, IN. that summer. Of course, I have rode the South Shore Line sporadically since then. The most recent time was 8 July 2017, when there was a beer festival on the grounds of the Shoreline Brwy. in Michigan City.
On this day, though, I did not ride the 4000s. I took another Loop train around to Quincy | Wells, and shot most of my pictures and video on the inner Loop there. I did ride the 2400s.
The amusing part is: I had a late lunch at Mr. Beef on Orleans (it makes my favo(u)rite italian beef sandwich), and as I walked back to the Chicago Brown Line “L” station, I espied the 4000s deadheading back to Skokie Shops (http://picsee.net/upload/2017-07-21/14e0ee675cf7.jpg).
I’ll halt here. If people want to contact me, they certainly can. They can even use my photographs subject to Creative Commons v3.0 Share Alike {Basically: I get to make money off my photographs, but you don’t.}.
Thanks for writing. Sorry we did not connect– perhaps we will in the future. Let’s hope so.
Trolley bus pic is labeled wrong. There was no Sunbeam factory on Pulaski. More than likely this was Roosevelt and Central.
In 1962 Sunbeam employed 4,400 people in Illinois, 11,300 total. The company office was at 5400 West Roosevelt Rd., Chicago along with four plants (all in Chicago). These were at 5600 West Roosevelt Rd., 4433 West Ogden Ave., 5430 West Roosevelt Rd., and 1824 South Laramie St.
Thanks for the correction.
I’m a little amazed at a small detail in pict477, trolley fan buses at Fullerton at Orchard, westbound, April 1, 1973. On the left side of the photo, “catty-corner” from each other are two separate sets of Chicago street signs – one set in the older yellow and the other in the new green signs we have today.
I always thought the green signs replaced the yellow ones during the late 70’s to early 80’s. But here are green ones on April 1, 1973! They’re also prominent in the next photo, pict476. The yellow signs read “Fullerton STREET” while the green set has “Fullerton Parkway.” The “Parkway” set would have been part of the brown boulevard sign system. It could be the city replaced the brown signs first, obviously as early as April 73. I wonder how long the yellow set stayed up across the street.
I hope this isn’t too far off-topic.
Not off-topic as far as I am concerned, thanks!