An westbound two-car CTA “L” train crosses over the Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal tracks circa November 1959. We are by Kenilworth Avenue in Oak Park during construction of the Congress (now Eisenhower) expressway. The highway is depressed below grade in this area, and the two railroads are in the south portion of the expressway footprint. All the buildings seen here are still extant. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

This real photo postcard shows a crash between two Metropolitan “L” cars on the Humboldt Park branch. There is a different picture of the same wreck (again, from a RPP) on page 60 of my 2021 book Chicago’s Lost “L”s. The question was always, where was this taken? The best guess at the time was looking west from Kedzie Avenue (3200 W.) so that’s what I put in the book. On the other hand, Andre Kristopans thought it was near the west end of the line (Lawndale Avenue, 3700 W.). Turns out it was near Ballou station. This was later renamed to St. Louis Avenue (3500 W.) meaning it’s between where the two guesses were. Further research by Ron Tee turned up a March 15, 1909 article about the accident in the Herald News.

On December 7, 1958, CA&E wood cars 319 and 320 ran on a charter that became the last passenger movement on the railroad. Here, the fantrip train has reached the off-street Aurora terminal on a very wintry day. (Don Swanson Photo)

CA&E locos 4005 and 4006 head up a freight train at Lakewood siding in June 1956. (Don Swanson Photo)

James P. Shulman took this picture of Chicago Aurora and Elgin #456 on January 12, 1947 at Wheaton, when this car was just about one year old. It was still lettered in Futura type.

Here is a picture of Chicago Aurora and Elgin #401 at the Wheaton station on March 18, 1956. (Raymond DeGroote, Jr. Photo)

Here is another picture of Chicago Aurora and Elgin #401 at the Wheaton station on March 18, 1956. We are looking to the east. (Raymond DeGroote, Jr. Photo)

This is how the abandoned Chicago Aurora and Elgin right-of-way looked in June 1960, nearly three years after the end of passenger service and one year after the last freight train. We are looking west from Fifth Avenue in Maywood. The gates have been removed but the tracks are still in place. Formal abandonment of the railroad was approved the following year.

North Shore Line electric loco 456 is moving freight in North Chicago on the last full day of service, January 20, 1963. The weather was bitterly cold. There was no slacking off for the NSL’s employees, even though everyone knew the storied interurban had come to the end of the line. The photographer is not known, but I do think it’s very possible Jeffrey L. Wien is one of the three guys on the right… carrying a case that most likely has his movie camera in it. I think he’s the guy in the middle, grinning, because he’s in his element.

North Shore Line car #159 and an Electroliner are at the Mundelein Terminal in June 1961. The Liner was there on a fantrip, as they did not operate on this branch line in regular service. We are looking west.

North Shore Line express motors 238 and 231 are at Pettibone Yard in the 1950s. 238 has been converted to a snow plow, as the interurban had ended less-than-carload freight in 1947. This image was scanned from an 838 Kodachrome slide– which at 28x40mm is somewhat larger than 35mm’s 24x36mm. Kodak had a series of Bantam cameras that took this size, but it did not catch on.

North Shore Line car #703 is parked at Roosevelt Road in Chicago on a very snowy February 11, 1960.

The photographer must have been riding on a North Shore Line train to capture this picture on August 23, 1959. We are looking west towards the former Niles Center “L” station at Asbury Street in Evanston, last used in 1948. After being rented out to local businesses, the station building was torn down in the 1970s. The Skokie Swift began using these tracks in 1964, just over a year after the North Shore Line quit. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

CTA trolley bus 9361 was built by Pullman-Standard in 1948, and was retired on December 15, 1966. On February 26, 1965, it is heading west on Route 80 – Irving Park Road. The bus has just gone under the four-track North Side “L”. and is about to traverse the Milwaukee Road’s freight track just west of there. Until 1973, this track brought interchange freight to the CTA via the ground-level Buena Yard. Further north from here, there was a ramp connecting with the “L”. This was once a Milwaukee Road commuter line, but the Northwestern Elevated Railroad Company took over service north of Wilson Avenue in 1908. By 1912, this “Evanston Extension” of the “L” went as far north as Linden Avenue in Wilmette. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

On July 3, 1967, CTA trolley bus 9527 is eastbound on Irving Park Road, having just passed under the North-South “L”. This bus was built by Marmon-Herrington in 1951-52. The last Chicago trolley bus ran in 1973. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

This looks north from the 35th Street station on the South Side “L” on November 6, 1950. The walkway led to the former 33rd Street station, which had been closed the year before. The photographer noted that this walkway was used by students at the Illinois Institute of Technology. The walkway was closed on September 25, 1961. (William C. Hoffman Photo) M.E. writes, “This photo shows the three tracks that ran from south of Indiana Ave. north to Roosevelt Rd. The middle track was used by express trains (obviously not going in both directions simultaneously), and probably by North Shore Line trains that ran as far south as 63rd and Dorchester on the Jackson Park line for a time.
Your caption mentions the 33rd St. station. This trackage was the original South Side L from 1892, when the city was a lot smaller than today. So this trackage had a lot more stations, which (if I remember correctly) were at Congress, 12th St. (a.k.a. Roosevelt Rd.), 16th St., 18th St., 22nd St. (a.k.a. Cermak Rd.), 26th St., 29th St., 31st St., 33rd St., 35th St. and 39th St. (a.k.a. Pershing Rd.). Trains (other than express trains) on this structure stopped at all these stations (although after the State St. subway opened in 1943, mainline trains could serve L stations only as far north as 18th St.). This was before 1949, when the Kenwood line still used this trackage and before A/B skip-stop service began on the north/south mainline. After 1949, stations other than Cermak and 35th were closed to speed up service on this section. Cermak became a B (Jackson Park mainline) station and 35th an A (Englewood mainline) station.
By the way, until the 1949 major change, Englewood trains went not to Howard St. but to Ravenswood. Only Jackson Park, Evanston Express, and North Shore Line trains went to Howard. Before the 1949 cutback, Kenwood trains went into the Loop and some went as far north as Wilson Ave. After 1949, the Ravenswood line got its own trains between Kimball and the Loop.”

When Jeff Wien took this picture looking north along Pulaski Road at Irving Park Road in March 1973, CTA trolley buses were in their very last days. Here, we see 9624, a Marmon-Herrington, built in 1951-52. The Buffalo ice cream parlor was a local landmark for decades. Established in 1902, they moved to this location in 1918. It closed in 1978 and a gas station replaced it.

CTA prewar PCC car 7019 is heading north on Cottage Grove at 93rd on September 23, 1954. Route 4 streetcar service ended the following year. Our resident south side expert M.E. adds, “This intersection had a lot of trackage, for two reasons: (1) The 93rd-95th St. car line used Cottage Grove Ave. to move between 95th St. and 93rd St.; (2) A car barn was situated a block east on 93rd St. at Drexel. Notice all the trolley wire, which also indicates how much trackage existed at this intersection.”

Here’s the same location in October 2022.

On June 29, 1966, CTA single car unit 44 heads south from the Linden Avenue terminal, working an Evanston branch local. For a time, there was an automatic gate installed here to keep people and animals out of the yard. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

On July 14, 1963, this is the view looking south at South Boulevard on the Evanston branch of the “L”. As the sign at right notes, this was the changeover point from overhead wire to third rail. Evanston would not allow the “L” to use third rail north of here until 1973. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

Chicago Surface Lines Nearside streetcar #5773 is on Through Route 5: Cottage Grove – South Chicago in the late 1930s. Don’s Rail Photos: “5773 was built by Brill Car Co in 1912, #18322. It was retired on February 8, 1946.”

On May 11, 1958, William C. Hoffman captured this view, looking northwest towards the 43rd Street station on the Illinois Central Electric suburban service. You can see the former Kenwood “L” Terminal and Yard in the distance at 42nd and Oakenwald. That branch had closed on November 30, 1957, when its 50 year lease ran out with the Chicago Junction Railway, which owned it. This date also marked the end of wood cars on the “L”. The Kenwood “L” was demolished within a few years, although remnants still exist.

I was recently contacted by someone working on the effort to turn the old Kenwood “L” right-of-way into a south side version of the 606 Trail. They were wondering when the bridges over various streets were removed after the line was abandoned in November 1957. They were certainly gone by September 5, 1960, when this picture was taken at Vincennes Avenue.
(William C. Hoffman Photo)

Here is the former Kenwood “L” embankment at Cottage Grove Avenue on September 5, 1960. The Chicago Junction Railway was still active at this point, adjacent to the former “L”. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

A view of the old Kenwood “L” at Drexel Boulevard on September 5, 1960. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

This is where the old Ellis Avenue station was on the Kenwood “L”, as of September 5, 1960. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

We are looking north along Stony Island at 63rd Street on May 19, 1961. The eastern end of the Jackson Park “L” is at left. During the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, the “L” went further east of here. The Jackson Park branch has since been cut back to Cottage Grove. This image was restored from an early Ektachrome slide that had shifted to red. (William C. Hoffman Photo) M.E. writes, “In my early lifetime, the L structure over Stony Island Ave. was not there. The structure ended abutting Stony Island, but not spanning it. The streets here were a mini business district, there was a Greyhound bus station on Stony Island south of 63rd St., and Hyde Park High School was on Stony Island south of 62nd St. The 63rd St. streetcars traveled east to Stony Island, then turned right (south) to 64th St. to their terminal on 64th. To start their westbound trips, they went a block farther west on 64th St. to Harper, then north to 63rd St., then west. And of course Stony Island had its own streetcar line (and traffic ran in both directions).”

Chicago Transit Authority streetcar 3137 is at Root and Halsted (end of the 43rd Street car line) in 1952. The bridge belonged to the Stock Yard branch of the “L”. This was one of a few older trolleys that the CTA had painted in green and creme in the early 1950s. The sign at rear advertises the Chicago Daily Drovers Journal, founded in 1873 to report on the Union Stockyards. It is still in business today at: http://www.drovers.com (E. Rinke Photo)

Here’s how the Stock Yards “L” looked on Exchange Avenue near Racine Avenue on September 1, 1954. This “L” branchy was abandoned in 1957. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

We are looking west from the transfer bridge at the Indiana Avenue “L” station in the south side on November 6, 1950. By then, the Kenwood branch had become a shuttle. The CTA widened the platform so it could berth here, and northbound main line trains were relocated onto what had formerly been the express track (no longer in use, as the CTA had instituted A/B skip stop service). The Stock Yards branch always ran as a shuttle from the opposite platform. (William C. Hoffman Photo) M.E. notes: “This photo shows people on a wide platform. The space occupied by that platform was initially the third track that northbound mainline trains and northbound Kenwood trains used, before the Kenwood line was cut back to a shuttle from Indiana Ave. east. That change took place in 1949. This transfer bridge enabled passengers on:
(1) northbound mainline and Kenwood trains to reach southbound mainline trains and Stock Yards trains, and
(2) southbound mainline and Stock Yards trains to reach northbound mainline trains and Kenwood trains.”

This looks north from the 35th Street station on the South Side “L” on November 6, 1950.
The walkway led to the former 33rd Street station, which had been closed the year before. The photographer noted that this walkway was used by students at the Illinois Institute of Technology. The walkway was closed on September 25, 1961. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

On August 30, 1960, a southbound eight-car train is at 35th Street on the South Side “L”.
Construction of a new center-island platform has started. This turned out to be ill-fated, as the station was destroyed by fire not long after it opened. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

The picture was taken on October 18, 1962, the day after the station fire at 35th Street. It shows the train with the burned up car and a crowd of people nearby, including the fire department. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

Subject: CSS&SB South Shore Line Hegewisch Station 1970s
Location: Chicago, Illinois (Hegewisch neighborhood)
Date: Circa 1970s
Photographer: Unknown
This picture shows the old South Shore Line station at Hegewisch, near the Illinois-Indiana border. It was replaced by a newer station in 1992, and as this slide has square corners, it probably predates 1981.

Subject: CSS&SB South Shore Line Interurban #104
Location: Michigan City, Indiana
Date: April 1963 (processing date)
Photographer: Emery J. Gulash
Emery J. Gulash (1918-2006) was a very well known railfan photographer.
CSS&SB #104 was built by Pullman in 1926, job #4936. It was lengthened in 1943. Air conditioning and picture windows came in 1950. All cars in this series were retired by 1983, and many went to museums. The facade from the historic Michigan City station has been saved and is planned to be reused with a new building behind it. The South Shore Line street running has been replaced by new double track on private right-of-way.

Subject: CSS&SB South Shore Line Electric Loco #901 (and presumably #900)
Location: Unknown
Date: Circa 1950-55 (based on the style of slide mount
Photographer: Unknown
CSS&SB electric steeplecab #901 was built by Baldwin/Westinghouse in 1929 as IC #10001. The CSS acquired it in 1941. It appears to have been retired sometime in the 1960s.

Whenever a movie theatre pops up in one of these photos, I post it to Cinema Treasures. Pittsburgh Railways PCC streetcar #1724 passes the Art Cinema at 809 Liberty Avenue on March 23, 1968. The adult theatre was offering a double feature of Fanny Hill Meets Dr. Erotica and Unholy Matrimony. It opened in 1931 as the Avenue Cinema and was renamed the Art Cinema in 1935. Redeveloped in 1995, it is now the Harris Theatre. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

On February 23, 1957, Queensboro Bridge streetcar #602 is posed by a BMT “A” train. The bridge train stopped running on April 7, 1957, as the last streetcar in New York City. Car 602 was built in 1929 by Osgood-Bradley for New Bedford, Massachusetts. Although similar in appearance to Brill Master Units, these cars were called Electromobiles. Several came to the bridge operation in 1948.

This circa 1948 picture of CTA “Jitterbug” 5002 caused a lot of discussion on our Facebook group, namely, where is this? But the consensus is, this is the original turnaround loop at DesPlaines Avenue on the Garfield Park “L”, looking east. William Shapotkin says the Chicago Great Western’s control tower is just barely visible at left. The yard here, and the turnback loop, were reconfigured in 1953 when the Chicago Aurora and Elgin cut back service to here. It was rebuilt again in 1959 during construction of the adjacent expressway.

From 1940 to 1952, the Pacific Electric ran in the median of the Hollywood Freeway (now U.S. Route 101) through Cahuenga Pass in Los Angeles. Here we see it during a 1948 fantrip. I can’t quite make out the car number. The Chicago Transit Authority opened its Congress rapid transit line in an expressway median in 1958, but by then, this one was already gone, and the space is now occupied by additional highway lanes.

CTA #4410, built in the early 1920s, is part of a fantrip train at Lake and Homan on October 21, 1973. This was about a month before the 4000s were taken out of service. (Arthur H. Peterson Photo)

We are looking northwest from Marshfield Avenue towards the Lake and Paulina “L” junction on August 15, 1963. The Paulina “L” still crossed over the Lake Street “L”, but the tracks north of here were only being used for shop moves, work trains, and charters by this point. A new connection to the Lake Street “L” was used by Douglas Park trains from 1954 to 1958, and is used by Pink Line trains today. The white structure was added during construction of this connection for use by the work crews. The upper level tracks here, along with the Lake Transfer station and trackage all the way north to the Milwaukee Subway was removed in 1964. (William C. Hoffman Photo) M.E. adds, “You may want to add to your caption that, after the Dearborn St. subway opened in 1951, this segment of trackage also provided the only way to move L cars between the Logan Square – Dearborn St. subway – Congress and LaSalle St. line and the rest of the system.”

The view looking north from around Chicago Avenue along the old Paulina “L” on June 26, 1960 during a fantrip. New CTA single car units 41 and 42 were used. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

This is the old Paulina “L” bridge over what are now Metra tracks. On June 26, 1960, the “L” structure was still intact all the way between Lake Street and the Milwaukee Avenue Subway, but only the southbound track was in use for shop moves, equipment transfers, work cars, and fantrips like this. The bridge is still there, used for signals. (William C. Hoffman Photo) (William C. Hoffman Photo)

To capture this view today, showing the north portal of the Milwaukee Avenue Subway, you would need a drone. But on June 26, 1960, you could take this picture while looking out the window of a fantrip train, turning sharply south onto the old Paulina “L”. That structure was demolished in 1964. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

To get this shot, the photographer must have been on a boat in the Chicago River, passing under the Van Buren Street bridge. We see the two side-by-side bridges used by the Metropolitan “L”. They were still in service for Garfield Park “L” trains when this picture was taken on May 12, 1957. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

By July 26, 1959, when this picture was taken, the Garfield Park “L” was no longer running, so the twin Met “L” bridges had been permanently raised. They were torn down around 1961. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

Another view of the Met “L” bridges, also from July 26, 1959. It was taken from the east side of the Chicago River, as you can see the 547 W. Jackson building in the distance.(William C. Hoffman Photo)

On July 28, 1958, the old Metropolitan “L” structure, last used by the Garfield Park “L” the month before was being demolished in this view looking east from Morgan Street. The new Congress line, which replaced it, is at right. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

By November 18, 1962, when this picture was taken, there were still a few remnants of the old Metropolitan “L”. This is what’s left of the old Canal Street “L” station after the structure here was torn down in 1961.
(William C. Hoffman Photo)

This is the view looking east along Van Buren Street at Ogden Avenue on June 17, 1958. We see the temporary Garfield Park “L” right-of-way, and the new Congress “L” at right, which would replace it five days later. Meanwhile, a Douglas Park “L” train rides along on the Paulina “L”. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

The same location, looking the same way, but on July 9, 1957. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

On October 19, 1953, demolition of the Garfield Park “L” structure was well underway in this view looking northwest from Claremont (2332 W.) and the construction site of the Congress expressway. The portion crossing Western Avenue has been removed.
(William C. Hoffman Photo)

This is all that was left of the Western Avenue “L” station on the Garfield Park “L” on November 1, 1953. This station was last used on September 27, 1953. For nearly five years, Garfield Park trains ran on a ground-level temporary right-of-way on Van Buren Street, just north of the expressway footprint to the left. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

As of July 27, 1958, when this picture was taken, the new CTA Congress “L” had been running for a month, and the old Garfield Park structure was still there. This was near Kilbourn Avenue (4500 W.), one of two places where it crossed the highway. The “L” was finally removed by November 1959. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

The solid gray line shows how the old Garfield Park “L” cut across the Congress (now Eisenhower) expressway just west of Kostner (4400 W.). Disregard the purple line, that’s just marking different sections of the map.

Here is the partially demolished Garfield Park “L” structure. looking east at Kostner Avenue (4400 W.) from a slide processed in November 1959. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

The Congress (now Eisenhower) expressway was completely shut down during removal of the Garfield Park “L” structure, where it crossed the highway just west of Kostner (4400 W.). This slide was processed in November 1959. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

When the Congress expressway was built, the Garfield Park “L” crossed its footprint at two locations– here (4500 W.) and at Sacramento Boulevard (3000 W.). The existing “L” structures were retained, supported by additional steel called an “interlining.” That is how the Englewood “L” is supported now, where it crosses the Dan Ryan expressway. I do not know if any of the steel supports there came from here. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

Since the Congress expressway was shut down temporarily for removal of the old Garfield Park “L”, it looks like photographer Jeffrey L. Wien walked over to the fence near the Congress “L” to get this shot near Kilbourn Avenue (4500 W.).

We are looking east from Cicero Avenue, as the Garfield Park “L” was being dismantled circa November 1959. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

A contemporary view of the same location.

After taking the previous picture, it appears that photographer Jeffrey L. Wien walked west along the temporarily closed Congress expressway for this shot of a two-car westbound Congress train near Cicero Avenue. This slide was processed in November 1959.

This pair of CTA flat-door 6000s is signed for Garfield Park in this circa 1955-58 photograph. But it’s not entirely clear where the location is. My guess is this at Central Avenue, by comparison with the next picture, where the location was identified. This was scanned from an original Ektachrome slide that had faded to red. I had attempted to color-correct this same slide (or one just like it) ten years ago, without success, but now this one doesn’t look too bad. It was a lot of work, though.

Here’s how the slide looked before I started working on it.

CTA 6039-6040 are at Central Avenue on the Garfield Park “L” on March 25, 1958. This was another early Ektachrome slide that had faded to red. On June 22, 1958, the CTA opened the new Congress rapid transit line as far west as the Cicero Avenue station. The Congress expressway was only open as far as Laramie Avenue, and construction gradually headed west. The “L” used a variety of temporary rights-of-way until everything was finished in 1960. Presumably, the tracks at right connected to the new Congress median right-of-way, while the ones at left went to the old Garfield alignment (which included Laramie Yard).

If this map, made by a Google user, is accurate, it shows where the Garfield Park “L” ran at ground level in the area by Central Avenue (5600 W.). The Lotus Tunnel is not shown, but would be in approximately the same location as where the Garfield “L” ran, east of Central, bringing the current “L” into the expressway median. If true, this would suggest the Garfield tracks were temporarily relocated to the north of where the tunnel is, but I am not sure if that is what really happened.

This picture was taken at the same time as the previous one at Central Avenue. The crossing gate at left has been removed, which supports my theory that Central Avenue was closed for traffic. In earlier photos at this location, Garfield Park trains were using tracks that veered off to the left. Now, Congress trains headed off to the right. The two-car train of flat-door 6000s has a run number and is on the westbound track. In the next picture, the train has its headlight on and also seems to be heading west. This slide was processed in November 1959. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

While the Congress median line opened as far west as Cicero Avenue on June 22, 1958, service west of there remained on various temporary rights of way until 1960. Here, we are looking east at the temporary “L” station at Central Avenue, circa November 1959. Generally speaking, there were perhaps three different temporary alignments, and the progression was to keep moving the “L” farther north, until the permanent alignment was ready. Here, what had been an island platform was, by the time this photo was taken, only being used by one set of tracks. You can see where some of the rails on the south end of the platform have been removed. Central Avenue appears closed to traffic, as an underpass was being built, going underneath the highway. There is a control tower at Central Avenue, to switch trains to either the old Garfield alignment at left, or the Congress route at right. By November 1959, this tower probably wasn’t in use. It was necessary to have continued access to Laramie Yard until about May 1959, as the new facilities in Forest Park were not ready yet. Graham Garfield’s excellent chicago-l.org web site explains: “On October 16, 1959, the permanent eastbound Congress Line track was placed in service between Parkside and Pine avenues thru Lotus Tunnel. A temporary side platform was placed in service. Three days later, on October 19, the permanent westbound track and a temporary westbound side platform was placed in service, closing the previous temporary platform. Meanwhile, between the permanent tracks, the new, permanent island platform was constructed. The new Central station platform (with temporary fare controls) was placed in service on October 10, 1960, with westbound trains first using it, followed by eastbound trains the next day. On October 11, 1960, the third and final temporary Central station was closed.” It’s not clear how this photo fits into the sequence of events, unless the temporary island platform became a side platform as seen here. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

This January 1960 view, looking northeast, shows the temporary Central Avenue side platform station during construction of the Congress expressway. The CTA Congress median line had opened as far west as Cicero Avenue in June 1958, but farther west, used a series of temporary ground level alignments while highway work continue. The temporary station here was in use from October 1959 until October 1960, when the permanent center platform station opened. You can see a stairway for the new platform, built into the concrete wall of the Central Avenue underpass. The side platforms allowed for simultaneous construction of the new station. The expressway originally ended at Laramie Avenue (5200 W.), but was extended to Central (5600 W.) in early 1960, and finally opened to Oak Park, Forest Park, and Maywood in October 1960. Newly delivered single car unit 22 heads up this westbound Congress-Milwaukee “A” train. East of here, the tracks curve off to go into the Lotus Tunnel, taking the line into the expressway median. Ultimately, this station did not develop much ridership, and closed in 1973, although it is still extant. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

CTA Congress (now Blue Line) “L” trains switch from the expressway median to an alignment at the south end of the highway via the Lotus Tunnel, seen here in March 1971 with a pair of westbound 6000s. We are just east of Central Avenue. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

This slide, processed in November 1959, shows an eastbound Congress-Milwaukee “L” train, made up of single-car units 39-40, at Austin on Chicago’s west side. The Congress expressway was under construction, but hadn’t reached this point quite yet. The train is running on temporary trackage at ground level.
At left, that’s Columbus Park. When the highway was built, a bit of the south end of the park got shaved off.
In the distance you can see Loretta hospital and also the temporary station at Central Avenue. The B&OCT tracks are to the south of the CTA, and the crossover point was west of here. The temporary Central station was in the same location as the permanent one, but the temp station had two platforms on the outside of the tracks, while the permanent station has a central platform.
When the Garfield Park “L” became the Congress line, the new portion only ran as far west as Cicero Avenue. Everything west of there was the same as before. There were a few different alignments of temporary tracks leading to DesPlaines Avenue, with the CTA and B&OCT leapfrogging each other at times. The current alignment was finished in 1960, which is also when this part of the highway opened. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

We are looking mainly to the east from Austin Avenue, the borderline between Chicago and suburban Oak Park, in March 1971. This shows where the permanent alignment of the Congress (now Blue Line) “L” goes, compared to the previous picture. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

We are looking east from Austin Avenue along the future site of the Congress expressway circa November 1959. The highway would slice off a small part of Columbus Park at left. The Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal tracks are at right. Far in the distance, bulldozers are clearing the way for the expressway. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

In this slide, processed in November 1959 but possibly taken earlier, we see an eastbound Congress A train approaching the Austin Avenue station in the distance. A bridge is under construction that spans the portion of the highway footprint that has already been dug out. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

The same location as the previous slide, but this time, with a westbound train. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

This circa November 1959 view looks east just west of Lombard Avenue in Oak Park. A westbound train approaches. In the distance, you can just make out the “L” station at Austin Avenue. The orange bridge under construction is Lombard Avenue. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

The same location today. We are looking east along Flournoy Street at Lombard Avenue in Oak Park, In the distance, we see the same house as in the 1959 photo.

This is the same location as the previous picture, with an eastbound train. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

Oak Park residents may be surprised to know there was once an “L” station at Ridgeland Avenue on what is today the CTA Blue Line. But it was short-lived, only open from September 1957 until March 1960. This slide was processed in November 1959. The Garfield Park “L” previously had a station at Gunderson Avenue, a side street a few blocks west of here. It was on a side street because that’s where some new homes were built by a developer named Gunderson at the turn of the century. The CTA originally planned a permanent station here, but opted for secondary entrances to the stations at Austin (Lombard) and Oak Park Avenue (East Avenue) instead. You can see the bridge that crosses the highway at Austin Avenue under construction in the distance. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

CTA 6123-6124 are heading eastbound at the temporary Oak Park Avenue station in Oak Park in March 1960. These cars formerly were used on the Evanston branch “L” and had trolley poles for use there (third rail was not permitted). These have been removed, as the Congress line was all third rail, but you can see remnants. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

A westbound CTA two-car train is about to take the crossover at Kenilworth Avenue in Oak Park during a snowy March 1960. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

An eastbound CTA train has just crossed over the B&OCT tracks near Kenilworth Avenue in Oak Park in this circa November 1959 view. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

An eastbound two-car CTA train of flat-door 6000s has just crossed the B&OCT tracks at Kenilworth Avenue, a short distance west of Oak Park Avenue in March 1960. Near Central Avenue, the B&OCT tracks are south of the CTA. By the time they reach the Forest Park terminal, they are north of the CTA. Before the start of the highway project, the crossover point was just east of DesPlaines Avenue. While a new flyover was under construction near that location, the crossover was temporarily moved further east, as seen here. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

The bank building in the distance is still there today. It looks as though the bridge over the future highway may be under construction already, in this circa November 1959 view looking east towards Oak Park Avenue. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

CTA 4235 (at left) is at the head of a westbound two-car CERA fantrip train in Oak Park, on temporary trackage during construction of the adjacent Congress (now Eisenhower) expressway. The date is September 14, 1958. By 1955, the new highway was already open as far west as Laramie Avenue. There were two parallel sets of tracks west of there, through Oak Park and Forest Park, the CTA and the Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal. The tracks were moved in stages to the north end of the expressway footprint. Then, the area to the south was dug out and by 1960, the tracks were relocated to their present location just south of the highway, which opened the same year. The location was identified as Ridgeland but I believe it is actually west of Oak Park Avenue. You will note how the B&OCT tracks are north of the CTA in this 1958 photo. That would imply the temporary crossover that brought them there was located east of here at the time. Photos from November 1959 show this crossover was at Kenilworth Avenue, just west of Oak Park Avenue. (Robert Heinlein Photo)

In March 1960, we are looking east along the expressway footprint from just east of Harlem Avenue. In the far distance, you can just make out where the CTA tracks curve to the north and cross the B&OCT at grade. A Chicago and West Towns bus is also just barely visible on Oak Park Avenue. The CTA train is heading westbound and is just about to stop at the temporary Harlem Avenue station. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

A pair of CTA single-car units heads east on temporary trackage at Harlem Avenue in March 1960. This was during construction of the Congress (now Eisenhower) expressway, which opened in this area later in the year. Notice how the CTA tracks veer off to the left in the distance, while the B&OCT tracks are already north of the “L”. While the current flyover arrangement was being built west of here, the location of where the two railroads crossed was moved somewhere further east. Originally, they crossed at grade a short distance east of today’s flyover. The single-car units were brand new and were first assigned to Congress-Milwaukee before some began being used on Evanston in 1961. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

An eastbound Congress “L” train has just passed Harlem Avenue in March 1960. The two railroads here are on ground-level temporary tracks, while their eventual home is at right, below grade. Harlem Avenue is the dividing line here between Forest Park and Oak Park. There are below-grade traffic lanes where the railroads were. The Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal tracks are, at this point, north of the CTA’s. They crossed each other at a point further east of here while construction of a new flyover was underway a short distance west of Harlem. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

It’s March 1960, and CTA single car units #25 and 26 are heading westbound on the Congress route temporary trackage at Harlem Avenue. The expressway was still under construction here at this time, and would open later in the year. Here, the B&OCT tracks are north of the CTA. The crossing point between them appears to be off in the distance, where you can see the CTA veer off. Now there is a flyover west of Harlem Avenue that takes the B&O over the CTA. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

CTA 6041-6042 head east at the temporary Harlem Avenue station in March 1960. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

This March 1960 view looks northwest from Harlem Avenue, along the future site of the Congress expressway. The retaining wall at left may be for the eventual ramp used today by westbound traffic, which enters via the left lane. The CTA and B&OCT temporary tracks are at grade level, but were relocated later in the year into a cut at left of this picture, just out of view. In the distance, at left, you can see a large gas holder, then a local landmark, but which has since been removed. As this is west of Harlem, everything you see is in suburban Forest Park. DesPlaines Avenue is a half-mile west of here. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

At noon on Sunday, October 12, 1958, a two-car CTA train made up of flat-door 6000s heads east from the DesPlaines Avenue terminal in Forest Park. There were three sets of tracks for motorists to cross on DesPlaines Avenue. From the looks of the tower at left, the CTA’s may have been manually operated. After the highway project was completed, an underpass took traffic underneath all three. The concrete slab at left is probably where a temporary bypass road took DesPlaines Avenue traffic around the construction site, while the underpass was being built. The view looks northwest. (Robert A. Selle Photo)

CTA 6191-6192 approach the DesPlaines Avenue Terminal in Forest Park circa 1959, when the Congress expressway was being built nearby.

A Garfield/Westchester “L” train crosses the B&OCT tracks in Forest Park, circa 1948. This area has changed so much as to be virtually unrecognizable, but we are looking to the east. The freight tracks are turning to the north, while the “L” turns south towards DesPlaines Avenue. Behind the “L” train, out of view, is the Hannah Avenue station. East of here, the two trains ran parallel to each other to about Central Avenue, a distance of about two-and-a-half miles. The Eisenhower expressway runs through here today, with a flyover keeping the CTA Blue Line apart from the B&OCT as they cross each other (and the highway).

The Hannah Avenue “L” station (7400 W/700 S) in Forest Park, circa 1948.