Another Fall Harvest

September 22, 2025January 10, 2026David Sadowski 8 Comments

CSS&SB South Shore Line Interurban #107
Location: South Bend, Indiana (College and Orange)
Date: December 27, 1964
Photographer: Jeffrey L. Wien
The South Shore Line electrified its Interurban system to Chicago in 1926 with cars like these. The last of these cars was retired in 1983. Street running ended in East Chicago in 1956, South Bend in 1970, and in Michigan City in 2022.

We are back with an all-new Trolley Dodger blog post, our 316th. Our fifth book, The Chicago, Aurora and Elgin Railway, has arrived, to very positive reviews. Ordering information is below.

There’s much more to savor in this all-new post. We have a color photo essay covering the Lake Street “L” from 1959-64, a period of transition during which the ground level portion west of Laramie Avenue (5200 W.) was replaced by an elevated section on a solid fill embankment. Nearly all the pictures are by Charles L. Tauscher and Jeffrey L. Wien.

Today’s post also features previously unpublished CA&E pictures we recently acquired. Two were taken on September 19, 1953, the final day the interurban ran into Chicago over CTA trackage.

Add to this our usual new recent photo finds, and you have a complete traction meal, gluten free, with all the various food groups represented! It’s yet another Fall Harvest of traction photos from the Trolley Dodger!

Enjoy, and keep those cards and letters coming in, folks.

-David Sadowski

PS- You might also like our Trolley Dodger Facebook auxiliary, a private group that now has 2,242 members.

Our friend Kenneth Gear has a Facebook group for the Railroad Record Club. If you enjoy listening to audio recordings of classic railroad trains, whether steam, electric, or diesel, you might consider joining.

FYI, the Hoosier Traction Facebook Group celebrates electric transit in Indiana and the Midwest. It also supports the activities of the annual Hoosier Traction Meet (although not affiliated with the North American Transit Historical Society, which organizes that event).

Upcoming Presentation

FYI, I will give a presentation about my new book The Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railway at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, October 8 at the Schaumburg Township Public Library.

You can attend in person, or watch on Zoom.

Admission is free, but registration is recommended, as we had a full house for the last one I did a few years ago. Copies of all my books will be available at the event at special prices. More info here.

Our Latest Book, Now Available for Immediate Shipment:

The Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railway

FYI, my latest book from Arcadia Publishing is now available for and in stock for immediate shipment.

The Chicago, Aurora & Elgin Railway (CA&E) ran electric passenger and freight service from 1902 until 1959. Although classed as an interurban, it was a hybrid of rapid transit and commuter rail. CA&E trains ran to downtown Chicago via the Metropolitan West Side “L,” ending at the Well Street Terminal. This was a high-tech endeavor funded by industrialists from Cleveland, Ohio, who wanted to open Chicago’s western suburbs for development. The result was a high-speed operation, built to steam road standards, with an electrified third rail powering the trains. It thrived until World War I, was modernized in the Roaring Twenties, weathered the Great Depression, and did its duty during World War II. A privately owned railroad, without subsidies, the CA&E began losing money in the 1950s due to highway construction that stopped it from running into Chicago. Efforts to save the railroad failed, and passenger service ended in 1957, with freight following two years later.

David Sadowski is the author of Chicago Trolleys, Building Chicago’s Subways, Chicago’s Lost “L”s, and The North Shore Line and runs the online Trolley Dodger blog. Photographs shown are from the author’s extensive collections and archival sources such as the Chicago History Museum, Forest Park Historical Society, and Lake States Railway Historical Association.

Each copy purchased here will be signed by the author, and you will also receive a bonus Chicago Aurora and Elgin track map. Books will ship by USPS Media Mail.

Chapters:
01. The Fox River Line
02. The Third Rail Line
03. On the “L”
04. Main Line to Wheaton
05. Aurora and Batavia
06. Elgin and Geneva
07. Electric Freight
08. Forest Park
09. Into the Sunset
10. The Legacy

Title The Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railway
Images of Rail
Author David Sadowski
Edition illustrated
Publisher Arcadia Publishing (SC), 2025
ISBN-10: 146716254X
ISBN-13: ‎978-1467162548
Length 128 pages
The price of $24.99 includes shipping within the United States via USPS Media Mail.

For Shipping to US Addresses:

Our First Review

David Peterson writes:

Received my books today from Mr. David Sadowski. Images of Rail-The Chicago Aurora & Elgin Railway– Absolutely incredible book. Layout is executed perfectly. The pictures are rare and outstanding with very high resolution.

Photographs include detailed descriptions allowing the reader to know precisely when and where the pictures were taken.

Brief history of the creation and demise of the railroad is an easy read with pertinent details. Photos showing various views along today’s Illinois Prairie Path really bring the history of this once great railroad into context.

Photographs depicting the scrapping of the railroad and its rolling stock invoke a bit of sadness, but they are an important detail in the CA&E saga.

This book is a must read for CA&E fans, and fans of railroads in general.
It’s a fascinating story.

Thank you David for your work and dedication in writing this book. I highly recommend it.

And I thank Mr. Peterson and everyone who has purchased the book. Each of my five books has sold more than the previous one did, and given time, this one is going to be my most popular one yet.

The Chicago Aurora and Elgin

At 12:30 p.m. on July 2, 1943, CA&E cars 412-421-405 make up a westbound three-car train at Laramie Avenue (5200 W.) on the Garfield Park “L” in Chicago. The interurban owned the tracks west of here. This is certainly one of the better pictures I have seen taken here. At left, you can see Loretto Hospital (645 S. Central Avenue) in the distance. The negative for this image was improperly developed, and I spent a few hours doing restoration work on it.

The negative for this, and the image that follows, do show some damage, but they also show wood car #314 picking up passengers at Laramie on July 2, 1943. At right in this picture, you can see a scale, where you could weigh yourself for a penny. Many “L” stations had them.

CA&E 408 has stopped at Laramie Avenue on July 2, 1943 to pick up passengers on its way west. The red flags show that’s the rear of the train at right. Again, this negative was improperly developed– hence the plethora of tiny white dots on the lower left side of the picture.

CA&E 424 heads up a westbound train at Austin Boulevard on September 19, 1953, the final day of service into Chicago. Columbus Park is at left. When the Congress (now Eisenhower) expressway was built in this area, a small part of the park got shaved off.

CA&E 431, at right, is heading outbound at Forest Park on September 19, 1953, while a CTA Met car is going inbound. This station was located just east of DesPlaines Avenue. The following day, two new platforms opened on the west side of the street, as the interurban cut back service to here and had to transfer passengers with the CTA. Car 431, a 1927 product of the Cincinnati Car Company, is now at the Illinois Railway Museum.

The Lake Street “L” in Transition, 1959-1964

CTA car 4424 is the leader of this two-car Lake Street “L” “A” train in May 1958 at the Clinton Street station. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

A CTA Lake Street “L” B train is westbound on ground-level trackage on South Boulevard in Oak Park in January 1960. The cross street to the right is Home Avenue. To the left, north of here, it’s called Forest Avenue. The house at right is still there. East of here, the street narrows, and this continues to Oak Park Avenue. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

The same location today.

An inbound all-stops Lake Street “L” train is at the Marion Street station on an April 1960 night. This station functioned, more or less, as the western terminal for the line, but there was actually one more stop west of here in Forest Park. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

CTA #4425 is at the head of an inbound two-car Lake Street “L” “A” train at Lake and Central on May 19, 1961. Note the trolley bus wires on Central, used by the #85 bus. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

We are looking northeast from Lake Street and Lockwood Avenue on May 19, 1961. An outbound six-car Lake Street “B” train descends the ramp towards ground-level trackage on the western end of this line. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

CTA #4409 is (apparently) the end car on an inbound six-car train going up the ramp on the Lake Street “L” on May 19, 1961. In the distance, you can see an outbound train at the Laramie Avenue station, where the steel structure starts. The north-south cross street here is Lorel Avenue, at about 5329 West. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

On May 19, 1961, CTA #4429 is at the front of an inbound two-car train, pausing while heading up the Lake Street “L” ramp just east of Long Avenue (5400 W.). It looks like some work is being done on the overhead wire. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

Here’s how the underpass at Long Avenue looks today. The ramp going up to the “L” structure at Laramie Avenue started just east of this viaduct.

An inbound CTA Lake Street “A” train, with car 4413 at the helm, heads up the ramp leading to Laramie Avenue while an outbound train passes on May 19, 1961. The cross street (behind the photographer) is Lockwood Avenue (5300 W.). The one-way street in the photo is Lorel Avenue (5327 W.). (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

CTA 4409 is at the head of an inbound six-car Lake Street “L” train going up the ramp towards the Laramie Avenue station on May 19, 1961. At this point, Laramie was still the changeover point to third rail. Later, as construction continued on a new connection to the C&NW embankment, the changeover point was moved to Central Avenue. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

By May 19, 1961, work was already underway on creating a new connection between the Lake Street “L” and the nearby Chicago and North Western embankment. The existing ramp was, to some extent, in the way of the new connection, which necessitated creating a temporary wooden ramp. Meanwhile, a six-car train prepares to stop at the Laramie Avenue station on the steel structure. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

While not the greatest quality image, this does show the ground-level Lake Street “L” station at Central Avenue in the 1930s. There is a trolley bus heading north on Central, just about to cross the railroad tracks. This view looks east, with the Chicago and North Western embankment to the left.

CTA #4421 is at the front of a two-car Lake Street “B” train at Madison and Wells on the Loop “L” on December 15, 1961. From 1913 until 1969, trains on the Loop ran unidirectionally, counterclockwise, so this train is heading south. Lake Street trains ran around the Loop until September 28, 1969, when the line was paired with the new Dan Ryan service, and through-routed. That’s also when the Loop was changed to bidirectional as it has remained since. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

CTA #4436 fronts a two-car “B” train at the Oak Park Avenue station on the Lake Street “L” on June 20, 1962. Four months later, the “L” was elevated, and the street running between Forest Park and Laramie Avenue came to an end. Notice how South Boulevard narrows just west of here. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

CTA #4436 is part of a two-car train heading outbound (west) at South Boulevard and Forest Avenue in Oak Park on June 20, 1962. The Chicago and North Western station on the embankment would soon be relocated, and its tracks moved, to create space for the Lake Street “L”, which was moved there on October 28, 1962. This view looks to the northwest, and you can see the CTA’s Marion Street station in the distance. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

In September 1962, a two-car Lake Street train heads west along the Loop “L” tracks, having just turned from Wabash onto Lake. At this time, trains operated in the same direction (counterclockwise) on both tracks. (Charles L. Tauscher Photo)

In a slide processed in September 1962, a westbound Lake Street “L” train boards at Clinton Street, just west of the Chicago River. A “Baldy” 4000 is at the head of the train, even though it is not fitted with the trolley poles used on the outer portion of the line at that time. These earlier 4000s (built circa 1913-15) had center doors, nearly always unused, that were often covered up with the addition of another seat. The also had “bowling alley” (sideways) seating, another difference from the later “Plushies” from the early 1920s. (Charles L. Tauscher Photo)

A westbound Lake Street “L” “B” train of CTA 4000-series cars approaches the Cicero Avenue station in September 1962. (Charles L. Tauscher Photo)

In a slide processed in August 1962, we are looking to the northeast along that portion of the Lake Street “L’ that ran west of Harlem Avenue in Forest Park. To the left, we see the Chicago and North Western embankment; to the right, that embankment was being expanded, and this new portion would eventually provide space for a new yard for Lake Street trains. (Charles L. Tauscher Photo)

CTA Lake Street “L” car 4413 heads up an inbound “B” train in Forest Park on October 11, 1962. This was just 17 days prior to the outer portion of Lake being relocated onto the Chicago and North Western embankment at right. Here, you can also see how that embankment was getting expanded to create space for a new Lake Street “L” yard. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

A two-car train of 4000-series “L” cars heads east on the Lake Street line, crossing Western Avenue (2400 W.) in a slide processed in March 1963. As this was a few months after the outer end of the line had been relocated onto the Chicago and North Western embankment, the trolley poles have been removed from these cars. (Charles L. Tauscher Photo)

Scott Greig: “Lake and Central Park, with the Garfield Park Conservatory visible under the “L” structure.” This slide was processed in March 1963. The 4000-series “L” cars shown here were parked on a center track, since removed, that originally gave Lake a short express track but also provided some badly needed mid-day storage for the line, which did not have a proper yard until 1964. The Homan station was moved here after the line was renovated in the 1990s, as this served the conservatory, whereas the old location was just two blocks from another station. (Charles L. Tauscher Photo)

By July 28, 1964, when Jeff Wien took this picture, the 4000s were still running on the Lake Street “L”, but minus their trolley poles, now that the outer portion of the line was now running on the C&NW embankment. Soon these cars would be replaced by the new 2000-series, the CTA’s first with air conditioning. 4000s would continue in service on Ravenswood and Evanston until November 1973. The view here looks northwest from South Boulevard and Scoville in Oak Park, a short distance west of Ridgeland Avenue. You can see the Oak Park Avenue “L” station in the distance.

Recent Finds

CTA red Pullman #144 is turning from Clark onto Archer on one of those late fantrips, held after red cars were taken out of regular service in 1954. As to the date, I would guess it’s towards the end of 1957, as there is a billboard advertising the new 1958 Edsel. The photographer climbed onto a railroad embankment to get this shot, during a photo stop.

Here, we see Chicago Surface Lines “Matchbox” 1320 at Roosevelt and Michigan at 6:50 p.m. on July 2, 1943, running on the 14th-16th Street line. Horsecar service on Route 14 began in 1892 from Canal to Damen. Electric streetcars replaced horsecars in 1896. The route was extended west via 16th Street to Kenton (city limits) on January 27, 1913. Buses replaced streetcars on July 25, 1948, and bus service was discontinued on March 9, 1955. The 1300-series streetcars are known as Small St. Louis cars. Don’s Rail Photos: “1320 was built by St Louis Car Co in 1906 as CUT (Chicago Union Traction) 4849. It was renumbered (to) 1320 in 1913 and became CSL 1320 in 1914. It was retired on June 13, 1946.” These older streetcars were retired as the new PCCs were delivered starting in 1946. Sister car 1374 has been restored at the Illinois Railway Museum and is in operable condition. From the photograph, you would expect this was the east end of the line. This negative was somehow damaged during development, which explains why there are so many tiny white dots in certain sections of the image.

CTA Chicago Transit Authority “L” #4271-4272-4020-4447
Location: Chicago, Illinois (Wilson Avenue – North-South “L”)
Date: May 31, 1962
Photographer: Charles L. Tauscher
When the last 4000s were taken out of service in November 1973, the CTA chose 4271 and 4272 as the cars retained for the Historical Fleet. Now over a century old, they are still occasionally used on special occasions. The area seen here has been completely changed. Soon after the Wilson Shops and Yard were phased out, a fire destroyed the structure. Later, the Wilson Avenue station and trackage was completely rebuilt, a project costing about $250m.

CTA Chicago Transit Authority “L” #4437
Location: Chicago, Illinois (Belmont Avenue – North-South “L”)
Date: October 14, 1957
Photographer: Charles L. Tauscher
(Note- that’s the North Shore Line only platform at left for southbound trains.)

CTA Chicago Transit Authority “L” #4166
Location: Chicago, Illinois (Damen Avenue – Logan Square “L”)
Date: April 14, 1958
Photographer: Charles L. Tauscher

After the Chicago Transit Authority took the last of the wooden “L” cars out of service in November 1957, several remained in use as work cars until around 1965. But there were also a few fantrips. We have previously posted pictures from an April 20, 1958 excursion, using cars 1024 and work car S-340 (a former 1700-series), a fundraiser for the Illinois Electric Railway Museum. Here, we see cars 1786 and 1799 at the Merchandise Mart station on a July 15, 1958 trip. 1786 was built by Pullman in 1908. 1799 was originally a trailer, built by American Car and Foundry in 1907. It was originally Northwestern Elevated Railway #290, but was later motorized and renumbered to 1799. Sister car 1797 is at the Illinois Railway Museum.

Two trains (made up of 4000s and 6000s) pass each other just south of Montrose Avenue on the North-South “L” in July 1967. At right, the tracks led to Buena Yard, where there was an interchange with the Milwaukee Road until 1973. Behind the photographer, there was a ramp leading up to the “L”. (Charles L. Tauscher Photo)

A fantrip train, with CTA car #4269 in the lead, is parked at Buena Yard in a slide processed in November 1966 (but was likely shot some months earlier). Until 1973, the Milwaukee Road interchanged freight with the CTA– mainly coal, for delivery further north along the North-South “L”. This was a vestige of the original service the Milwaukee Road offered here, before the Northwestern Elevated Railway took over the former commuter service to the north side, and turned it into the “L”. There were two electric locomotives used to haul freight cars. They were purchased by the Rapid Transit in 1920 and were still in use when freight ended 53 years later. This view looks north by northwest– the “L” structure is just to our right, out of view. (Charles M. Tauscher Photo)

CTA #4439 heads up a northbound four-car Evanston Express train at the Sheridan Road curve during August 1973. The last of the venerable 4000-series “L” cars would be retired on November 8th that year, after 50 years of faithful service. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

In January 1965, a northbound eight-car train of 4000s is running wrong way on what would normally be the southbound track on the North-South “L” at Granville. The best explanation is probably the weather– no route sign is in evidence, and eight cars was then too many to run on Evanston or Ravenswood, the two lines still using 4000s at this time. Verdict– sleet scraping, preventing the third rail from getting coated with ice, at a time when there wasn’t regular service on this track, generally used only on weekdays. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

A Douglas-Milwaukee “B” train is about to pull into the Logan Square Terminal in a slide processed in March 1965. (Charles L. Tauscher Photo)

Chicago Rapid Transit Company gate cars 389 and 388 make up a two-car train at the Canal Street station of the Metropolitan main line on July 2, 1943. The two cars will be split at the Damen, North, and Milwaukee station, with one car going to Logan Square, and the other to Humboldt Park. Canal was adjacent to Union Station and there was a walkway connecting it to the “L”.

Although the negative for this image has signs of faulty home development, in general, this is a very nice picture of Met car #2905 in Douglas Park service (to Lawndale only) at the Canal Street station on the Met main line on July 2, 1943.

ICG Illinois Central Electric South Chicago Branch
Location: Chicago, Illinois (71st and Exchange)
Date: July 1966 (processing date)
Photographer: Jeffrey L. Wien
The Illinois Central Suburban commuter service electrified in 1926. The original Pullman suburban electric cars were retired in the late 1970s and replaced by bilevels built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1971. The service is now called the Metra Electric and has a number of branches. South Shore Line trains share trackage with the Metra Electric in Illinois. The IC Pullmans were similar to the contemporary cars used on the Erie-Lackawanna in New Jersey.

CTA Chicago Transit Authority “L” #6187
Location: Chicago, Illinois (43rd Street – North-South “L”)
Date: June 6, 1954
Photographer: William C. Hoffman

CTA Chicago Transit Authority “L” #6281
Location: Chicago, Illinois (47th Street – North-South “L”)
Date: June 6, 1954
Photographer: William C. Hoffman

CTA Chicago Transit Authority “L” Loop
Location: Chicago, Illinois (Wabash and Washington looking north)
Date: July 29, 1956
Photographer: William C. Hoffman

CTA Chicago Transit Authority “L” Loop
Location: Chicago, Illinois (Lake and LaSalle looking west)
Date: August 31, 1956
Photographer: William C. Hoffman
From 1913 to 1969, trains on the Loop “L” went uni-directional, counter-clockwise, so both trains shown here are going west along Lake Street towards the junction at Tower 18, visible in the distance. The trains of 6000-series “L” cars at right is a Ravenswood “A” train, while the 4000s at left could be a variety of things, including the Garfield Park “L”. Discount Records, seen at right, was a local chain that went out of business around 1972. The original Tower 18 was replaced in 1969, as it was in the way of new tracks that allowed the through-routing of the Lake line with the new Dan Ryan service.

CTA Chicago Transit Authority “L” Loop
Location: Chicago, Illinois (Randolph and Wabash “L” Station looking east)
Date: May 5, 1957
Photographer: William C. Hoffman
This picture shows the newly modernized Loop “L” station at Randolph and Wabash, with a huge CTA logo. This station and Madison and Wabash have since been replaced in the 2000s by a new one located between them at Washington and Wabash. My understanding is the CTA logo was saved, but I am not aware of any of the details on what will happen to it.
The Stouffers’ restaurant was kind of like a tea room and closed in 1981. The Stouffer’s brand was sold to Nestle, who were really only interested in their frozen foods.

CTA Chicago Transit Authority “L” #41-42
Location: Chicago, Illinois (Isabella – Evanston “L” – fantrip)
Date: June 26, 1960
Photographer: William C. Hoffman

CTA Chicago Transit Authority “L” #41-42
Location: Chicago, Illinois (Randolph and Wells looking north – Loop “L” – fantrip)
Date: June 26, 1960
Photographer: William C. Hoffman
June 26, 1960 was a Sunday and CTA Single Car Units #41 and 42 are parked at Randolph and Wells during a lunch stop on a fantrip. Since the Ravenswood “L” did not go into the Loop at this time, these cars weren’t in the way of regular service cars. The Ravenswood was cut back to Armitage on Sundays and for Owl Service as of May 18, 1952. This made it convenient to have numerous photo stops at stations south of there on sunday fantrips. The shuttle was further cut back to Belmont in 1963, following the abandonment of the North Shore Line. Starting in 2000, Ravenswood service was restored to make all stops south of Belmont at night and on Sundays, due to the increase in ridership on this line (now called the CTA Brown Line).

CTA Chicago Transit Authority “L” #41-42
Location: Chicago, Illinois (Main Street – Evanston “L” – fantrip)
Date: June 26, 1960
Photographer: William C. Hoffman

CTA Chicago Transit Authority “L” #6435 (and a North Shore Line Electroliner just barely visible at right)
Location: Chicago, Illinois (Belmont – North-South “L”)
Date: June 4, 1961
Photographer: Gordon E. Lloyd
This was a Sunday and the New York Yankees defeated the Chicago White Sox, 10-1. “L” ridership was very light on Sundays back then, which explains why a two-car train was running on Jackson Park-Howard.

CTA Chicago Transit Authority “L” #45
Location: Chicago, Illinois (Main Street – Evanston “L”)
Date: July 8, 1961
Photographer: Gordon E. Lloyd

CTA Chicago Transit Authority “L” Loop
Location: Chicago, Illinois (Randolph and Wells Station looking east along Washington – Loop “L”)
Date: November 26, 1962
Photographer: William C. Hoffman
Graham Garfield writes: “It’s actually Washington and Wells, looking east. Washington had platform-level station houses just like Randolph’s, back when Wells had a continuous platform the whole length of the Loop. There wasn’t a Washington “stop”; the Washington station houses were basically additional entrances from which riders would either walk north on the platform to the Randolph berthing area or south to the Madison stop.
Randolph’s station houses were built around 1913 or so (replacing the original little Randolph & Wells station houses over Couch Place) and Washington’s weren’t added until around 1925 or so, but the design was basically the same.”
In 1995, this station and Madison and Wells were replaced by a new station at Washington and Wells. A portion of the north end of the platforms still exists from Randolph and Wells.

CTA Chicago Transit Authority “L” #4347 on Transfer Table
Location: Skokie, Illinois (Skokie Shops)
Date: May 26, 1963
Photographer: William C. Hoffman

CTA Chicago Transit Authority “L” Single Car Units
Location: Chicago, Illinois (South Boulevard – Evanston “L”)
Date: June 20, 1966
Photographer: Jeffrey L. Wien

There aren't a lot of pictures showing the original tower at Clark Junction, as you had to be riding on a northbound train in order to get close to it. The Clark station seen here opened in 1900 along with the North Side "L" as far as Wilson Avenue. The Ravenswood branch was built in 1906 and veered off from the main line just south of the station. Clark was closed, along with numerous other lightly used stations, in 1949, as the Chicago Transit Authority rationalized North-south service, with the goal of speeding things up. Thereafter, the tower remained in use until it was replaced by a new one in 1976. More recently, this second tower was replaced when a flyover was built, allowing northbound Brown Line trains (successor to the Ravenswood) to cross over the other "L" tracks, replacing a flat junction.

CTA Chicago Transit Authority “L” Clark Junction (and some #4000s)
Location: Chicago, Illinois (Clark Junction – North-South “L”)
Date: June 20, 1966
Photographer: Jeffrey L. Wien
There aren’t a lot of pictures showing the original tower at Clark Junction, as you had to be riding on a northbound train in order to get close to it.
The Clark station seen here opened in 1900 along with the North Side “L” as far as Wilson Avenue. The Ravenswood branch was built in 1906 and veered off from the main line just south of the station.
Clark was closed, along with numerous other lightly used stations, in 1949, as the Chicago Transit Authority rationalized North-south service, with the goal of speeding things up. Thereafter, the tower remained in use until it was replaced by a new one in 1976. More recently, this second tower was replaced when a flyover was built, allowing northbound Brown Line trains (successor to the Ravenswood) to cross over the other “L” tracks, replacing a flat junction.

CTA Chicago Transit Authority “L” #4000s 1974
Location: Skokie, Illinois (Wilson Yard and Shops, looking east)
Date: February 1974 (processing date)
Photographer: John Alvar Ruhl
The Wilson Avenue Yard and Shops no longer exists. In 1996, not long after the shops closed, the building caught fire. The building was demolished along with the yard, which was damaged beyond repair. Later, the station and trackage was completely rebuilt in this area.

CTA Chicago Transit Authority “L” Clark and Lake
Location: Chicago, Illinois (Clark and Lake – Loop “L”)
Date: March 1978
Photographer: Jeffrey L. Wien
This (and the next picture) shows how the original Clark and Lake station on the Loop “L” looked in 1978, prior to being replaced by a new station that has entrances inside nearby buildings, and a direct connection to the Dearborn Subway.

Lest we forget, September 2nd this year marks the 75th anniversary of a horrific head-on collision on Milwaukee’s Speedrail system, the short-lived successor to the Milwaukee Electric interurban. While the causes of the crash are still being debated, whether due to human error or a faulty signal, the result was a head-on collision between a heavyweight car and a lightweight one. Lightweight car #39, full of attendees to a model railroad convention, was a fantrip car, and was split apart by the regular service car 1192-1193. Ten people were killed, and more than forty injured. The accident was instrumental in the abandonment of Speedrail less than one year later. We recently purchased two original 35mm Kodachrome slides showing the aftermath of the wreck, and I assume they were taken the following day (September 3, 1950), before the area was cleared. It is remarkable that the colors on these slides are still vivid after 75 years, although they are also vivid reminders of a terrible tragedy that we hope will never be repeated.

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Back On Track

August 14, 2024August 17, 2024David Sadowski 4 Comments

The Chicago Surface Lines ran a fantrip on October 23, 1938 using PCC #4002, then just two years old. It toured the city carrying many railfans, and was credited as giving the fledgling Central Electric Railfans’ Association a big membership boost. The excursion was also covered extensively in Surface Service, the CSL’s employee publication. This scan was taken from an original 3 1/4 x 5 1/2″ negative. The photographer is not known, although one of the two men was apparently named Ranke. The location is also not known, although we appear to be on an angle street, which could mean Clark, Broadway, or Milwaukee.

Our regular readers may note this is our first post since April. We have been hard at work on our next book, The Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railway, for Arcadia Publishing. this will be our fifth book for them.

Books are our gift to future generations, and we have but one chance to get this right. It is an awesome responsibility, and one we take very seriously.

A tremendous amount of work has already been done. We have deadlines approaching, and everything has to be ready. We think you will be very pleased with the results. The book should come out sometime next year.

It is a complicated and at times controversial subject, and it deserves to be done right.

In the meantime, we have some excellent photos to share with you today, from places both far and near.

You can read more about the 1938 CSL fantrip here.

Enjoy!

-David Sadowski

PS- You might also like our Trolley Dodger Facebook auxiliary, a private group that now has 1,762 members.

Our Next Book Project

This picture, credited to Louis Paus, ran on the vintagetribune Instagram page a few years ago. It would appear to have been taken on September 20, 1953 at DesPlaines Avenue. This was the first day when Chicago Aurora and Elgin trains were cut back to Forest Park instead of continuing downtown via the Garfield Park “L”. The canopy has not yet been installed on the hastily built transfer platform, and the riders appear to be confused as to what they are supposed to be doing. Unfortunately, the Chicago Tribune media people were not able to find a high resolution version of this image, and therefore it won’t be in my upcoming book. It’s not clear what the date of publication might have been, if indeed it was actually published in the newspaper.

FYI, we are hard at work researching our next book about the Chicago Aurora and Elgin interurban. Although we already have thousands of images, we start out on these book projects with some of what we need, and then have to find the rest. Some have generously shared their images with us, and some we have to pay real money for. In case you would like to help contribute to this effort, either by sharing images or making a donation, we would like to hear from you. All contributors will be mentioned in the book, which will be dedicated to the memory of the late Robert D. Heinlein. The most difficult images to find are always the earliest ones. You can contact me via Facebook messenger, at thetrolleydodger@gmail.com or via my blog. I thank you for your time and consideration.

Dennis McClendon – An Appreciation

I was shocked and saddened to hear that my longtime friend Dennis McClendon recently died from pancreatic cancer, aged 67. I had been told only a couple weeks before that he was ill by a mutual friend. I reached out to him at that time, but didn’t hear back. And now he is gone.

I first met Dennis in 1981, when he was involved with the Friends of Downtown Chicago, an advocacy group. He had grown up in Texas, and had also lived in Oklahoma and California before making his home in Chicago. Although not a native, he quickly became enamored with the city and its history.

Dennis had a law degree, but wasn’t interested in practicing law. When I met him, he called himself a “Planner,” as in city planner, and he was for some years the editor of Planning, the magazine of the American Planning Association.

For the rest of his life, Dennis had a strong interest in the City of Chicago, its history, and future. He participated in innumerable meetings, hearings, and presentations about his beloved South Loop neighborhood and many others.

After he left the APA, he became a mapmaker and started his own firm, Chicago Cartographics. Over time, he produced maps for the Chicago Transit Authority, the Regional Transportation Authority, and many other clients.

When I co-authored a book about Chicago’s PCC streetcars about ten years ago, we hired Dennis to make one of the maps, and his work was outstanding.

More recently, he did the design and layout for Transit in the Triangle Part 2, Bulletin 152 from the Central Electric Railfans’ Association. It is a very attractive looking book.

Over time, Dennis became a “go to guy” for local media, when they had questions that needed answering, like why Chicago has alleys, and cities like New York do not. He was a frequent contributor to WTTW’s Chicago Tonight. If you have ever watched that show regularly, you probably saw him answer some question posed to him by Geoffrey Baer. Or you saw the answers he provided, which were always factual, interesting, and informative.

There was no one like him in his areas of expertise, but he wasn’t just serious. He had a finely developed sense of humor.

I think it would be fitting if the City of Chicago would rename one of the South Loop streets Honorary Dennis McClendon Way in his honor.

There is now an obit in the Chicago Tribune.

His Twitter/X account name was mrdowntownchi, and that is how I will remember him, as Mister Downtown Chicago, because that’s what he was.

I purchased this old press photo recently because I thought it might amuse my friend Dennis. Although I sent it to him, now I do not know if he even saw it.

Recent Finds

Chicago Aurora and Elgin car #430 looks to be freshly painted in this photo at Wheaton, circa July 1949.

CA&E freight locos 4005-4006 are working in Elgin, circa 1958.

By August 1960, the Chicago Aurora and Elgin’s trackage in downtown Elgin had been cut back to this point. The Milwaukee Road continued servicing some of CA&E’s former freight customers.

A CA&E freight train crosses over the Chicago and North Western’s tracks in Wheaton in 1958, heading outbound on the Elgin branch. Front Street is at left.

Here’s how the bridge looked on August 3, 2024. Since 1983, it has become a part of the Illinois Prairie Path.

CA&E 2001-2002 head up an eastbound freight train in 1959, coming off the Elgin branch. The cross street is Liberty, which took a jog here to circumvent the Wheaton Yard.

Here is the same view today. The two large Wheaton Center buildings dominate Liberty Drive, which was extended west after the CA&E site was cleared in the early 1960s.

William C. Hoffman took this picture of a CTA test train on new temporary trackage in Van Buren Street on September 19, 1953, the day before Garfield Park “L” service was rerouted there due to construction of the Congress (now Eisenhower) expressway. The “L” cars are #2794, 2116, and 2807– a gate car between two Met cars. The photographer was at the Marshfield Junction “L” station, looking to the northeast.

The presence of car 314 at the head of a six-car Chicago Aurora and Elgin train would suggest this is the “Cannonball” that ran (prior to the 1953 cutback) express from Downtown to Wheaton in about 40 minutes.

This is the Wagner Road stop on the Chicago Aurora and Elgin’s Batavia branch. Like many other lightly used stations, this was a flag stop, meaning you had to signal to get on or off here. As you can see, the railroad hadn’t painted the small shelter in some time. I believe this photo may have been taken in June 1958, nearly a year after the end of passenger service. The Illinois Prairie Path runs through here now, but the area around it has been built up.

Displaced commuters packed a suburban train station on November 11, 1944, as employees of two Chicago interurbans (the North Shore Line and the Chicago Aurora and Elgin) embarked on a 17-day strike for higher wages. The strike was settled after the workers accepted a five cents per hour increase recommended by a board appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. They had been holding out for nine cents per hour. The march of Patton’s third Army through Europe dominated the headlines that day during World War II. The exact location is not known. (Acme Photo)

A six-car Chicago Aurora and Elgin train, traveling 70 miles per hour (according to what’s written on this slide), is eastbound in Bellwood on December 24, 1951.

Chicago Aurora and Elgin car #30 heads up an eastbound three-car train in Bellwood on December 24, 1951. The platform curving off to the left belongs to the Westchester branch of the “L”, which had only recently (December 9th) been abandoned by the CTA and replaced by the #17 bus. (Gordon E. Lloyd Photo)

The view looking west towards the Chicago Aurora and Elgin station at Liberty Avenue and Main Street in Wheaton on September 11, 1952. Two cars are in the station; the one at right is #409 and the left one may be #420, although it’s hard to tell. You can also see part of the Chicago and North Western commuter train station just to the north. (Edward S. Miller Photo)

When CA&E trains ran to Elgin, it was possible to get a spectacular reflection off the Fox River in pictures such as this. There are many such examples, some widely duplicated, but this one was taken by Lawson K. Hill on September 8, 1953.

A westbound CA&E train of wood cars, headed by #38, is stopped at DesPlaines Avenue in Forest Park on September 9, 1953. This was but ten days before theses trains stopped running downtown due to highway construction. (Lawson K. Hill Photo) We previously ran a photo of the following train in an earlier post. For the sake of completeness, we will include it below.

Chicago Aurora and Elgin wood car 317 is at the head of a westbound train at DesPlaines Avenue in Forest Park on September 9, 1953. This was about ten days before the CA&E stopped running downtown via the CTA and cut back service to here. The old station you see here was replaced with a hastily built one just a bit to the north, with a loop for interurban trains to turn back, and cross platform connections with CTA Garfield Park “L” trains. The old station was on the east side of DesPlaines Avenue, with the new station to the west.
The terminal was once again reconfigured in 1959, during construction of the adjacent expressway, but by then the CA&E had stopped running (although new tracks were put in place in case it had been able to continue). I am sure I will include this picture in my upcoming book. (Lawson K. Hill Photo) Lawson Kingsbury Hill (1910-1998) lived in Massachusetts, where he worked as a rate clerk.

David H. Cope took this picture of CA&E express motor #7 in Wheaton on October 24, 1948. Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “7 was built by Jewett Car in 1906. In 1941 it was rebuilt as a tool car.”

CA&E #403, built by Pullman in 1923, is shown by the old Batavia Power Station sometime in the 1950s.

The sign on the CA&E Dispatcher’s office after the abrupt “temporary” end of passenger service in 1957.

CA&E snow plow #3 at Wheaton in August 1960, after the abandonment, next to car #453.

CA&E car #20, built by Niles in 1902, is operating at the Fox River Trolley Museum in July 1980 here.

An early view of the main Chicago Aurora and Elgin station in Wheaton, which opened in 1912. As this gives the name of the railroad as the AE&C, chances are this photo predates the 1922 corporate reorganization. The station closed in 1957 and was demolished in 1966. From a real photo postcard.

A tale of two postcards. The Libertyville one shows the Chicago & Milwaukee Electric (later the North Shore Line) in 1907. This would have been a good candidate for my last book.
The Oak Park one, postmarked in 1905, shows the Chicago and North Western line looking west, most likely at Wisconsin Avenue (or, as it is known at that point today, Marion Street). This was a few years before the tracks were elevated onto an embankment.
The Lake Street “L” is just barely visible at left. Those tracks were put on the embankment in 1962.
If I ever do a book on the Lake Street “L”, I will try to get this one in there, although it probably won’t reproduce well. The caption shows how this was the start of suburbia and a bedroom community.

I wish the quality on this postcard image were better, but at least it does show the Lake Street “L” (at left) and the Chicago and North Western (at right) when both ran at ground level through Oak Park prior to about 1909.

North Shore Line car #162 heads up a northbound train approaching the CTA Wilson Avenue “L” station on July 4, 1954. This car is now at the East Troy Railroad Museum, where it will be restored.

The late Jeffrey L. Wien took these pictures of CTA trailer (i.e., no motor) car 4055 in June 1959 at Skokie Shops. This car was built in 1914 by the Cincinnati Car Company, and was known as a “Baldie” 4000, as opposed to the second series of such cars built in the early 1920s, aka the “Plushies.” This car was retired on November 15, 1963, according to information provided by Andre Kristopans. Apparently, the only trailer in the series 4001-4066 that still exists is 4043, which is in poor shape and is at the Northern Ohio Railway Museum.

The Madison-Fifth streetcar line in Chicago was a branch off Route 20 – Madison, and ran southwest to Pulaski Road. After the CTA replaced streetcars on Madison with buses in 1953, Fifth operated as a shuttle for several months, before being discontinued about a month after this picture was taken on January 1, 1954. One-man car 1757 is one of a few that got repainted into CTA green and creme circa 1952. The car is heading east on Fifth Avenue at Millard Avenue (about 3700 West). When the Congress expressway was planned, it was decided to truncate Fifth Avenue instead of bridging it at an angle. Since then, there have been several such cutbacks to Fifth, to the point where it functions today as a side street. There is even a cul-de-sac where it meets Madison Street.

CTA PCC 4384 is parked on a short-turn track at 80th and Vincennes in May 1958. Since the car is signed for Western, I assume this was a fantrip. This was nearly two years after buses replaced streetcars on Western Avenue, and it was common practice to put up signs for routes that weren’t running any longer. The last chicago streetcar ran the following month.

Chicago Transit Authority PCC #4383 is at the 77th Street car barn on June 20, 1958, the last full day of streetcar service. This slide was shot on an early version of Ektachrome that had unstable dyes. We were able to color correct it using modern technology. (Robert D. Heinlein Photo)

This is a real photo postcard of the Lake Forest station on the Chicago and Milwaukee Electric (which became the North Shore Line in 1916). Eventually, this portion of the railroad was known as the Shore Line Route, once the Skokie Valley Route opened in 1926. This must be an early picture, since it is postmarked February 11, 1908. The station was built in 1907, but was not actually opened until 1910, due to a mechanic’s lien. The Shore Line Route quit in 1955 and the building was demolished around 1970.

In May 1959, a Waukegan-North Chicago Transit bus is stopped at the North Shore Line station at Edison Court in Waukegan. The interurban owned the bus company, which was sold off after the 1963 abandonment of rail service. Bus service in this area is now handled by PACE.

A Chicago and Milwaukee Electric interurban is on Greenleaf Avenue in Wilmette circa 1910. According to J. J. Sedelmaier, we are looking east. The C&ME became the North Shore Line in 1916.

The Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee’s Shore Line Route was abandoned in 1955. This is how the right-of-way looked at Indian Hill on March 31, 1962, facing south. This section was part of the Winnetka Grade Separation Project (1938-43), which eliminated numerous dangerous grade crossings for the North Shore Line and the adjacent Chicago and North Western at right. Interestingly, a few of the support poles for the trolley wire were still up, nearly seven years after service ended. There is a hiking and biking path here now. Jack Coladarci adds, “All the cement bases are still there, and all the station platform supports at Harbor St, Hubbard Woods, Eldorado, Winnetka Elm street, Willow Road, and Indian Hill. This view is looking south towards Indian Hill from the Cherry Street bridge. You can see the Willow Road staircase to the platforms visible in the distance, as the two white structures on either side of the trail. A local citizens group formed in 1964 to turn the old rail bed into the actual Green Bay Trail, currently used for running biking walking and all sorts of other community activities. Also visible on the right hand side over the Chicago Northwestern tracks is a “telltale” holding wires that hung down over the train cars which were used to worn railroad workers on the tops of trains of approaching low bridges or tunnels or other low structures. This one was warning of the approaching Cherry Street, Oak Street, Elm Street, Pine Street, Eldorado, and Tower Road Bridges plus a pedestrian overpass coming after Tower road, and at the Elm Street Station.”

I recently purchased an original 4x5 negative of Chicago Surface Lines Little Pullman #1000, probably from the 1930s. The car was built in 1910. CSL had 1000 Pullmans in all, numbered from 100 to 1100 as follows: Big Pullmans 100-700, Pressed Steel Cars 701-750, and Little Pullmans 751-1100. I think the latter were slightly shorter than the Big Pullmans. All were built between 1908 and 1910. This car is signed for Western Avenue, and we are at either the north or south end of its route. This picture is sharp enough that you can almost read the badge number (2957?) on the man's hat, and you can see smoke coming off his pipe. Three Big Pullmans have been preserved-- cars 144 and 460 at the Illinois Railway Museum, and 225 at Seashore Trolley Museum in Maine. Our resident south side expert M.E. adds, "Western Ave. streetcars, at one time, ran all the way from 111th St. to Howard. That's a 22.5-mile-long route. The destination sign says Western-Howard, yet the streetcar is empty of passengers. So it could be at either 111th St. or at the end of its run at Howard, as you conjecture. Lind's book says the newly formed CTA chopped up the Western route in 1948 into three parts. Corroborating this is https://www.chicagorailfan.com/rte04049.html , which says: "Split into the present three separate routes 8/1/48, when buses replaced streetcars on south segment (route 49A) and on north segment (route 49B)." The autos in the picture might be models from right after World War II. If so, then the photo could have been taken prior to 1 August 1948. Let's say the Western Av. trackage ended just north of 111th St. Then I would expect to see the 111th St. car line in the photo, and maybe a few buildings such as a corner drugstore, rather than a huge building in the southwest background. Ergo, I'm leaning toward this photo being taken south of Howard St.

I recently purchased an original 4×5 negative of Chicago Surface Lines Little Pullman #1000, probably from the 1930s. The car was built in 1910. CSL had 1000 Pullmans in all, numbered from 100 to 1100 as follows: Big Pullmans 100-700, Pressed Steel Cars 701-750, and Little Pullmans 751-1100. I think the latter were slightly shorter than the Big Pullmans. All were built between 1908 and 1910.
This car is signed for Western Avenue, and we are at either the north or south end of its route. This picture is sharp enough that you can almost read the badge number (2957?) on the man’s hat, and you can see smoke coming off his pipe.
Three Big Pullmans have been preserved– cars 144 and 460 at the Illinois Railway Museum, and 225 at Seashore Trolley Museum in Maine.
Our resident south side expert M.E. adds, “Western Ave. streetcars, at one time, ran all the way from 111th St. to Howard. That’s a 22.5-mile-long route. The destination sign says Western-Howard, yet the streetcar is empty of passengers. So it could be at either 111th St. or at the end of its run at Howard, as you conjecture.
Lind’s book says the newly formed CTA chopped up the Western route in 1948 into three parts. Corroborating this is
https://www.chicagorailfan.com/rte04049.html , which says: “Split into the present three separate routes 8/1/48, when buses replaced streetcars on south segment (route 49A) and on north segment (route 49B).”
The autos in the picture might be models from right after World War II. If so, then the photo could have been taken prior to 1 August 1948. Let’s say the Western Av. trackage ended just north of 111th St. Then I would expect to see the 111th St. car line in the photo, and maybe a few buildings such as a corner drugstore, rather than a huge building in the southwest background. Ergo, I’m leaning toward this photo being taken south of Howard St.

An early view of a streetcar on Fifth Avenue in Maywood, from a real photo postcard.

While Chicago’s wooden “L” cars were taken out of regular service in 1957, similar cars continued to run in New York on Brooklyn’s Myrtle Avenue El until October 10, 1969. This picture, showing a section of elevated about to be torn down, was taken by James P. Marcus on October 4, 1969.

Philadelphia Transportation Company #7258 (Nearside)
@Lehigh near Douglas (and Mt. Vernon Cemetery)
54 – Lehigh Avenue Line
November 27, 1954
(Raymond DeGroote, Jr. Photo)
Here’s what the Wikipedia says about Nearsides:
The Nearside (or Near-side) Car was a streetcar (trolley car or tram) designed by in-house engineers of the Thomas E. Mitten management team, which ran the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company (PRT). Nearside refers to the fact the car would pick up and discharge passengers on the “nearside” of an intersection rather than the “farside” as the previous generation of “conventional” cars did (this method of operation caused frequent gridlock, as the stopped cars blocked cross traffic). The 1,500 cars that the PRT ordered from the J. G. Brill Company in South Philadelphia was the largest single order of streetcars in North American history. The cars were initially designed as “muzzle loaders” with only double front doors for passenger entry and exit. Later, most of the fleet would have center exit doors cut into them making them Peter Witt cars. The cars were in service in Philadelphia from 1911 to 1955, when they were scrapped in favor of the more modern PCC streetcar. Nearside cars were also purchased by the International Railway Company of Buffalo, NY and in Chicago by the Chicago Surface Lines, both properties were also managed by Mitten.

Two views of Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company (aka Red Arrow Lines) trolleys 13 and 15 on the Ardmore line in latter days. Buses were substituted for trolleys at the end of 1966. These double-ended cars, resembling PCCs, were built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1949 and were retired in 1982. (Robert Heinlein Photos)

Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “(Milwaukee Electric) 882 was built by St. Louis Car Co. in 1920, (order) #1239. It was one manned in 1926 and rebuilt in 1954 with a plow on one end and a pilot on the other for use at the Lakeside Power Plant of WEPCo. It also had interurban headlights added. It ran until May 8, 1961.” This was more than three years after the last streetcar ran in Milwaukee. Here, we see #882 at K-K Avenue in Milwaukee on July 13, 1958, where it is changing ends. A new modern streetcar line (The Hop) opened in Milwaukee on November 2, 2018. (Robert Selle Photo)

Subject: BTC Baltimore PCC Streetcar Trolley #7115
Location: Baltimore, Maryland (Route 8 – York Road Carhouse)
Date: November 2, 1963 (the last full day of streetcar service)
Photographer: Jeffrey L. Wien

Subject: BTC Baltimore PCC Streetcar Trolley #7388 (and the Hippodrome Theatre at left, plus Baltimore and Annapolis “old look” bus #701)
Location: Baltimore, Maryland (Eutaw and Baltimore)
Date: November 2, 1963 (the last full day of service)
Photographer: Jeffrey L. Wien

Baltimore Transit Company PCC #7128 is at Eutaw and Fayette on July 5, 1959, having just passed the Town Theatre, where Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty was being shown. The Town first opened in 1911 and closed in 1937. It was rebuilt in 1946 and became a Cinerama theatre in 1953. It closed again in 1990, and appeared headed for the wrecking ball. But it was saved by the Everyman Theatre troupe and reopened in 2012. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

Baltimore PCC #7382 is on Eutaw at Baltimore on November 2, 1963, the last full day of streetcar service. The Trans-Lux Hippodrome was featuring Cleopatra, starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, probably the most expensive film ever made up until that time and widely regarded as a “bomb.” The Hippodrome opened in 1914 and closed in 1990. It is now part of the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, and is the last surviving movie palace in Baltimore. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

BTC Baltimore Streetcar Trolley #3738
Location: Baltimore, Maryland (Route 8 – Gilmore Street)
Date: May 19, 1961
Photographer: Jeffrey L. Wien
Here, we see a classic night shot of an ancient Baltimore streetcar, most likely built around 1900. It does not appear to have survived to the present day.

Baltimore Transit Company PCC #7124 is running on Route 15 on August 19, 1958. Buses replaced streetcars in Baltimore in 1963. Mike Franklin adds, “Looking west on Fayette St across Howard St, Baltimore MD.”

Seaboard Air Line diesel #2028, built in 1936 by the St. Louis Car Company, was an obvious influence on the pair of Electroliners built in 1940 for the North Shore Line. This picture was taken in April 1964 in Florida.
From the Wikipedia:
The St. Louis Car Company “Doodlebug” was a model of lightweight, streamlined diesel-electric railcars built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1936 for the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. Electromotive Corporation supplied the 600 hp (450 kW), eight-cylinder Winton 8-201A prime mover and electric transmission components, though unit 2028 would be rebuilt in 1948 with a more modern EMD 567 prime mover. The units had a B-2 wheel arrangement, mounted atop a pair of road trucks. The aft section was divided into two separate compartments: one was used to transport baggage and the other served as a small railway post office, or RPO (the forward door, located just behind the radiator louvers, was equipped with a mail hook).
Two units were manufactured for the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL) and were numbered 2027 and 2028. Unit 2027 was destroyed in a collision with a gas tanker truck at Arcadia, Florida in 1956. Unit 2028 remained in service, and was primarily used on the Silver Meteor between Tampa, Florida and Venice, Florida through the 1950s and 60s. Unit 2028 was renumbered to 4900 after the Seaboard Coast Line merger in 1967 between the SAL and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL). Unit 2028, now numbered 4900, was reassigned to operate the Champion between Lakeland, Florida and Naples, Florida. Unit 2028 was removed from service and scrapped after Amtrak took over national passenger service in 1971.

Boston MTA PCC #3027 makes a stop at Broadway and Tremont streets in May 1961, and is about to head into the subway via a portal that no longer exists. (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

Boston MTA PCC #3051 makes a stop at Broadway and Tremont streets in May 1961. The Pleasant Street Portal connected to Boston’s subway system here, starting in 1897. From the Wikipedia: “On March 2, 1953, the City Point line was replaced by the 9 bus route. The tracks to Tremont Street, formerly connected to the west tracks of the portal, were realigned to the east tracks, allowing a bus transfer station to be built where the west tracks had been. The Tremont Street line was bustituted as the 43 route on November 20, 1961, and a streetcar shuttle started between the portal and Boylston, with transfers to the subway. This shuttle was short-lived, ending with closure of the portal on April 6, 1962. The Pleasant Street portal is now covered by Elliot Norton Park at the intersection of Tremont Street, Shawmut Avenue, and Oak Street West.” (Jeffrey L. Wien Photo)

Subject: DCT DC Transit PCC Streetcar Trolley #1477
Location: Washington, DC (Route 54 – Pennsylvania and 14th)
Date: September 1961
Photographer: Jeffrey L. Wien

Subject: DCT DC Transit PCC Streetcar Trolley #1506
Location: Washington, DC (Route 40 – Columbia Road – U Street)
Date: September 1961
Photographer: Jeffrey L. Wien

Subject: DCT DC Transit PCC Streetcar Trolley #1506
Location: Washington, DC (Route 42 – Columbia Road – Ontario)
Date: September 1961
Photographer: Jeffrey L. Wien

Subject: DCT DC Transit PCC Streetcar Trolley #1499
Location: Washington, DC (Route 92 – Calvert Bridge)
Date: September 1961
Photographer: Jeffrey L. Wien

Recent Correspondence

Dave Neff writes:

I live in Wildwood, NJ. Although I ‘like’ trolleys, I’m nowhere near the aficionado that my father was. When I was a young child back in the 1940s, my father and a good friend of his designed, manufactured and sold trolley kits nationwide. My dad died back in 2005 at age 90, but it was only a few months ago that my sister, with whom he and our mom had lived, presented me with materials he had saved having to do with his trolley manufacturing days. Although I had known about that venture, I didn’t really appreciate the amount of work involved in the enterprise.

Impressed with what I learned, I scanned a few of the documents and passed them along to a fellow in Wildwood who has owned and operated ‘The Holly Beach Train Depot’ here for many years. He responded that he had seen an ad in an old model train magazine advertising trolley kits for sale which gave a North Wildwood NJ address and had always wondered who the guys were that made and sold the kits. Inasmuch as he is active in our local Historical Society, he proposed preparing some sort of display for the Society’s museum. I volunteered to write a short piece for the display and have copied it below.

My father had come to Wildwood as a boy and the Five Mile Beach Electric Railway trolley line ran right down the middle of the street where he lived. The trolley kits that he designed were models of the trolleys that ran on that line. When researching Wildwood trolleys on the internet I came across your blog from 3/14/2021 which pictured trolley car 22 on the Five Mile Beach Electric Railway line. Thus, I thought that you might be interested in my story, and also wondered if you or any of your readers may have come across a Beach Island Manufacturing Co. (BIMCO) advertisement in a Model Craftsman or Model Railroader magazine, or a BIMCO trolley kit. If so, I’d very much like to hear about it.

Perhaps some of our readers might know something about these model trolleys. In the meantime, here are a couple more pictures I have found of Wildwood streetcars:

Five Mile Beach Electric Railway car #25 is on Schellenger Avenue in Wildwood, New Jersey on July 2, 1943. Trolleys ran at this seaside resort until 1945. World War II blackouts disrupted business, and Nazi U-Boats were not far off shore. German sailors would occasionally sneak into town looking for food.

Five Mile Beach Electric Railway car #23 is at the beginning of double track in Wildwood, New Jersey on July 1, 1943. Four trolleys (#20, 34, 36, and 651) have been preserved from this operation, but none are in operating condition.

Christopher Lemm just sent me this picture of a very unusual Chicago Aurora and Elgin pin. The railroad branded itself as the “Sunset Lines” in the 1920s and 30s. His grandfather worked as a track foreman for the CA&E until his death in 1936. Lemm grew up in a house in Bellwood on Madison Street, next to the Westchester branch of the “L” that ran until December 1951.

Keep those cards and letters coming in, folks.

-David Sadowski

Our Latest Book, Now Available:

The North Shore Line

FYI, my new Arcadia Publishing book The North Shore Line is now available for immediate shipment. My publisher decided to expand it to 160 pages, instead of the usual 128. That’s a 25% increase, without any change to the $23.99 price. I am quite pleased with how this turned out.

From the back cover:

As late as 1963, it was possible to board high-speed electric trains on Chicago’s famous Loop “L” that ran 90 miles north to Milwaukee. This was the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad, commonly known as the North Shore Line. It rose from humble origins in the 1890s as a local streetcar line in Waukegan to eventually become America’s fastest interurban under the visionary management of Midwest utilities tycoon Samuel Insull. The North Shore Line, under Insull, became a worthy competitor to the established steam railroads. Hobbled by the Great Depression, the road fought back in 1941 with two streamlined, air-conditioned, articulated trains called Electroliners, which included dining service. It regained its popularity during World War II, when gasoline and tires were rationed, but eventually, it fell victim to highways and the automobile. The North Shore Line had intercity rail, commuter rail, electric freight, city streetcars, and even buses. It has been gone for nearly 60 years, but it will always remain the Road of Service.

Each copy purchased here will be signed by the author, and you will also receive a bonus North Shore Line map. Books will ship by USPS Media Mail.

Chapters:
01. Beginnings
02. The Milwaukee Division
03. The Shore Line Route
04. The Skokie Valley Route
05. The Mundelein Branch
06. On the “L”
07. City Streetcars
08. Trolley Freight
09. The Long Goodbye
10. The Legacy

Title The North Shore Line
Images of America
Author David Sadowski
Edition illustrated
Publisher Arcadia Publishing (SC), 2023
ISBN 1467108960, 978-1467108966
Length 160 pages

The price of $23.99 includes shipping within the United States.

For Shipping to US Addresses:

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Price: $19.99

Three very rare, out of print North Jersey Recordings LPs, now digitally remastered on two CDs at a special price.

The Sound of Steam offers a comprehensive overview of the twilight days of steam railroading in North America, with sounds recorded between 1957 and 1964. Railroads featured include the Denver & Rio Grande Western, Union Pacific, Canadian Pacific, Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway, Gainesville Midland Railroad, Pennsylvania Railroad, Reading Railroad, Canadian National, Twin Seams Mining Company, Nickel Plate, Colorado & Southern, Norfolk & Western, Buffalo Creek & Gauley, Monadnock, Steamtown & Northern, Rockton & Rion Railway, and the National Railways of Mexico.

Reading 2124 features recordings made in 1959 and 1960 on a series of “Iron Horse Rambles,” excursion trips through eastern Pennsylvania. The Reading Company had retained this class T-1 4-8-4 for emergency use after steam was retired on the railroad. Seven years after the last Reading steam loco had hauled a passenger train, a series of 51 special excursion trips were held, ending in 1964. These have since been revived, and the Rambles continue.

Total time – 69:54 (Disc 1) and 61:20 (Disc 2)

RWW-V103
Rods, Wheels, and Whistles
Voice of the 103
Price: $19.99

Two very rare, out of print North Jersey Recordings LPs, now digitally remastered on two CDs at a special price.

Rods, Wheels, and Whistles features the sounds of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Norfolk and Western Railway, recorded in the twilight years of steam. This LP was originally issued in 1958, but our version is taken from the revised and expanded edition, which includes additional recordings from 1959.

Voice of the 103 documents the former Sumter and Choctaw Railroad #103, a 2-6-2 locomotive built in 1925 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, after it was refurbished in 1962 to operate on the Middletown and New Jersey. This was an excursion service of the Empire State Railway Museum, which has since moved to a new location and no longer operates trains. The 103 is now on static display.

Our collection is rounded out with three bonus tracks from the Strasbourg Railroad, when old number 31 ran excursion trains on the oldest short line railroad in the United States (chartered in June 1832), joining the Pennsylvania Dutch towns of Strasbourg and Paradise in the early 1960s.

Total time – 46:15 (RWW) and 49:26 (V103)

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Our 9th Anniversary

April 4, 2024April 7, 2024David Sadowski 7 Comments

A six-car “L” train, made up of 6000-series rapid transit cars, is at the Kedzie station on June 21, 1958. The CTA was offering free rides on a portion of the new Congress line that day. Regular service began on June 22nd. (William C. Hoffman Photo) M. E. adds, “As for all your pictures dated June 21, 1958, that date also is infamous as the last day of Chicago streetcar service. That was truly a day when one era of Chicago transportation died and another era began.”

This is our first post since early January, and a lot has happened since then. The Trolley Dodger blog turned nine years old on January 21st. We have a tradition of making our anniversary posts extra special. A lot of hard work has gone into this one, and I hope you will agree that we have found some excellent historical images for your consideration.

As we are in the Chicago area, and we made sure this post has a lot of exceptional local content. Enjoy!

Keep those cards and letters coming in, folks.

-David Sadowski

PS- You might also like our Trolley Dodger Facebook auxiliary, a private group that now has 1,606 members.

Our Next Book Project

William D. Volkmer (1936-2024)

CTA trolley bus #9680 is at Chicago and Fairbanks on July 9, 1963. (William D. Volkmer Photo)

Sad news via Eric Bronsky. William D. Volkmer was an exceptional photographer whose work goes back to the late 1950s. Several of his pictures have been featured here. I did correspond with him a bit from time to time:

I am sad to inform our community of the passing of William D. Volkmer, railroad expert, enthusiast and historian par excellence. Bill had been struggling with cancer over the past 2 years. He lost the battle on the morning of Tuesday, March 5.
Bill was a longtime friend to many of us. Through his multifaceted career, he acquired a formidable knowledge together with hands-on experience in several areas of railroad design, planning, technology and operation. His life’s work is summed up in the following resume, which he shared with his friends back in 2013:
Bill Volkmer – Plantation, FL b. 1936
Born and raised – Pittsfield, MA. (to age 17 then moved to Rome, GA)
Educated – Georgia Tech 1958 BME (Ramblin Wreck Parade photos available on request)
Working Career (Note: Carried 35mm camera in pocket at all times. Retina IIIc folding camera)
PRR- Mechanical Dept. Altoona, Penn Coach Yard, Philadelphia, Enola, Chicago, Canton, Northumberland, & Renovo 1958-68 (worked with and for Watson and Goehring)
General Electric Co.- Diesel Engine Dept. Quality Assurance, Erie, PA1968-72
General Electric Co. MU Car Dept. Erie, PA Customer Service Rep to MN and LIRR 1972-75
Kaiser Engineers – Philadelphia Boeing Plant Resident Engineer LRT – Client MBTA LRV Proj. 1975-77
Kaiser Engineers – Miami, Metrorail Designed Yard and Shops and Fare Collection Specs. 1977-1985
Kaiser Engineers – LA Long Beach design work LRT 1986-91
LACMTA – Various transit projects 1991-94
Florida Tri-Rail – CMO 1994-97
Herzog Transit Services – Tri-Rail Contract Operator 1997-2007.
Retired 6-30-2007
Married for 51+ years, four children (3 gulls + 1 buoy), 3 grandchildren + 2 pure-bred dogs rescued from Hialeah Yard!
Authored 9 Morning Sun books on railroad and trolley subjects.
Editor Keystone Chronicles Magazine for PRRT&HS Philadelphia Chapter.
Following retirement, Bill was active with Electric Railway Clubs of Florida and for a time served as editor of their newsletter, The Live Overhead. Eager to share his knowledge and experience, he churned out an almost-daily email blog, often under the fictitious name of his alter ego, “Art Wheeler.” Bill’s emails were chock-full of interesting historic information and photos from his vast collection. Many of these were in the form of elaborate PowerPoint slide shows. And, yes, he had a terrific sense of humor.
A memorial service was held on Saturday, March 23rd 2024 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM at the Woodlawn Memorial Park & Funeral Home (400 Woodlawn Cemetery Rd, Gotha, FL 34734). Disposition of Bill’s collection is pending.

This is how the Congress expressway construction site looked on September 26, 1954, looking west from the ramp leading down to the temporary ground-level Garfield Park “L” alignment. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

And here is the same view taken by William C. Hoffman on July 28, 1957. Parts of the expressway opened in 1955, going as far west as Laramie Avenue (5200 W.), and the Congress median rapid transit line was under construction and would open the following year.

Here’s how the Congress expressway construction site looked on February 7, 1954, looking east from Halsted. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

William C. Hoffman took this picture looking east from Green Street along the Congress expressway construction area on October 3, 1954. The two portals at right are where the Congress rapid transit line eventually connected with the Congress-Dearborn-Milwaukee subway. The bridges over the new highway were usually built first.

This gadget was used to build the concrete walls of the subway along Congress Street. We are looking down from the bridge on Halsted Street on October 3, 1954. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

This is the view looking east towards Halsted along the Congress expressway construction site on July 22, 1956. The highway was not yet open at this point, but parts of it west of here had opened in late 1955. The tracks have not yet been laid for the Congress rapid transit line, going into the two subway portals on the right. The ones on the left were intended for a Clinton Street subway that was never built. The CTA Halsted Street “L” station at left remained in use until the new median line opened in 1958. Note there is no Circle Interchange yet as the Kennedy and Dan Ryan expressways had not yet been built. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

William C. Hoffman took this picture showing a two-car CTA train of 4000-series “L” cars passing by the former Kilbourn station on April 21, 1957. That station had been closed in order to speed up service on the Garfield Park “L” during Congress expressway construction. Meanwhile, a crane on flanged wheels works on the new median right of way that went into service in 1958.

This is the view looking east from Racine (1200 W.) on June 21, 1958. According to photographer William C. Hoffman, this is a westbound “free ride” train on what is now usually referred to as the Morgan Middle track in what was then the Congress expressway. The CTA offered free rides between Halsted and Cicero Avenue that day, and regular service on this new line officially began at 4:00 am on June 22nd. Meanwhile, this was also the final day of service via the Garfield Park “L” routing.

The CTA offered service on both the old Garfield Park and new Congress “L” lines for just one day, June 21, 1958. You could ride the new median line for free that day between Halsted Street and Cicero Avenue. This picture was taken at Racine and Congress. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

On June 21, 1958, a six-car CTA Congress train heads west from the new Cicero Avenue station. We see the secondary station entrance on Lavergne Avenue (5000 W.). For a time, the CTA operated a park and ride lot just to the north, on a portion of the former site of the Laramie Yard. This closed sometime between 1965 and 1967. The secondary entrance was severely damaged by fire in 1972 and became an exit-only until it was finally closed in 1977. As the CTA was offering free rides between Halsted and Cicero on this day, the train is probably just going a short distance west, so it can head back east via the crossover. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

We are looking northeast from Loomis on June 21, 1958. The six-car train on the new Congress line offered free rides between Halsted and Cicero, while regular service continued on the nearby Garfield Park “L” alignment on its last day. We see a two-car train there. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

The view looking east along the Congress expressway from Racine Avenue (1200 W.) on June 21, 1958. At left, we see a regular service Garfield Park “L” train, while a Congress train offers free rides on the new line. The ramp at left connected temporary trackage on Van Buren Street with the old Metropolitan main line “L” structure. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

On July 8, 1958, a flagman is waving a two-car CTA Congress train through switches at Loomis. Note how wide the right-of-way is here, as it was designed to have four tracks– two for the Lake Street “L”, which was originally planned to be rerouted here into a Clinton Subway. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

A CTA two-car “L” train crosses DesPlaines Avenue in Forest Park over a new bridge on August 30, 1959. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

A CTA two-car rapid transit train, made up of flat-door 6000s, heads east from California Avenue on April 10, 1960, with the tracks of the Chicago and North Western/Belt Line of Chicago in the distance. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

William C. Hoffman captured this image looking west along the Congress expressway at Western Avenue on March 30, 1961. He noted that the translucent fiberglass on the ramp at right was soon going to be replaced. The lack of visibility on these ramps led to an increase in robberies. As it turned out, the CTA simply removed the upper halves of some of the panels.

A six-car CTA train heads west on the Congress line on March 30, 1961, in this view from the end of the Western Avenue station. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

By the time William C. Hoffman snapped this image on November 19, 1963, the CTA Congress line had been in service for more than five years, and all traces of the former Garfield Park “L” here had been removed. The Dan Ryan and Northwest (later Kennedy) expressways had both opened. The view looks north by northwest.

One of the North Shore Line Electroliners at the Milwaukee Terminal.

I had to do a lot of work on this image to make it look like this, as the slide was somewhat overexposed and had more than 70 years of crud on it. We are looking to the southwest along the Chicago Aurora and Elgin right-of-way in Wheaton on June 9, 1952. Car 456, at left, is on a siding, while an eastbound train approaches, made up of vintage wood cars formerly from the North Shore Line. You can see the large CA&E station in the distance at Main Street and Liberty Drive, while the Chicago and North Western’s tracks are at right. (Elwood C. McEllroy Photo)

Chicago Surface Lines car 3268 is at the Navy Pier terminal, running on Route 38 – Indiana Avenue.

Chicago and Milwaukee Electric construction car #2. The C&ME was the predecessor of the North Shore Line (technically, the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee). The railroad changed its name in 1916, so this must predate that.

Nolan Mason, head of the Illini Railroad Club, writes:
I was looking at a few older posts on your blog, and found a slide in my collection that matches one on the site. In a post about the Jewett Car Company, you posted a photo of CA&E cars headed to the Fox River Trolley Museum, it’s near the top of the page: https://thetrolleydodger.com/tag/jewett-car-company/
(this image specifically: https://i0.wp.com/…/wp…/uploads/2023/07/aae396a.jpg…)
I have a slide showing the car immediately to the left, I attached a scan to this email. Your blog does not list a photographer. I can’t confirm a photographer either, but I purchased mine from Albert Reinschmidt’s son. Albert was a volunteer at IRM, I’m not sure if you knew him.
Normally my collection is limited to IRC subjects, but this slide was interesting. I got it on the off-chance I could research it later. I haven’t been able to locate any records showing an IRC fan trip during that month, so it may not be IRC related.
I’m not sure how copyright works for images like this, but if you want to use it in a future post, feel free. Better to share it with enthusiasts rather than keep it stored away.
Anyways, just thought it was crazy how we have two adjacent slides. Small world

At one time, there was a freight connection to the CTA’s South Shops for perhaps half a mile or so to the south, where there was an interchange. The CTA (and CSL before it) had a few small electric locomotives which moved things (freight cars, streetcars) around the property. This is all long gone, but I recently got a request from someone for a picture, and I actually found one. Here is a view of the freight connection, looking south from 79th Street along what would now be the median of Wentworth Avenue, taken by William C. Hoffman on October 4, 1953. As you can see in the contemporary view, the neighborhood has changed quite a bit in 70 years.

Looking north in Emerald Avenue from 39th Place on July 9, 1950. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

(July 9, 1950) “Looking north in Emerald to 39th Street. Steam tracks connected with streetcar track.” (William C. Hoffman Photo)

(July 15, 1951) “View (looking) north in Emerald Avenue to 39th Street. Chicago Junction Railway track leads into CTA yards at 39th and Halsted.” (William C. Hoffman Photo)

A contemporary view of the same location.

Chicago Surface Lines electric loco #201 is at the 39th and Halsted materials handling yard in this photo, which could date to the 1930s or 40s. Bohnett Tire, seen nearby, was located at 3843 S. Halsted. Andre Kristopans thinks this could be a lot older, maybe even the 1910s.

Chicago Surface Lines work car S53 at West Shops in the 1940s.

A Chicago Surface Lines work car at South Shops, possibly in the 1940s.

Chicago Surface Lines work car X-1. I presume this is at the materials handling yard at 39th and Halsted.

Chicago Surface Lines work car W-13.

William C. Hoffman captured this picture of a four wheel revolving electric crane at the CTA South Shops on May 16, 1954.

Chicago Transit Authority single-car unit #2 and one other are at the Merchandise Mart station in May 1963. These cars had experimental high-speed motors and are seen here in what the fans termed the “circus wagon” paint scheme. Since 1964, all Chicago rapid transit cars have been capable of high speeds. CTA cars #1-4 were assigned to the new Skokie Swift route (today’s Yellow Line) when that opened in April 1964.

Here are four pictures of Chicago Surface Lines prewar PCCs in the downtown area in August 1947. This was about a month prior to when the Chicago Transit Authority took over both CSL and the “L”. All were running on Route 20 – Madison or the Madison-Fifth branch line. (Tony Kozla Photos)

CSL 4014 is eastbound on Madison, about to pass by the Civic Opera House, with the Chicago Daily News background on the other side of the Chicago River. (Tony Kozla Photo)

According to Mike Franklin, we are “looking northeast across Canal and Monroe.” Westbound Madison PCCs had to use Monroe for a portion of their trip, since Madison was a one-way street downtown. (Tony Kozla Photo)

The unsuccessful bidder on this slide wrote to me and says he lives in the building behind the Gulf station. I sent him a cleaned-up scan and he intends to display a print in the lobby of his building.
Subject: DCT DC Transit PCC Streetcar Trolley #1491
Location: Washington, DC (Route 92 – U Street and Columbia Road)
Date: September 1961
Photographer: Jeffrey L. Wien

CSS&SB South Shore Line Interurban Car #109
Location: Gary, Indiana
Date: April 8, 1977
Photographer: Bob Schmidt

This negative is dated October 1936. Chicago Surface Lines car 7002 might have been the very first one to arrive, and this charter trip may have predated when it was put into service. The location is the intersection of Harrison Street and Fifth Avenue, meaning this PCC is operating on the Madison-Fifth line. The buildings visible here are all gone, as this is where I-290 runs today.

Chicago Surface Lines Route 20 – Madison had a branch line heading southwest along Fifth Avenue, an angle street that has lost much of its importance in recent decades. Starting in 1936, PCC streetcars went from Madison along Fifth to Pulaski and Harrison, where they looped near the Garfield Park “L” station. After buses replaced streetcars on Madison in 1953, Fifth was operated as a shuttle before being abandoned in early 1954. Construction of the Congress expressway truncated Fifth, as no bridge was built spanning the highway. Now, Fifth doesn’t even connect with Madison– there is a cul de sac.

The border between Chicago and Cicero is at Cermak and Kenton, which became an important transfer point between Chicago Surface Lines streetcars and the buses and trolleys of the Chicago and West Towns Railway, as seen in this 1940s view. Here, we see C&WT #111 with CSL Pullman #117 behind it. Presumably that is a C&WT bus as well.
Even today, this is the eastern terminus of some Pace bus routes, which lay over here before heading west. CSL was limited to operating within the City of Chicago, but the Chiago Transit Authority’s Route 21 – Cermak bus extends from here to the North Riverside Mall, a short distance west of Harlem Avenue.

CTA PCC #7207 is on 81st at Normal on June 18, 1958, a few days before the end of streetcar service in Chicago. (Robert D. Heinlein Photo)

CTA red Pullman #674 is at the south end of Route 8 – Halsted, just south of 79th Street, on May 26, 1954. (John D. Koschwanez Photo) M. E. adds, “Toward the end of service on the 8 Halsted line, the old red cars supplanted the Green Hornets, which were probably being converted to L cars at the time. This terminal property was about a half dozen stores south of 79th St. on the east side of Halsted. Southbound 8 Halsted cars (as well as 42 Halsted-Archer-Clark cars) turned east on 79th to Emerald, south to the terminal, and west through the terminal. Judging by the grubby look of this car, it seems the CTA strove to discourage streetcar riders in favor of (shudder) buses.”

CTA streetcar #1733 was one of a small number that got repainted into green and cream in the early 1950s. Here, we see it on Cermak Road near Canal Street on May 11, 1954. (John D. Koschwanez Photo)

CTA one-man red car #1752 is on Route 21 – Cermak on May 11, 1954. (John D. Koschwanez Photo)

We are looking north along Halsted at 63rd Street on May 26, 1954, just a few days before the end of red streetcar service in Chicago. CTA Pullman 324 heads south through what was then a busy shopping district in the Englewood neighborhood. (John D. Koschwanez Photo)

Our resident south side expert M. E. writes, about the photo above:

63rd and Halsted L station was my “home” station. From there, I rode all over the L system.

The caption says “looking north along Halsted at 63rd St.” Not quite: This view was probably shot from halfway between 63rd and 64th Streets. The ugly CTA bus in the background ran on 63rd St. post-conversion.

The L station itself, where fares were collected at a manned booth, and where there was a news-and-sundries shop, was situated on the northeast corner of 63rd Place and Halsted. There were only stairs leading up to the platforms. A bell would ring when an eastbound L train was approaching the station. The pattern of the ring was actually the train wheels running over the contact. When people heard the bell, they hustled faster up to the eastbound platform.

63rd Place next to the L station had streetcar tracks used occasionally by streetcars not going all the way south to 79th St. Using the same track pattern as at 79th and Halsted, southbound 8 and 42 cars turned east on 63rd St. to Union Ave., south on Union to 63rd Place, west on 63rd Place to Halsted, then north.

The photo also shows a streetcar track from 63rd Place to the southbound track on Halsted St. That track was probably used only by the Kankakee interurban cars that began on 63rd Place, turned south on Halsted, to Summit Ave. (around 85th St.), northwest to Vincennes Ave. (just north of 87th St.), and out Vincennes into the town of Blue Island. That service ran a century ago.

Also, 63rd Place was the north terminal for the South Suburban Safeway Lines red-and-white buses that ran to Harvey and Chicago Heights, and the Suburban Transit System green-and-white buses that ran to Oak Lawn.

The Englewood business district was at one time the busiest outside the Loop. The shopping district ran along Halsted from 59th St to 67th St., and along 63rd St. from about Lowe St. (632 West) to Peoria St. (900 West). At the main corner of 63rd and Halsted, the principal stores were S. S. Kresge (forerunner of K-Mart) on the southwest corner; the Ace Department Store (which had huge fans to circulate the air) on the northwest corner; and a big Sears store on the northeast corner, which also housed a Hillman’s grocery store in its basement. Another big store, Wieboldt’s, was on the southwest corner of 63rd and Green (832 W.) Streets. The southeast corner of 63rd and Halsted consisted of several small stores, but at one time the corner store was a Stineway drug store.

Also surrounding 63rd and Halsted were many movie houses, primarily to the north and east. I actually remember seeing vaudeville acts at the Stratford Theater, on 63rd St. just west of Union. The most opulent movie house was the Southtown Theater at 63rd and Lowe, which was built in art-deco style and had a pond in the lobby with real swans. Unlike the other theaters, the Southtown even had a parking lot.

This photo brings back a lot of fond memories for me, but it especially shows everyone that Englewood was once a thriving, exciting place.

One of the ten Milwaukee Road Skytop Lounge observation cars in Columbus, Wisconsin in October 1967. M. E. adds, “Great photo of a Milwaukee Road Olympian observation car. Those cars ran mainly between Chicago and Minneapolis, but they also ran all the way to Seattle on the Olympian Hiawatha.”

On May 25, 1958, we see Chicago Transit Authority PCC #7142 mounted on a flatcar at South Shops for transport to the St. Louis Car Company. This was less than a month before the end of streetcar service in Chicago. Approximately 570 of the 600 postwar Chicago streetcars retired early and shipped to St. Louis as part of the so-called PCC Conversion Program, where they were scrapped and some of their parts (seats, motors, windows, etc.) were recycled for use in new rapid transit cars. The final two dozen PCCs were simply scrapped. (Robert D. Heinlein Photo)

Subject: Illinois Central Station Demolition Chicago 1974
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Date: November 1974 (processing date)
Photographer: Unknown
From the Wikipedia:
Central Station was an intercity passenger terminal in downtown Chicago, Illinois, at the southern end of Grant Park near Roosevelt Road and Michigan Avenue. Owned by the Illinois Central Railroad, it also served other companies via trackage rights. It opened in 1893, replacing Great Central Station (on the site of the current Millennium Station), and closed in 1972 when Amtrak rerouted services to Union Station. The station building was demolished in 1974. It is now the site of a redevelopment called Central Station, Chicago.
Adjoining platforms at Roosevelt served the Illinois Central’s suburban trains for both the Electric and West lines, in addition to the South Shore Line interurban railroad. All three lines continued north to Randolph Street.

Grand Central Station

Chicago’s Central Station and Grand Central Station were two different things.

From the Wikipedia:

Grand Central Station was a passenger railroad terminal in downtown Chicago, Illinois, from 1890 to 1969. It was located at 201 West Harrison Street on a block bounded by Harrison, Wells and Polk Streets and the Chicago River in the southwestern portion of the Chicago Loop. Grand Central Station was designed by architect Solon Spencer Beman for the Wisconsin Central Railroad (WC), and was completed by the Chicago and Northern Pacific Railroad.

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad purchased the station in 1910 and used it as the Chicago terminus for its passenger rail service, including its Capitol Limited service to Washington, D.C. Major tenant railroads included the Soo Line Railroad, successor to the Wisconsin Central, the Chicago Great Western Railway, and the Pere Marquette Railway. The station opened December 8, 1890, closed November 8, 1969, and was demolished in 1971.

Subject: B&O/C&O Grand Central Station
Location: Chicago, Illinois (Harrison and Wells)
Photographer: Unknown
Date: June 15, 1967

Subject: C&O Chesapeake and Ohio Diesel Locomotive EMD E7(A) #4514
Location: Chicago, Illinois (Grand Central Station)
Photographer: R. P. Olmstead
Date: May 31, 1964 (4:45 pm)

Subject: C&O Chesapeake and Ohio Diesel Locomotive EMD E8(A) #4022
Location: Chicago, Illinois (Grand Central Station)
Photographer: R. P. Olmstead
Date: May 8, 1966 (5:08 pm)

Now here’s something you don’t see every day… an honest to goodness 1939 Kodachrome slide. That makes this image about 85 years old. This must have been taken when Lehigh Valley Transit put these renovated lightweight high-speed cars into service. They were originally built for the Cincinnati and Lake Erie in 1931. That interurban went out of business in 1938, and LVT purchased several cars, which were freshened up with the help of J. G. Brill’s art department. The Liberty Bell interurban ran between Philadelphia and Allentown, Pennsylvania. These cars replaced some much older ones and helped keep things going through the war years and up until the 1951 abandonment. There was a very active NRHS (National Railway Historical Society) chapter in the area, and this is probably a fantrip they sponsored. Looks like the lead car is 1002.

Subject: ICG Illinois Central Electric #1194 (Fantrip)
Location: Chicago, Illinois (southbound on Exchange Avenue at 78th Street – South Chicago Branch)
Date: February 1976
Photographer: Jeffrey L. Wien
Illinois Central Electric car #1194 was built by Pullman in 1926. These cars were similar to those used on the Erie-Lackawanna in New Jersey. All the cars in the class were replaced by “Highliners” in the 1970s. The train we see here may have been on its final trip prior to retirement. Paul Jevert: “I.C. Railfans “Snowflake Special Feb. 1976″ Extra class lights displayed at location 77th and Exchange between Windsor Park and Cheltenham Stations doing a photo run-by with Engineer Jim McCorkle leaning out of cab door and talking to fans at Muskegon Ave. corner advising them that they will be picked up in that area after the reverse move under flag. No snowflakes for this particular annual charter. Curt Seeliger was the Conductor on the 8 car train, Collector Joe Szabo, with Suburban Trainmaster escort of the annual Event.” M. E. writes, “This view along Exchange Ave. shows a mainly residential area with some small stores. But further north, this branch ran east and west, in the middle of 71st St. for about 1.5 miles from Yates Ave. (2400 E.) to about Harper Ave. (1500 E.), where the branch joined the main Illinois Central line. That 1.5-mile stretch was another booming business area, called South Shore, centering at 71st and Jeffery Ave. (2000 E.) The residential area northeast of 71st and Jeffery, Jackson Park Highlands, is a beautiful area along the lines of Hyde Park and especially Kenwood, where some mansions dominate.”

Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee #411 in New York City in May 1969. Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “411 was built as a trailer observation car by Cincinnati Car in June 1923 (order) #2640. It was out of service in 1932. 411 (was converted to a coach) on February 25, 1943, and (was) sold to Trolley Museum of New York in 1963. It was sold to Wisconsin Electric Railway & Historical Society in 1973 and sold to Escanaba & Lake Superior in 1989.”

I did some restoration work on this medium format Ektachrome slide from April 1962, showing four Chicago Aurora and Elgin cars being moved off the property in Wheaton after the abandonment. Like some other early Ektachromes, this had unstable dyes and has shifted to red (due to fading of the other dye layers). We are looking to the northeast. (Robert D. Heinlein Photo) Bill Shapotkin adds, “It appears that this photo is of CA&E #11, 20, 316 and 317 enroute to what was then known as “RELIC” (now Fox River Trolley Museum) in South Elgin, IL.”

I restored a couple more of these medium format Ektachromes, taken by the late Robert D. Heinlein at the Chicago Aurora and Elgin yards in Wheaton after the abandonment. I just noticed these are date stamped January 1962. Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “315 was built by Kuhlman Car Co in 1909, (job) #404. It was modernized at an unknown date and sold to Rockhill Trolley Museum in 1962.” Here, we see it boarded up for its journey to the east coast a few months later.

Here’s how they looked originally. Early Ektachrome film had unstable dyes. Apparently, only the red dye layer is stable, while the others have faded badly.
Fortunately, modern technology can often correct for this.

CTA “Baldie” 4220 is part of a Ravenswood “A” train leaving the LaSalle and Van Buren station on August 14, 1964. We are looking west. (Douglas N. Grotjahn Photo)

A four-car train of CTA “Plushies” 4000-series “L” cars is at Main Street in Evanston on October 21, 1968. Note only two trolley poles are used, one for each pair of cars. 4253 is the rear car here. (Douglas N. Grotjahn Photo)

On December 14, 1921, Chicago and West Towns Railways car #100 crashed through this barrier at 52nd Street (Laramie Avenue) and Ogden Avenue in suburban Cicero. This press photo was printed backwards, but I fixed that.

This picture of Philadelphia PCC streetcar #2565 was taken on June 27, 1973. Here’s what Cinema Treasures has to say about the Crest Theatre: The Crest Theatre opened November 23, 1937 on Rising Sun Avenue at Cheltenham Avenue to accommodate the late-1930’s housing expansion in the Lawncrest neighborhood of Philadelphia. The theatre was designed by Philadelphia architect David Supowitz in an Art Moderne style with an exterior of plastic and white glass (such as Vitrolite). The theatre seated 900. It opened for second and third run movies. By 1950 it was operated by the A.M. Ellis Theaters Co. chain.
Until closing, a big sign rhymed ‘Welcome. See the BEST at the CREST’. The Crest closed the week before Christmas in 1986 with “Star Trek IV” as its last feature film. The marquee said ‘FAREWELL’. By the time it closed, a new owner of the building planned to demolish it to construct retail. The Crest has been demolished, and a convenience store was constructed on the site.

The Fineview Line in Pittsburgh

Here are seven views of the Pittsburgh Railways Route 21 – Fineview line, taken by the late Jeffrey L. Wien shortly before it was abandoned. I found an excellent description of Fineview on trainorders.com:

Arguably the most unique streetcar line in North America was found in Pittsburgh, PA. Route 21-Fineview lasted until May 1, 1966. With a maximum 12 1/2% grade, Fineview also featured the steepest grade in Pittsburgh Railways’ system, if not the steepest in North America, as well.

21 Fineview originated in Downtown Pittsburgh. After traversing the 7th Street Bridge (in the latter years), and some shared track on the North Side, it became a very intimate, neighborly streetcar line, where passengers even had direct access to the streetcars from their front porches, driveways or private staircases. The summit was 455 feet above the downtown loop.

The last streetcar on the line was Interurban 1646, which followed the last scheduled car in the wee hours of May 1st, 1966. 1646 made the trip with its air horn blaring full blast, which even brought residents out to their front porches in their bathrobes to wave goodbye.

Due to its unique flavor, many streetcar charters found their way to this line during their trips.

Subject: Pittsburgh PAT PCC Streetcar Trolley #1624
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (Route 21 Fineview – Carrie and Warren)
Date: April 30, 1966
Photographer: Jeffrey L. Wien

Subject: Pittsburgh PAT PCC Streetcar Trolley #1624
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (Route 21 Fineview – Carrie and Waldren)
Date: April 30, 1966
Photographer: Jeffrey L. Wien

Subject: Pittsburgh PAT PCC Streetcar Trolley #1624
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (Route 21 Fineview – Lanark and Catoma)
Date: April 30, 1966
Photographer: Jeffrey L. Wien

Subject: Pittsburgh PAT PCC Streetcar Trolley #1624
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (Route 21 Fineview – Lanark and Cemetery)
Date: April 30, 1966
Photographer: Jeffrey L. Wien

Our Latest Book, Now Available:

The North Shore Line

From the back cover:

As late as 1963, it was possible to board high-speed electric trains on Chicago’s famous Loop “L” that ran 90 miles north to Milwaukee. This was the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad, commonly known as the North Shore Line. It rose from humble origins in the 1890s as a local streetcar line in Waukegan to eventually become America’s fastest interurban under the visionary management of Midwest utilities tycoon Samuel Insull. The North Shore Line, under Insull, became a worthy competitor to the established steam railroads. Hobbled by the Great Depression, the road fought back in 1941 with two streamlined, air-conditioned, articulated trains called Electroliners, which included dining service. It regained its popularity during World War II, when gasoline and tires were rationed, but eventually, it fell victim to highways and the automobile. The North Shore Line had intercity rail, commuter rail, electric freight, city streetcars, and even buses. It has been gone for nearly 60 years, but it will always remain the Road of Service.

Each copy purchased here will be signed by the author, and you will also receive a bonus North Shore Line map. Books will ship by USPS Media Mail.

Title The North Shore Line
Images of America
Author David Sadowski
Edition illustrated
Publisher Arcadia Publishing (SC), 2023
ISBN 1467108960, 978-1467108966
Length 160 pages

The price of $23.99 includes shipping within the United States.

For Shipping to US Addresses:

New Compact Disc Titles, Now Available:

HFIH
Hi-Fi Iron Horse
Price: $15.99

Total time – 50:49

TSOS
The Sound of Steam
Reading 2124
Price: $19.99

Three very rare, out of print North Jersey Recordings LPs, now digitally remastered on two CDs at a special price.

Total time – 69:54 (Disc 1) and 61:20 (Disc 2)

RWW-V103
Rods, Wheels, and Whistles
Voice of the 103
Price: $19.99

Two very rare, out of print North Jersey Recordings LPs, now digitally remastered on two CDs at a special price.

Total time – 46:15 (RWW) and 49:26 (V103)

Help Support The Trolley Dodger

This is our 312th post, and we are gradually creating a body of work and an online resource for the benefit of all railfans, everywhere. To date, we have received over 1,066,000 page views, for which we are very grateful.

You can help us continue our original transit research by checking out the fine products in our Online Store.
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We thank you for your support.

DONATIONS

Your financial contributions help make this web site better, and are greatly appreciated.

Welcome 2024

January 8, 2024January 19, 2024David Sadowski 16 Comments

PRC Pittsburgh Railways PCC Route 28
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Date: July 1958
Photographer: Unknown
Pittsburgh PCC #1562 was built in 1944 by the St. Louis Car Company. The Roxian Theatre is located at 501 Chartiers Avenue, McKees Rocks, PA 15136. It was built in 1928 and had 1,200 seats. It closed in 1979 and was converted into a concert venue for a time. In 2019, it reopened as a film and performing arts theatre. Stuart B. Slaymaker adds, “Route 26 was a West End Line, (and) died with the others, in June, 1959. 30 years later, most of the trackage up in West Park, was in perfect condition. We drove and photographed it. Looked like it was waiting for the PCCs to come back…” Larry Lovejoy adds, “Photo eba839 technically isn’t in Pittsburgh but rather the independent Borough of McKees Rocks. The car and the bus are both running inbound to downtown Pittsburgh. The bus was operated by Shafer Coach Lines, one of the 30-plus independent bus companies that was absorbed into the Port Authority of Allegheny County in 1964. Shafer and Pittsburgh Railways were fiercely competitive in the corridor running along the south bank of the Ohio River.” https://www.amcap.org/history/pghhistory/shafer.shtml

As we welcome the new year, this is also the third anniversary of our friend Jeff Wien‘s passing. We offer herein a special selection of some of the fantastic images from his vast and exceptional collection, as a tribute to him. He deserves to be remembered for all his contributions to historic preservation.

Jeff’s extensive collection covers steam and diesel trains, in addition to streetcars, rapid transit, and interurbans.

We also have some recent finds of our own.

-David Sadowski

Our Next Live Program

FYI, my next presentation will take place at the Edgewater Branch of the Chicago Public Library from 10-11am on Saturday, January 13, 2024. Admission is free, and copies of my four Arcadia books will be available for purchase at special prices.

The library is located at 6000 N. Broadway, Chicago 60660.

I will be covering the History of the Chicago “L”. This program is being done in partnership with the Edgewater Historical Society.

I look forward to seeing you there. As far as I am aware, this program is not being streamed.

More information here: CPL Event Page

Our Annual Fundraiser

Since we started this blog in 2015, we have posted more than 16,000 images. This is our 311th post.

In the near future, we will need to renew our WordPress subscription, our domain registration, and pay other bills associated with maintaining this site, so it is time for our Annual Fundraiser.

The Trolley Dodger blog can only be kept going with the help of our devoted readers. Perhaps you count yourself among them.

If you have already contributed in the past, we thank you very much for your help. Meanwhile, our goal for this fundraiser is just $700, which is only a fraction of what it costs us each year. The rest is made up from either the profits from the items we sell, which are not large, or out of our own pocket, which is not very large either.

To date, we have raised $473.22 towards our goal.

There are links at the top and bottom of this page, where you can click and make a donation that will help us meet our goal again for this coming year, so we can continue to offer you more classic images in the future, and keep this good thing we have going.

We thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

-David Sadowski

PS- You might also like our Trolley Dodger Facebook auxiliary, a private group that now has 1,487 members.

Our Next Book Project

FYI, we are hard at work researching our next book about the Chicago Aurora and Elgin interurban. Although we already have thousands of images, we start out on these book projects with some of what we need, and then have to find the rest. Some have generously shared their images with us, and some we have to pay real money for. In case you would like to help contribute to this effort, either by sharing images or making a donation, we would like to hear from you. All contributors will be mentioned in the book, which will be dedicated to the memory of the late Robert D. Heinlein. The most difficult images to find are always the earliest ones. You can contact me via messenger, at thetrolleydodger@gmail.com or via my blog. I thank you for your time and consideration.

Chicago’s Union Depot was built in 1881 and was on Canal Street between Madison and Adams streets. Stations that served more than one railroad were known as union stations. Construction of the current Union Station, a massive project, began in 1913. It opened in 1925.

South Shore Line car 26 is at the Randolph Street Terminal in downtown Chicago in December 1981. These venerable cars, built in 1926, were retired in 1983– a remarkable 57 years of service. You can’t get a picture like this any longer, as Millennium Park has since been built above this station. We are looking north.

Pittsburgh Railways PC car 1640 is at South Hills Junction in June 1965 (processing date). This car, looking a bit worse for wear here, was built in 1945 by the St. Louis Car Company. It was rebuilt as car 1799 in 1979, and in 1990 it went to the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Washington, Pennsylvania. (Rick Burn Photo)

Chicago Aurora and Elgin express car 9 was built by Niles Car in 1907, and was scrapped in 1959. Here it is on September 1, 1948 at Wheaton.

Chicago Aurora and Elgin express car 11 heads up a fantrip train in 1949. Don’s Rail Photos: “11 was built by Brill in 1910, #16483. It was rebuilt to a line car in 1947 and replaced 45. It was acquired by Railway Equipment Leasing & Investment Co in 1962 and became Fox River Trolley Museum in 1984. It was lettered as Fox River & Eastern.”

From the Collections of Jeffrey L. Wien

Philadelphia SEPTA PCC #2245
Location: Philadelphia (Route 60, Allegheny-Collins)
Date: September 8, 1976
Photographer: James J. Buckley
This was the second Philadelphia PCC numbered 2245. It was originally Toronto Transportation Commission car 4762. It came to Philadelphia in 1976 and was scrapped in 1982.

Pittsburgh PAT PCC Streetcar Trolley #1468
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Route 73 – Highland)
Date: January 20, 1967
Photographer: Unknown
Pittsburgh Railways PCC streetcar 1468 was built in 1942 by the St. Louis Car Company.

Pittsburgh Railways PCC Streetcar #1520 (and 1549)
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (North St. Clair and Bowden, Routes 71 and 73)
Date: July 3, 1964
Photographer: Unknown
Pittsburgh Railways PCC streetcar 1520 was built in 1945 by the St. Louis Car Company. It was later renumbered to 1795.

Pittsburgh Railways PCC Streetcar #1662
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (Glenwood Bridge)
Date: October 7, 1962
Photographer: Unknown

Pittsburgh PAT PCC Streetcar Trolley #1646
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (Route 10 – Perrysville at Towers Terrace, Ross Township)
Date: May 23, 1965
Photographer: Unknown

Pittsburgh Railways PCC Streetcar #1478
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (Route 28 – Heidelberg, 1st and Railroad Avenue)
Date: July 1958
Photographer: Unknown

Pittsburgh PAT PCC Streetcar Trolley #1626
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (Route 39 – Brookline at Jillson Street)
Date: April 22, 1966
Photographer: Joseph P. Saitta

Pittsburgh Railways PCC Trolley #1623
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (Route 88 – Tioga Loop)
Date: September 13, 1964
Photographer: Unknown

Pittsburgh PAT PCC Streetcar Trolley #1619
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (Fort Pitt-Smithfield)
Date: October 23, 1973
Photographer: Joseph P. Saitta

Pittsburgh PAT Streetcar Trolley #3756
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (Grant and Fifth)
Date: July 3, 1976 (processing date)
Photographer: Joseph P. Saitta

Pittsburgh Railways PCC Trolley #1674
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (signed for Route 49 – Arlington)
Date: January 1, 1964
Photographer: Unknown

Pittsburgh Railways PCC Trolley #1685
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (Route 10 – West View)
Date: July 21, 1963
Photographer: Unknown

Pittsburgh Railways PCC Trolley #1627
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (Route 44 – Knoxville PA Station)
Date: May 1958 (processing date)
Photographer: Unknown

CTUSV Vera Cruz Mexico Tram Streetcar #212 (Operator: Sociedad Cooperativa de Transportes Urbanos y Sub-Urbanos de Veracruz)
Location: Vera Cruz, Mexico (Pages-Uribe)
Date: April 17, 1971
Photographer: Joseph P. Saitta

CMTC São Paulo Streetcar Tram #1813
Location: São Paulo, Brazil
Date: March 11, 1965
Photographer: James J. Buckley
Ex-Third Avenue Railway, New York City, built 1936-37.

Mexico City Streetcar #826
Location: Mexico City (Zocalo)
Date: September 30, 1950
Photographer: Unknown

TESCL Tampico Mexico Tram Streetcar #21 (Transportes Eléctricos Tampico Sociedad Cooperativa Limitada)
Location: Tampico, Mexico
Date: July 1972 (processing date)
Photographer: Unknown

South Shore Line Interurban Car #100
Location: Indiana (either Michigan City or South Bend)
Date: July 4, 1966
Photographer: Unknown
The South Shore Line, running between Chicago and South Bend, Indiana, is the one classic major interurban that has survived into the 21st Century. It is currently being upgraded and expanded. From Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “100 was built by Pullman in 1926, (order) #4936. It was lengthened in 1943, and received air conditioning and picture windows in 1949. It was sold to a shopping center at Chesterton, IN, in 1983.” Spence Ziegler adds, “The picture of CSS&SB combine #100 was taken at Michigan City.”

Philadelphia Market Frankford El 6-car arched roof elevated train
Location: Philadelphia (Market Street at 46th Street)
Date: September 12, 1955
Photographer: William C. Hoffman

Philadelphia Market Frankford El 6-car railroad roof elevated train
Location: Philadelphia (Entering 69th Street Terminal)
Date: September 12, 1955
Photographer: William C. Hoffman

PTC Peter Witt #8500
Location: Philadelphia (Market Street near 15th)
Date: September 12, 1955
Photographer: William C. Hoffman
Here is a classic view of a Philadelphia Transportation Company Peter Witt car. Philadelphia had 535 Peter Witt streetcars in all, built by Brill between 1923 and 1926. They were all retired from regular service by 1957.

PTC Peter Witt #8500
Location: Philadelphia (Route 32 – 17th Street at Market Street)
Date: September 12, 1955
Photographer: William C. Hoffman

Philadelphia Market Frankford El and PCC car
Location: Philadelphia (30th Street Station)
Date: September 12, 1955
Photographer: William C. Hoffman

NYCTA Manhattan Elevated
Location: IRT West Side Line at 125th Street
Date: 1953
Photographer: Unknown

Atlantic City Streetcar Trolley #213
Location: Atlantic City, New Jersey
Date: December 28, 1955
Photographer: Unknown
Mike Franklin: “This is the intersection of Fredericksburg and Atlantic Aves, Ventnor City, NJ.”

SF San Francisco Muni Twin Peaks Portal Reconstruction
Location: San Francisco, California
Date: May 1, 1977
Photographer: William C. Hoffman
The Twin Peaks streetcar tunnel was originally built in 1917. Here it is in 1977, while the tunnel entrance was being rebuilt. Our previous post A Colorful Harvest (October 28, 2023) included before and after pictures of the portal.

Fort Worth Tandy Subway xWashington PCC #3
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Date: January 1975 (processing date)
Photographer: Unknown
From the Wikipedia: The Tandy Center Subway operated in Fort Worth, Texas, from February 15, 1963 to August 30, 2002. It ran a distance of 0.7 miles (1.1 km) and was, during the period of its operation, the only privately owned subway in the United States. The subway was originally built by Leonard’s Department Store in 1963, connecting the store to its large parking lots on the edge of downtown. Originally known as the Leonard’s M&O Subway, it consisted of one underground station beneath the store and four stations in the parking lots. Between 1962 and 1966, Leonard’s acquired a total of 15 PCC streetcars from DC Transit in Washington, D.C. These had been manufactured by the St. Louis Car Company in the 1930s and 1940s. The Tandy Corporation purchased the department store, its parking lots, and the subway in 1967. The corporation built its headquarters, the Tandy Center, on the site in 1974. Although it demolished the original store, Tandy retained the subway. The small subway primarily served patrons visiting the mall at the base of the Tandy Center, which also linked to the downtown location of Fort Worth Public Library. However, the anchor tenant moved out in 1995 and the mall declined. The Tandy Center Subway ceased operation on August 30, 2002. After the closure, one of the streetcars used on the subway was acquired by Dallas’s McKinney Avenue Transit Authority, which modified it to again make it suitable for in-street use, and it operated in service on the McKinney Avenue heritage streetcar line in Dallas until the mid-to late 2000s. As of 2012, it remained in storage in Dallas, out of use.

Fort Worth Tandy Subway xWashington PCC #24
Location: Fort Worth, Texas (Station #3)
Date: April 1975 (processing date)
Photographer: Philip Hom

Delaware & Hudson Baldwin RF16 Sharknose #1205
Location: Unknown
Date: May 1978
Photographer: John Swift
From the Wikipedia: “Delaware and Hudson 1205 and 1216 are two Baldwin RF-16 locomotives originally built for the New York Central Railroad in 1951 and 1952. They are the last two surviving examples of the Baldwin RF-16.” Dan Cluley adds, “The former D&H Sharks are in Cadillac MI at the former Ann Arbor RR engine house. The State of MI bought quite a bit of trackage that didn’t make it into Conrail, and then had contracts with several companies to run it. The Michigan Northern RR which operated several ex PRR & AA lines leased these sharks for a few years in the late ’70s.”

NWS&W Northwestern Steel & Wire Steam #74
Location: Sterling, Illinois
Date: May 1974 (processing date)
Photographer: Melvin Bernero

ICG Illinois Central Gulf E8A Diesel #4020 (The City of Miami)
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Date: April 25, 1971
Photographer: Unknown

C&WI Chicago & Western Indiana Diesel #256
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Date: October 1963 (processing date)
Photographer: Unknown

CB&Q Burlington Diesel EMD E8 #9948B
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Date: March 1965 (processing date)
Photographer: Unknown

PRR Pennsylvania Baldwin RF16 Sharknose #9739, 9592
Location: Ambridge, Pennsylvania
Date: September 10, 1961
Photographer: Unknown

N&W Norfolk & Western Diesel #1371
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Date: April 1975
Photographer: Unknown

N&W Norfolk & Western Diesel #507
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Date: March 27, 1970
Photographer: Richard R. Wallin
N&W #507 was an EMD GP9 built in November 1958. Here it is seen in Chicago commuter train service. This is now operated by Metra.

FEC Florida East Coast EMD E8A Diesel #1031
Location: Daytona Beach, Florida
Date: April 8, 1968
Photographer: Raymond J. Muller

Delaware & Hudson Baldwin RF16 Sharknose #1205
Location: Unknown
Date: October 1975
Photographer: Robert Malinoski

Delaware & Hudson Diesels Alco P-4s #18, 17
Location: Unknown
Date: August 1975
Photographer: Unknown
Dan Cluley: “I believe the Alco PAs are at D&H’s Colonie Shops near Albany NY.”

Delaware & Hudson Diesels Alco P-4s #18, 17
Location: Mayfield, Pennsylvania
Date: October 19, 1974
Photographer: Unknown

Delaware & Hudson Diesels Alco P-4s #18, 17
Location: Unknown
Date: October 1975 (processing date)

RI Rock Island Diesel Alco RS-3 #493
Location: Chicago, Illinois (where the Rock Island crossed the Pennsylvania Railroad)
Date: November 1963 (processing date)
Photographer: Unknown

Our resident south side expert M. E. has quite a lot to say about the Rock Island picture above:

There is a lot to talk about in this picture and about its component rail trackage.

This photo was taken, looking straight north, at the north end of the Washington Heights station platform of the Rock Island main line south of 103rd St. at Vincennes. In the foreground in the photo is the wooden walkway from Vincennes Ave. to the station. Note there were no safety setups to tell a pedestrian a train is coming.

Engine 493 is leading a main-line suburban train southbound. This train may, or probably may not, stop at Washington Heights, because main-line suburban service generally did not stop at stations along Vincennes Ave. except during rush hours. Judging by auto traffic, this is not rush hour. Also, this train has not yet cleared 103rd St., which can be seen to the east of the train’s last few cars.

Paralleling the Rock Island main line tracks is Vincennes Ave. heading north / northeast. The autos on Vincennes are waiting at the traffic signal for 103rd St. (It would appear the traffic signals did not turn green for Vincennes when a Rock Island train was near.)

Notice the space between the Rock Island tracks and Vincennes Ave. That space was once the private right-of-way for the Kankakee interurban that began at the Englewood Rapid Transit station at 63rd and Halsted, then ran south on Halsted, then Vincennes, past this spot, and on to Kankakee. Later in time, the Chicago Surface Lines Halsted service used this same trackage on its way to the end of line at 111th and Sacramento.

The cross tracks are a Pennsylvania freight line. This trackage started farther north in the city along Leavitt St. (2200 W.). Coming south, it eventually ran on the ground. At 91st and Hermitage (1732 W.), the Pennsy trackage crossed the Rock Island suburban line, then continued southeast to where this photo was taken, then all the way into Indiana. As a side note, the Baltimore & Ohio Capitol Limited ran along the Pennsy tracks south to 89th St., where the Capitol Limited then headed east along the Rock Island suburban line, the east-west Rock Island freight line into South Chicago, and finally on its own trackage.

The road paralleling the Pennsy tracks is Beverly Ave., which was basically an extension of Ashland Ave. south of 95th to 103rd St. There were no businesses on Beverly Ave., it was strictly residential.

Not shown in the picture, but off to the left, was the CTA bus barn, west of Vincennes and south of 103rd St.

Side note about 103rd St. bus service: As I recall calculating, the 103rd-106th bus line, which ran from Pulaski Rd. all the way east to the state line, crossed 13 railroad rights-of-way. It was a wonder that the bus could maintain a schedule with all these potential interruptions.
M E

D&RGW Rio Grande Diesel F7A #5674 (The Prospector)
Location: Salida, Colorado
Date: October 1966 (processing date)
Photographer: Unknown

RFP Richmond Fredericksburg E8A Diesel #1005
Location: Alexandria, Virginia
Date: April 22, 1971
Photographer: J. David Ingles

EL Erie Lackawanna Alco PA Diesel #853
Location: Lima, Ohio
Date: October 1967 (processing date)
Photographer: Eric Hirsimaki

GM&O Gulf Mobile & Ohio EMD F3A Diesel #882B
Location: Unknown
Date: August 1963 (processing date)
Photographer: Unknown

GM&O Gulf Mobile & Ohio “Abraham Lincoln”
Location: Unknown
Date: August 1963 (processing date)
Photographer: Unknown
Mike Franklin: “Photo of GM&O Gulf Mobile & Ohio “Abraham Lincoln” is taken looking due south from Union Station, Joliet IL across what is today New St.”

GM&O Gulf Mobile & Ohio EMD F3A Diesel #882B
Location: Unknown
Date: August 1963 (processing date)
Photographer: Unknown
Mike Franklin: “Photo of GM&O Gulf Mobile & Ohio EMD F3A Diesel #882B is taken looking SW from Joliet IL Station. Building to the right (Beutel Nash Co. Inc.) stood at 67-69 N. Scott St.”

Monon Railroad “The Thoroughbred”
Location: Mitchell, Indiana
Date: August 25, 1967
Photographer: Tom Smart
The Thoroughbred was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway (Monon) between Chicago, Illinois and Louisville, Kentucky via Monon, Indiana. It operated from 1948 to 1967. The Thoroughbred was the last passenger train operated by the Monon. It was named for the Thoroughbred horse breeds, a nod to the horse racing heritage of Louisville.
Following World War II new Monon president John W. Barriger III embarked on a program to renew the Monon’s passenger service, long neglected. The centerpiece of this program was a group of 28 surplus hospital cars originally built by the American Car and Foundry Company (ACF) in 1944–1945 for the U.S. Army. The Monon rebuilt these cars in their shops, creating enough lightweight coaches, parlor-observation cars, dining cars and mail/baggage cars to create three new streamliners: the Chicago-Indianapolis Hoosier and Tippecanoe, and the Chicago-Louisville Thoroughbred.
The Thoroughbred made its first run on February 15, 1948, replacing the Day Express. Monon discontinued the Thoroughbred on September 30, 1967. It was the final passenger service on the Monon, although Amtrak’s Hoosier State utilized part of Monon’s route between Indianapolis and Chicago.

Monon Railroad “The Thoroughbred” Chicago
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Date: October 1963 (processing date)
Photographer: Unknown

Subject: C&NW Chicago & North Western EMD E8A #5024A
Location: Janesville, Wisconsin
Date: June 1962 (processing date)
Photographer: Unknown

WMSRR Western Maryland Alco FPA4 Diesel #305
Location: Corriganville, Maryland
Date: July 31, 1991
Photographer: Bob Wilt

CNW Chicago & North Western Diesel Commuter
Location: Unknown
Date: November 1966 (processing date)
Photographer: Unknown
Miles Beitler: “I believe the Chicago & North Western commuter train in photo eba994 is on the C&NW Northwest Line at Edison Park (near Devon Avenue and Northwest Highway) on Chicago’s far northwest side.” Patrick J. Cunningham: “M.P. Heinze Machine Co. looks to have been at 6300 Northwest Highway, so that picture may have been taken from the Harlem Ave. grade crossing.” Matt Cajda: “I second this opinion. I grew up in this area and it looks like Harlem Ave. at Avondale. We would be looking southeast towards the Norwood Park station but it is not visible behind the train.”

CNW Chicago & North Western EMD E7 Diesel #5020A 1963 35mm Original Kodachrome Slide
Location: Unknown
Date: August 1963 (processing date)
Photographer: Unknown
Patrick J. Cunningham: “The picture of CNW 5020A is in Fond du Lac, WI.” https://fdlhistory.blogspot.com/2018/05/old-pictures.html

ATSF Santa Fe Diesel F3
Location: Leaving the Santa Fe Yard in fort Worth, Texas
Date: April 1963 (processing date)
Photographer: Unknown
From the Wikipedia: “The Texas Chief was a passenger train operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway between Chicago, Illinois, and Galveston, Texas. It was the first Santa Fe “Chief” outside the Chicago–Los Angeles routes. The Santa Fe conveyed the Texas Chief to Amtrak in 1971, which renamed it the Lone Star in 1974. The train was discontinued in 1979.”

N&W Norfolk & Western Steam Loco #132
Location: Roanoke, Virginia
Date: June 4, 1958
Photographer: Unknown
N&W #132, a K2a 4-8-2, was built by Baldwin in 1923 and scrapped in July 1959. Among the major railroads, the Norfolk and Western was the last to dieselize. Many of these classic scenes of late steam were captured by O. Winston Link. This photo by an unknown photographer was shot on early Ektachrome, which has shifted to red over the years due to the instability of the dyes. We have color-corrected it here. It is kind of a monochrome image anyway, although you can see some natural colors in the background.

Milwaukee Road Electrification E29B
Location: Butte, Montana
Photographer: Keith E. Ardinger
Date: October 1972
In the early 1900s, the Milwaukee Road electrified over 600 miles of freight trackage in the northwestern United States. Use of electric locos ended in 1974. This was a very picturesque, if not a profitable, operation. Large parts of it were eventually abandoned. As these were rather remote places, there are not a lot of pictures.

Milwaukee Road Electrification E50B, E35C, E47C, E50A (Avery Helper)
Location: Haugan, Montana
Photographer: R. Bruce Black
Date: October 2, 1971

PRR Pennsylvania RR Baldwin Shark #5779
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Date: August 1956
Photographer: David R. Sweetland
From Facebook: “The PRR’s Baldwin passenger shark units were PRR class BP20 (Baldwin model DR6-4-20). It’s a shame none of these remain today. There are, however, two former D&H freight sharks still around that hopefully someday will see the light of day.”

NYC New York Central Steam Loco #5256
Location: Shelbyville, Maryland
Date: May 23, 1954
Photographer: Unknown
New York Central loco #5256 was a Hudson (4-6-4) type, class J1c, built by Alco circa 1928-29.

NYC New York Central Steam Locos #3132 #3014
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio (leaving Riverside Yard with westbound freight)
Date: August 11, 1956
Photographer: Unknown
New York Central loco #3132 was a Mohawk (4-8-2) type, built by Lima circa 1943-44. NYC #3014, also a Mohawk (4-8-2) type, was built by Alco in 1940.

CNW Chicago & North Western Steam Loco #620
Location: 4 miles east of Crystal Lake, Illinois
Date: August 31, 1955
Photographer: Unknown
Here is an excellent original Kodachrome slide of a classic C&NW steam engine, in its last days of operation before being replaced by diesels. The final C&NW steam commuter run took place on May 10, 1956.

Keep those cards and letters coming in, folks.

Our Latest Book, Now Available:

The North Shore Line

From the back cover:

As late as 1963, it was possible to board high-speed electric trains on Chicago’s famous Loop “L” that ran 90 miles north to Milwaukee. This was the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad, commonly known as the North Shore Line. It rose from humble origins in the 1890s as a local streetcar line in Waukegan to eventually become America’s fastest interurban under the visionary management of Midwest utilities tycoon Samuel Insull. The North Shore Line, under Insull, became a worthy competitor to the established steam railroads. Hobbled by the Great Depression, the road fought back in 1941 with two streamlined, air-conditioned, articulated trains called Electroliners, which included dining service. It regained its popularity during World War II, when gasoline and tires were rationed, but eventually, it fell victim to highways and the automobile. The North Shore Line had intercity rail, commuter rail, electric freight, city streetcars, and even buses. It has been gone for nearly 60 years, but it will always remain the Road of Service.

Each copy purchased here will be signed by the author, and you will also receive a bonus North Shore Line map. Books will ship by USPS Media Mail.

Title The North Shore Line
Images of America
Author David Sadowski
Edition illustrated
Publisher Arcadia Publishing (SC), 2023
ISBN 1467108960, 978-1467108966
Length 160 pages

The price of $23.99 includes shipping within the United States.

For Shipping to US Addresses:

New Compact Disc Titles, Now Available:

HFIH
Hi-Fi Iron Horse
Price: $15.99

Total time – 50:49

TSOS
The Sound of Steam
Reading 2124
Price: $19.99

Three very rare, out of print North Jersey Recordings LPs, now digitally remastered on two CDs at a special price.

Total time – 69:54 (Disc 1) and 61:20 (Disc 2)

RWW-V103
Rods, Wheels, and Whistles
Voice of the 103
Price: $19.99

Two very rare, out of print North Jersey Recordings LPs, now digitally remastered on two CDs at a special price.

Total time – 46:15 (RWW) and 49:26 (V103)

Help Support The Trolley Dodger

This is our 311th post, and we are gradually creating a body of work and an online resource for the benefit of all railfans, everywhere. To date, we have received over 1,042,000 page views, for which we are very grateful.

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DONATIONS

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The Gift That Keeps On Giving

December 15, 2023March 7, 2025David Sadowski 12 Comments

This is a very well known shot of Chicago Aurora and Elgin wood cars 309 and 310 on a May 19, 1957 fantrip at the Glen Oak Country Club stop in Glen Ellyn. As this was a photo stop, there are lots of duplicate slides of this, although not necessarily by the same photographer. Robert D. Heinlein captured this classic picture about six weeks before the end of passenger service, and this was scanned from the original red border Kodachrome slide. We are looking mainly to the east.

The holiday season is once again upon us, and our thoughts naturally turn to gift giving. Then, it struck me. Here at the Trolley Dodger, we are engaged in historic preservation. History has a lot to teach us about our present and future. The past can shine light on many things, if we can only choose to look.

There is a lot of history in the images we present here. I have learned so much since starting this blog, nearly nine years ago. I hope my readers have too. Let’s all learn together.

It is truly a gift that keeps on giving.

Happy Holidays!

Our Annual Fundraiser

Since we started this blog in 2015, we have posted nearly 16,000 images. This is our 310th post.

In a few week’s time, we will need to renew our WordPress subscription, our domain registration, and pay other bills associated with maintaining this site, so it is time for our Annual Fundraiser.

The Trolley Dodger blog can only be kept going with the help of our devoted readers. Perhaps you count yourself among them.

We thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

-David Sadowski

PS- You might also like our Trolley Dodger Facebook auxiliary, a private group that now has 1,478 members.

Our Next Book Project

FYI, we are hard at work researching our next book about the Chicago Aurora and Elgin interurban. Although we already have thousands of images, we start out on these book projects with some of what we need, and then have to find the rest. Some have generously shared their images with us, and some we have to pay real money for. In case you would like to help contribute to this effort, either by sharing images or making a donation, we would like to hear from you. All contributors will be mentioned in the book, which will be dedicated to the memory of the late Robert D. Heinlein. The most difficult images to find are always the earliest ones. You can contact me via messenger, at thetrolleydodger@gmail.com or via my blog. I thank you for your time and consideration.

A real photo postcard (postmarked 1930) view of Front Street in Wheaton, looking east from Main Street, including the Chicago and North Western commuter station. It has since been replaced by a newer one nearby, served by Metra’s UP-West Line. The Chicago Aurora and Elgin station was just south of here, out of view.

Here’s how it looks today.

Chicago Aurora and Elgin car 418 is at the rear of a three-car train, heading east at Canal Street on the Metropolitan “L” main line. The building to the right is now known as the Old Post Office. The middle car is formerly from the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis that CA&E bought in the late 1930s. They tapered the ends to fir the tight clearances on the “L” and made them into control trailers. This “L” stop had a walkway leading into Union Station. It was torn down after the Garfield Park line was replaced by the new Congress expressway median line in 1958– but by that time, the CA&E had stopped running passenger service. this picture probably dates to between the mid-1940s and 1953, when the interurban cut back service to Forest Park.

Here’s San Francisco cable car #507 in the early 1950s at the outer end of the Powell-Mason line (note the turntable). Here’s what streetcar.org has to say about this car: “This cable car was built in 1893 in the East Bay town of Newark by Carter Brothers. It was numbered 507 until Muni dropped the first number on Powell cable cars in the 1970s. Car 507 served the Sacramento-Clay line until the 1906 earthquake and fire, and then was moved over to Powell Street, where it has run ever since, almost exclusively on the Powell-Mason line until 1956; on both the Mason and Hyde lines since 1957.” It was overhauled in 1957 and is still in use today. This image was taken from an original red border Kodachrome.

Chicago Aurora and Elgin wood car 300 at Wheaton on April 23, 1962, shortly before it was scrapped. (K. C. Henkels Photo)

Chicago Aurora and Elgin car 457 at Wheaton on March 14, 1957. (M. Powell Photo)

North Shore Line car 300 in 1940. The interurban had stopped using its older wood cars a few years before, and had generously allowed the Central Electric Railfans’ Association to use it as their club car, for meetings and excursions. Color pictures from 1940 are rare indeed, and this red border Kodachrome has held up well. Unfortunately, none of the NSL woods have survived. This one was used as a locker room in Waukegan for the female employees the railroad hired during WWII. It was vandalized by some sailors at war’s end, and then stripped for parts when the remaining wood cars were sold to the Chicago Aurora and Elgin in 1946. The body of car 300 was used as a diner for a few years.

North Shore Line wood car 300 is on a fantrip, while it was used as the rolling clubhouse of the Central Electric Railfans’ Association circa 1940. The presence of a city streetcar (I think it is 509) would suggest this picture was taken in Waukegan.

A Chicago and Milwaukee Electric (later the North Shore Line) 300-series car at the Racine station in 1909.

Single-deck streetcar #105 is in Hobart, Tasmania, in Australia. This system had previously used doble-deck cars, but there were problems with them toppling over. As ridership on the system decreased over time, they were replaced with these home-built substitutes. The style of red border Kodachrome slide mount dates this picture to sometime between 1939 and 1949. The last Hobart tram ran in 1960.

The North Shore Line Freight Terminal in Milwaukee in 1925. This was just east of the passenger terminal. We are looking to the north-northwest. Car 401 is in the foreground. Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “401 was built by Jewett Car in 1909 as parlor-buffet car. In 1917 it was converted to straight coach and retired in 1935. It was leased to Chicago Aurora & Elgin and renumbered 142 in 1936. It came back for a short time with the CA&E number in 1945 and sold to CA&E in 1946. It was retired in 1953.” One of the cars at right is 122, a wooden coach. Again, from Don Ross: “122 was built by Jewett Car in 1906 and retired in 1937.”

A North Shore Line lunch counter menu from March 1961. There are some pictures of the lunch counter at the Milwaukee Terminal in my book The North Shore Line.

This rare photo was taken at Church Street in Evanston, where the North Shore Line had a station along the Evanston branch of the “L” (today’s CTA Purple Line). The presence of observation car 411 would date this to between 1923 (when the car was delivered) and 1926 (when the Skokie Valley Route opened).

This 1910 image is from a copy negative and shows a Chicago and Milwaukee Electric car that had derailed at Genesee and Washington Streets in downtown Waukegan. I believe this is car 121 and not 721 as the negative envelope had it. At this date, 721 had not yet been built. The C&ME was the predecessor of the North Shore Line (the name was changed in 1916).

A Brill builder’s photo (1902) of Chicago and Milwaukee Electric car 11. This is called a combine car, as it could handle both passengers and some freight. It was rebuilt into an express trailer in 1917.

Chicago and Milwaukee Electric express car #1 was built by Brill in 1902, as the interurban started to get into the freight business. It was retired prior to 1910.

Chicago Aurora and Elgin car 454 was built in 1945 by the St. Louis Car Company and ran in service until the 1957 abandonment.

Chicago Aurora and Elgin line car #11 is shown at the Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin, Illinois on January 17, 1976. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

Now here’s something else that’s rare– C&NW bilevels pulled by steam. Here, we see Chicago and North Western loco #566, a 4-6-2, with an outbound commuter “scoot” at Mayfair on August 12, 1955. Bilevels were just starting to be phased in and would eventually be used exclusively, while the last C&NW steam ran in 1956. The Burlington introduced bilevels in 1950, so they ran more under steam than the C&NW did. The Mayfair station is at 4737 W. Montrose in Chicago, and the tower visible here controlled the crossing of C&NW and Milwaukee Road trains. There is a Metra stop here for the Milwaukee District North Line. The former C&NW service here is now Metra’s Union Pacific Northwest line. (James J. Buckley Photo)

South Shore Line loco #704 is at the helm of a freight train in New Carlisle, Indiana on October 9, 1960. Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “704 was built by Alco-General Electric in June 1931, #68271, 11194, as NYC 1243, Class R-2. It was renumbered 343 in August 1936 and sold to CSS&SB in 1955. It was rebuilt as 704 in 1956 and scrapped in April 1976.”

South Shore Line car 28 is at Wagner Siding on the “Ideal Section” east of Gary in June 1975. Mitch Markovitz adds, “At the east end crossing County Line (Fulton) Road.”

The entrance to the South Shore Line train platforms at the Randolph Street Station on August 4, 1974. This station has since been completely redone, and the neon sign is at the Illinois Railway Museum. (Douglas N. Grotjahn Photo)

On October 24, 1954 South Shore Line car #1 is at the Smith stop in Indiana on a fantrip. This car was built by Pullman in 1926. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

South Shore Line car #111 is heading westbound in LaSalle Avenue in South Bend on October 13, 1957. Service was cut back to the outskirts of town in 1970, after there were a couple accidents where the brakes failed and there were runaway trains on South Bend streets. (William C. Hoffman Photo)

Robert D. Heinlein captured this view of a westbound Lake Street “L” B train on October 27, 1962, the last full day of ground level service here. The following day, the “L” west of Laramie Avenue was relocated onto the adjacent Chicago and North Western embankment. The two car CTA 4000-series train is passing the gateman’s shanty (these were all manually operated gates, 24/7), which shows why the newer 6000-series cars, with their curved sides, could not make these tight clearances. Not sure which cross street this is. Mike Franklin: “Smokestack above car is between Cuyler & Harvey, thus this is west of Ridgeland. West of Oak Park Ave, the concrete does not match, making this crossing between Oak Park Ave & Ridgeland. Euclid and East have brackets at the top level of the overhead girder, while Scoville does not; therefore, this is the only possible crossing. (Next gateman’s shanty is at Elmwood, which controlled a pedestrian tunnel leading to Scoville Park.)”

Bantam (Size 828) Slides

All the images in this section are scanned from 1950s red border Kodachromes on 828 size film, with an image area slightly larger than 35mm. All the Chicago ones are marked 1955, but the actual dates are not known, as Kodak did not begin date-stamping slides until 1958.

Now here’s something I don’t see very often… a red border Kodachrome slide shot on size 828 film. This has an image area of 28x40mm, as opposed to size 135 that is 24x36mm. Kodak came up with this format in the late 1930s, as their answer to 35mm, which was just starting to become popular due to Leica and Contax. Kodak thought 36 pictures on a roll was just too many for most people, so they took 35mm film stock, eliminated the sprockets, and made paper backed roll film, in similar fashion to the popular film sizes of the time (127, 620, 120, 616, 116, etc.). Their innovation was to put a small notch in the film that would actuate an automatic frame counter in some models of the new cameras, which were branded as the Bantam line. There were still numbers on the back of the paper roll for use in cheaper cameras with the familiar little red window. It was a good idea, but ultimately didn’t catch on. Kodak went on to use some of this technology in size 126, the Instamatic series, starting in 1963. 126 was nothing more than the same 828 type film stock, preloaded into a plastic cartridge. Proper loading and unloading of paper backed roll film was always a bit problematic and had resulted in lots of light leaks and fogged film up until then, and this solved the problem. Kodak went with a 26x26mm square format but unfortunately the film did not lie perfectly flat in this cartridge, and therefore overall sharpness suffered. For a time, though, 126 was all the rage, and was pretty much the death knell for amateur photographers using paper backed roll film. Toronto PCC 4441, pictured here, had a body shell built by the St. Louis Car Company, and the rest of the car was finished by the Canadian Car & Foundry Company in 1949. This picture was taken some time between then and 1955. Bill Robb adds, “Probably taken pre-1954 when the TTC was still the Toronto Transportation Commission. It has the old monogram logo and grey roof shrouds dating from the time of delivery. The TTC changed to Toronto Transit Commission on July 1, 1954 and adopted the keystone logo.”

CTA postwar PCC 4052, a product of St. Louis Car Company, is turning from St. Lawrence Avenue onto 111th Street in the Pullman neighborhood, near the Hotel Florence. The streetcar was heading northbound and was just a few blocks from the south end of Route 4 – Cottage Grove, located at 115th Street. Buses replaced streetcars on this line on June 19, 1955, and this picture was taken that year.

CTA prewar PCC streetcar 7027 is on private right-of-way at the south end of the Cottage Grove route. This ran parallel to the Illinois Central Suburban Electric.

This shows where the Cottage Grove line entered private right-of-way with open track around 96th Street. The sign warned motorists to steer clear of the open tracks.

A string of CTA red Pullmans are in the scrap line at South Shops in 1955.

A four-car South Shore Line train at 130th Street in 1955.

The interior of a CTA red Pullman in the scrap line at South Shops in 1955.

CTA postwar PCC 7238 is a southbound Route 36 – Broadway-State car, signed for 119th and Morgan, in 1955. Not sure of the exact location, but if I had to guess, I would say we are on the south side. Mike Franklin: “Photo aaf569a, car 7238 has just crossed 95th St, heading south on Michigan Ave. While the 3-story building in the middle of the photo is gone, the neighboring bungalow to the east is still there at 124 E Michigan Ave.”

CTA red Pullman streetcars 510 and 288 are on the scrap line at South Shops in 1955.

The motorman’s section of a CTA red Pullman in the scrap line at South Shops in 1955. Scott Greig writes: “That view of the motorman’s controls inside a Pullman in the South Shops scrap line was taken inside an “air door” Pullman, cars 501-600. Where the air gauge would normally be, between the controller and brake valve, there is instead a National Pneumatic door light housing. This was interlocked with the rear doors, similar to a modern “L” car, and allowed the motorman to proceed without waiting for a bell signal from the conductor. At least two air-door cars (507 and 542) lasted long enough to be among the last six red streetcars that the CTA torched for a press event in February of 1956.”

CTA D206 and D204 were sprinklers, shown here at South Shops in 1955. D206 is still sporting a Chicago Surface Lines logo. It was built by McGuire-Cummings and retired as of December 14, 1956. D204, behind it, made it to May 17, 1958.

The front of an unidentified CTA streetcar on the scrap line at South Shops in 1955. Dan Cluley writes, “I think the unidentified car in pic aaf574a is the AA92 shown in the next photo. The remnants of the roll sign, the half open window & various scuffs in the paint all seem to match.”

CTA salt spreader AA92, shown here on the scrap line at South Shops in 1955, was originally car 2826. It was scrapped on December 27, 1955.

CTA salt spreader AA86 was originally car 1498. It was scrapped on December 14, 1956.

A worker sweeps the sidewalk along 79th Street, by CTA’s South Shops. A number of old red streetcars are seen in the scrap line in 1955, along with some retired trolley buses at left.

CTA salt spreader AA50 was originally car 1260. It was scrapped on December 27, 1955.

Experimental pre-PCC cars 7001 (left) and 4001 (right) at the CTA South Shops in 1955, where they were being used as storage sheds. 7001 was scrapped in 1959, but the body of 4001 is now at the Illinois Railway Museum.

The view through the fence at CTA South Shops in 1955 shows red Pullman 518 at right, waiting to be scrapped, with salt spreader AA92 behind it.

Chicago Trolley Buses

CTA trolley bus #9742 is westbound on Montrose at Western on Sunday, October 8, 1972. (Steve Zabel Photo) Zabel (1949-1989) lived in NYC and worked as a motorman on the subway system there for 20 years. He was an excellent photographer, and some of his pictures have ended up in books. Unfortunately, he was brutally murdered during a robbery. His killer was convicted and sent to prison.

CTA trolley bus 9577 has the poles down in this June 1970 photo. Although signed for Route 72 – North Avenue, I have to wonder if the actual location is a wye located at Central Avenue and West End Avenue. This was an unusual arrangement where a bus would go head in, then back out to change direction. (Charles L. Tauscher Photo)

CTA trolley bus 9209 is eastbound on route 65 – Grand Avenue in October 1967, at Grand and Halsted and Milwaukee. The Como Inn, a well known restaurant, is partially visible at right. It was open from 1924 to 2001. (Charles L. Tauscher Photo)

CTA trolley bus 9747 is westbound on Route 81 – Lawrence in May 1963. The Peter Pan restaurant, at right, was part of a chain that featured fountain creations and catered to families with children. They had several locations, including this one on the northeast corner of Lawrence and Broadway. (Charles L. Tauscher Photo)

CTA trolley bus 9327 is heading northbound on Central Avenue at Montrose in May 1963. (Charles L. Tauscher Photo)

CTA trolley bus 9325 is at Irving Park and Neenah, the west end of Route 80, in October 1967. This turnaround loop was been eliminated after diesel buses replaced electric, and service west of here (previously Route 80A) was combined with the regular route. The buildings at rear were part of the Dunning mental health complex and have since been replaced by condos. The bus loop is now incorporated into a driveway. (Charles L. Tauscher Photo)

CTA trolley bus 9412 in July 1963. Andre Kristopans: “Lawrence and Lawler – the “incomplete wye” – wires didn’t quite come together as they didn’t go past the sidewalk. (Charles L. Tauscher Photo)

It’s July 1963 (at least, that’s the processing date), and CTA trolley bus 9412 appears to be on a fantrip. Despite being signed for Route 85, the bus stop indicates Route 52 – Kedzie-California. The Pilsen Drug Store at left would suggest which neighborhood we are in, which would make the street Kedzie at 26th Street. (Charles L. Tauscher Photo)

CTA trolley bus 9412 is signed for a short-turn on Route 85 – Central in August 1963. I am not sure if this is actually Central and Wabansia, however. (Charles L. Tauscher Photo) Mike Franklin: “In reply to: Photo aaf504a, car 9412 is facing east on Wabansia Ave immediately west of Central Ave. Building to the left is still there.”

CTA trolley bus 9745 is at the east end of Route 81 – Lawrence Avenue in January 1963. The hotel in the background is located at 1201 W. Leland Avenue. Instead of having an off-street loop, trolley buses turned around via local streets in the Uptown neighborhood. (Charles L. Tauscher Photo)

It’s July 1959, and CTA trolley bus 9597 is at the Navy Pier turnaround loop for Route 65 – Grand Avenue. The building has been wrapped for some festive occasion. (Charles L. Tauscher Photo) Kevin Doerksen adds, “Regarding the picture of CTA trolley bus 9597 at Navy Pier, in 1959, the event was the Chicago International Fair and Exposition. It was an international trade fair held in conjunction with the opening of the St Lawrence Seaway.”

On December 19, 1965, Cleveland Transit trolley bus 874 ran on a fantrip in Chicago, prior to going to the Illinois Railway Museum. It also ran on two fantrips in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Here, it is at the back end of the Kedzie bus garage. (Charles L. Tauscher Photo)

East Troy in Early Days

The excellent trolley museum in East Troy, Wisconsin is the sole remaining remnant of the Milwaukee Electric interurban network. Although passenger service to East Troy ended in 1939, the electric line between that town and Mukwonago was retained for freight service and purchased by the Village of East Troy. As those operations began to wind down, it gradually morphed into a museum operation, starting in 1972. The original group that ran the museum was at loggerheads with the village, however, and left in the early 1980s, at which time the current group took over. They do a splendid job.

Here are some early shots of East Troy, taken by the late Robert D. Heinlein.

M15 in East Troy on May 18, 1958. (Robert D. Heinlein Photo)

D13, circa 1956-58. (Robert D. Heinlein Photo)

M15 in June 1959. (Robert D. Heinlein Photo)

M15 on January 5, 1957. (Robert D. Heinlein Photo)

M15 on May 18, 1958. (Robert D. Heinlein Photo)

D13 on January 5, 1957. (Robert D. Heinlein Photo)

M15 on January 5, 1957. (Robert D. Heinlein Photo)

M15 on May 18, 1958. (Robert D. Heinlein Photo)

M15 on September 30, 1956. (Robert D. Heinlein Photo)

The right-of-way and substation in East Troy on May 18, 1958. (Robert D. Heinlein Photo)

D13, circa 1956-58. (Robert D. Heinlein Photo)

Phantom Siding on January 5, 1957. (Robert D. Heinlein Photo)

The Soo Line interchange in Mukwonago on January 5, 1957. (Robert D. Heinlein Photo)

M15 in East Troy on January 5, 1957. (Robert D. Heinlein Photo)

M15 in East Troy on May 17, 1962. (Robert D. Heinlein Photo)

D13 in East Troy on May 18, 1958. (Robert D. Heinlein Photo)

L9 in East Troy on October 14, 1991. (Robert D. Heinlein Photo)

Keep those cards and letters coming in, folks.

Our Latest Book, Now Available:

The North Shore Line

From the back cover:

As late as 1963, it was possible to board high-speed electric trains on Chicago’s famous Loop “L” that ran 90 miles north to Milwaukee. This was the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad, commonly known as the North Shore Line. It rose from humble origins in the 1890s as a local streetcar line in Waukegan to eventually become America’s fastest interurban under the visionary management of Midwest utilities tycoon Samuel Insull. The North Shore Line, under Insull, became a worthy competitor to the established steam railroads. Hobbled by the Great Depression, the road fought back in 1941 with two streamlined, air-conditioned, articulated trains called Electroliners, which included dining service. It regained its popularity during World War II, when gasoline and tires were rationed, but eventually, it fell victim to highways and the automobile. The North Shore Line had intercity rail, commuter rail, electric freight, city streetcars, and even buses. It has been gone for nearly 60 years, but it will always remain the Road of Service.

Each copy purchased here will be signed by the author, and you will also receive a bonus North Shore Line map. Books will ship by USPS Media Mail.

Title The North Shore Line
Images of America
Author David Sadowski
Edition illustrated
Publisher Arcadia Publishing (SC), 2023
ISBN 1467108960, 978-1467108966
Length 160 pages

The price of $23.99 includes shipping within the United States.

For Shipping to US Addresses:

New Compact Disc Titles, Now Available:

HFIH
Hi-Fi Iron Horse
Price: $15.99

Total time – 50:49

TSOS
The Sound of Steam
Reading 2124
Price: $19.99

Three very rare, out of print North Jersey Recordings LPs, now digitally remastered on two CDs at a special price.

Total time – 69:54 (Disc 1) and 61:20 (Disc 2)

RWW-V103
Rods, Wheels, and Whistles
Voice of the 103
Price: $19.99

Two very rare, out of print North Jersey Recordings LPs, now digitally remastered on two CDs at a special price.

Total time – 46:15 (RWW) and 49:26 (V103)

Help Support The Trolley Dodger

This is our 310th post, and we are gradually creating a body of work and an online resource for the benefit of all railfans, everywhere. To date, we have received over 1,035,000 page views, for which we are very grateful.

You can help us continue our original transit research by checking out the fine products in our Online Store.
As we have said before, “If you buy here, we will be here.”

We thank you for your support.

DONATIONS

Your financial contributions help make this web site better, and are greatly appreciated.

A Colorful Harvest

October 28, 2023October 29, 2023David Sadowski 9 Comments

CTA PCC 7213 is at the Clark-Arthur Loop in 1957, ready to head back south on Route 22 – Clark-Wentworth. The loop is still used by CTA buses, but the flowers have long since been replaced by asphalt. In the early morning hours of June 21, 1958, 7213 became the last Chicago streetcar to operate. (Charles L. Tauscher Photo)

Fall has arrived again, and with the season, the days grow shorter and the leaves turn all sorts of beautiful colors. It should only be fitting that this post should include lots of colorful shots of classic electric trains from all over the country. These are supplanted with some excellent black and white scenes.

Enjoy!

-David Sadowski

PS- You might also like our Trolley Dodger Facebook auxiliary, a private group that now has 1,465 members.

Our Next Book Project

FYI, we are hard at work researching our next book about the Chicago Aurora and Elgin interurban. Although we already have thousands of images, we start out on these book projects with some of what we need, and then have to find the rest. Some have generously shared their images with us, and some we have to pay real money for. In case you would like to help contribute to this effort, either by sharing images or making a donation, we would like to hear from you. All contributors will be mentioned in the book, which will be dedicated to the memory of the late Robert D. Heinlein. The most difficult images to find are always the earliest ones. You can contact me via messenger, at thetrolleydodger@gmail.com or via my blog. I thank you for your time and consideration.

Robert D. Heinlein took this picture of CTA Met “L” car 2804 at the Laramie Avenue Yards on September 20, 1956. These wooden cars had been in use for 50 years on the various Met lines (Garfield Park, Douglas Park, Humboldt Park, and Logan Square), but were being phased out as more and more of the new 6000-series cars were delivered. The last wooden “L” car ran in regular service in November 1957 on the Kenwood line.

This picture was taken by Robert D. Heinlein on September 29, 1956, looking east from Asbury Avenue in Evanston. North Shore Line coach 738 is at the head of a westbound train. In the distance, you can see the former Ridge Avenue “L” station, which was used by Niles Center trains from 1925 to 1948. The station was later rented out to a business, but has long since been removed. CTA Yellow Line trains run here now. You can see why this was a favorite spot for photographers, but it was difficult to get a good shot here, due to the slow film speeds of the time (Kodachrome was ISO 10). Even with the lens wide open, shutter speeds were too slow to stop the motion of a train moving at speed. So the erstwhile shutterbug had no choice but to push the button while the train was still some distance away.

Chicago Aurora and Elgin wood car 307 at the Wheaton Yards in June 1961, after the abandonment. Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “307 was built by Niles Car & Mfg Co in 1906, It was modernized in July 1939.” It was not saved.

Pictures of South Side “L” cars on the center express track seem to be fairly rare, but here is one such train at 18th Street, looking north. The CTA stopped using the express track in 1949, when North-South service was revamped, with the closure of several stations, and A/B “skip stop” service was introduced. Not sure if this train is in service, or is just being stored here. I asked our resident south side expert M. E. about this photo, and here’s what he has to say: “This photo is a mystery.
You might think these L cars are being stored on the middle track. You might also think they are in service. Which is it?
Notice the white flags at both ends of the front porch. I think white flags indicate an extra section of a particular run. At least that was true about steam and diesel engines. But I would have to think the L used the same white flag system.
I would think there would be a destination placard hanging somewhere on the front of the first car. I see no such thing in the picture.
So which route would this train be on? Maybe, just maybe, it was a Shopper’s Special, which ran express between the Loop and Indiana Ave. If it is a Shopper’s Special, where is the destination placard? There would be no need for that placard if the train was running northbound. Then maybe the white flags indicate the end, rather than the beginning, of a train.
Or, because it has three cars, maybe it was an Englewood-bound train. I say this because a third car (either south- or northbound) would have been the Normal Park L car that was attached/detached from mainline Englewood service at 63rd and Harvard. (But, again, no destination placard!)
Whichever route it was on, this train was slapped together with different kinds of cars. The second and third cars are 4000-series from the 1920s, which had no porch. So this is a mixed consist. Mainline north/south trains were the Rapid Transit Company’s pride and joy. They would not have sullied those trains with mixed consists.
But if this train was simply being stored there, the question is why? Perhaps it was put there to be used later in the day starting in the Loop, then heading south. Maybe, once in use, it would display a destination placard.
If indeed the train was to be used later starting in the Loop, this middle track at 18th St. would likely have been the
storage track closest to the Loop. Yes, there were three tracks through the Roosevelt L station, but those tracks were used to store North Shore cars between runs.
There is a train in the background as well. I believe it is also sitting on the middle track, which would make it a North Shore train in storage.
Another question is, when was this photo taken? As you mentioned, after September 1949, with the advent of skip-stop service, no trains used the middle track. Also, looking at the trackage north of 18th St., I don’t see a ramp down into the State St. subway. The subway opened in 1943, and the ramp would have been constructed earlier than that, so this photo was probably taken no later than around 1940.
In conclusion: This train is a mystery.”

Under normal circumstances, Chicago Rapid Transit trains did not go down city streets like streetcars, but during World War II, they were sometimes used for troop movements on the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee. Here is a four-car train of 4000-series cars on Greenleaf Avenue in Wilmette.

Long before the CTA Skokie Swift (today’s Yellow Line), there was the Niles Center “L” branch. It ran to Dempster Street in Skokie from 1925 to 1948, but as the area was just starting to be developed, there wasn’t much ridership.

“Saturday afternoon, January 30, 1954: Stub end of Normal Park “L’ (on 69th Street, east of Halsted), taken shortly after closing of branch.” Until the CTA Dan Ryan line opened in 1969, this was the farthest south the “L” went. Now the Red Line will be extended to 130th Street. (Robert A. Selle Photo)

We are looking west from the North Shore Line station in Libertyville in January 1963, the month of the abandonment.

A 1926 view of the Chicago Aurora and Elgin’s Wheaton Yard.

An early postcard view of the Aurora Elgin and Chicago (predecessor of the CA&E) yard in Wheaton. This may be from the World War I era as there only seem to be wood cars present.

Chicago Aurora and Elgin 453 in its original paint scheme, which was somewhat different than how it looked later on. In particular, lettering was done in Futura, a modern font, as the ten cars 451-460 were the most modern CA&E ever had. Delivered in late 1945, this was 18 years after their previous new car order. 453 is now at the Illinois Railway Museum, where it is being restored to this classic look. The car behind it is 451, which IRM also has.

Two views of Chicago Aurora and Elgin car 10, both likely from the same Central Electric Railfans’ Association fantrip, circa 1939 or so. Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “10 was built by Niles Car in 1902. It was rebuilt with a baggage compartment in 1910. It was later removed, but then reinstalled in April 1933 for funeral service. It was wrecked September 10, 1948, and scrapped.”

The late Charles L. Tauscher took this picture of CTA red Pullman 144 on one of those latter day Chicago streetcar fantrips. I am not sure of the location, but the film was processed in June 1958, which would imply this is South Shops at 77th and Vincennes (and the car on the right has a 1958 Illinois license plate). By that time, there was just one streetcar line left– Wentworth on the south side. 144 is now at the Illinois Railway Museum.

Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “Aurora Elgin and Fox River Electric 303 was built by St Louis Car in 1924, (order) #1306. In 1936 it was sold to CI/SHRT as 303 and in 1954 it was sold to CP&SW (Columbia Park and Southwestern, aka Trolleyville USA) as 303. It was sold to Northern Ohio Railway Museum in 2009.” Here, we see it in Cleveland (Shaker Heights Rapid Transit) on October 23, 1954.

This is certainly a view of the Stock Yards “L” that I have not seen before. Robert D. Heinlein took this picture on September 28, 1957, not long before the branch was abandoned. Note the unique single-track operation here, unlike anything else on the system. CTA wood car #2906 is at the Armour station, which the photographer noted was located at Racine Avenue (1200 W.) and 43rd Street. The Union Stock Yards was already in an irreversible decline by this point, and would close for good in 1971. The “L” ran in a loop through the yards and back to the main line station at 40th and Indiana Avenue. It always operated as a shuttle, except possibly when there was a major event at the International Amphitheater. Our resident south side expert M. E. writes, “Your last sentence says “It always operated as a shuttle, except possibly when there was a major event at the International Amphitheater.” I respectfully disagree about the “major event” part. At 40th and Indiana, the Stock Yards L approached Indiana Ave. from the west. Mainline trains from downtown also approached Indiana Ave. from the west. The Stock Yards and mainline tracks ran parallel. Switches that connected the Stock Yards line and the mainline were also west of the Indiana Ave. station. Any mainline train from downtown, if it were to offer direct service to the International Amphitheater, would have to change direction, negotiate the switches, and head west on the Stock Yards line. I think this would have been a clumsy if not dangerous practice — perhaps requiring a motorman at each end of the mainline train — and it would have delayed L traffic on both the mainline and Stock Yards line. Ergo, I can’t imagine a direct connection from downtown to the Stock Yards line. But if a mainline train came into Indiana from the south, such a “transfer” would have been possible. A mainline train would first stop at Indiana, then proceed to the switches and move to the Stock Yards line, probably with minimal disruption to both lines. Still, it would not have been worth doing, because of much less L patronage from the south versus from downtown. A Stock Yards shuttle train usually had only one car, but for special events at the International Amphitheater, the Rapid Transit Company ran two-car trains, sometimes using the newer 4000-series cars for more capacity.”

CTA PCC 4391 is northbound on Wentworth Avenue at 40th Street in June 1958, the last month of service. That’s the old Stockyards “L”, which had been abandoned the previous year and would soon be removed. Everything to the right here has now been replaced by the Dan Ryan expressway. Car 4391 was the only postwar PCC saved, and is now at the Illinois Railway Museum. (Charles L. Tauscher Photo)

A group of sailors boards a northbound North Shore Line train at Adams and Wabash on the Loop “L” on September 4, 1961.

And here’s the view looking the other way, as North Shore Line Silverliner 761 enters the Milwaukee Terminal at 6th and Clybourn. This negative was undated, but from the automobiles, I would say this is circa 1957.

“Electroliner at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, entering station from street with policeman directing traffic, June 18, 1962.”

I realize this is not the greatest picture, but it does show the CTA Forest Park Terminal as it looked on June 27, 1958. We are looking north, as the Abell-Howe company was located at 7747 W. Van Buren Street. The yard was being rebuilt at the time, in conjunction with construction of the Congress expressway nearby (now the Eisenhower). This work carried over into the following year. Six days before this picture was taken, the new Congress rapid transit line had opened as far west as Cicero Avenue in the highway median. West of there, there were temporary tracks. The new alignment went into use in 1960. This slide was shot on Anscochrome film, which was cheaper and inferior to Kodachrome. In the close-up, you can see how grainy it is, making it look similar to an Impressionist painting. The difference is that Kodachrome was basically black-and-white film, where the colors were added in the development process, while Anscochrome, Ektachrome, and Fujichrome have the colors built into the film.

North Shore Line 761 is at the head of a three-car train of Silverliners in North Chicago. (G. Millen Photo) This was scanned from one of those early Ektachrome slides that has faded to red. This time, we were able to restore the colors pretty well.

I recently received this real photo postcard and did some restoration work on it. I would say it dates to around 1907, as there are areas on both the front and back where people can write messages. 1907 was the first year when the post office allowed messages on the backs. There is a document visible in the picture from the Metropolitan West Side Elevated in Chicago. Given the presence of railroad lanterns, this is likely a behind the scenes view of one of the early “L” companies, which began service in 1895.

Here is a classic red border Kodachrome view of a Chicago and North Western steam-powered “scoot” circa 1955, just leaving North Western station in downtown Chicago. E class 658 was built in 1922. The 4-6-2’s original number was 1658. Bill Shapotkin adds, “The photo was taken in Chicago at Clinton St Tower — where the West Line (Galena Division) splits from the North (Milwaukee Division) and Northwest (Wisconsin Division) Lines. The train at right is an outbound Northwest Line Train. The train at left MAY be backing into Northwestern Station (hard to tell). View looks E-S/E. Photo taken pre-Oct 1956 (when steam last operated on the C&NW).”

Here is a classic April 1968 view of PTSC Red Arrow Lines Rail Bus #409. The Rail Bus was an attempt by Merritt H. Taylor Jr., head of the privately owned Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company (aka Red Arrow Lines) to create a vehicle that could operate via railroad tracks and ordinary streets. There were two such buses adapted in the 1967-68 experiment. 409 was standard gauge and 410 was Pennsylvania wide gauge. 409 operated on the Norristown High-Speed Line. Ultimately, the experiment was not successful, and Red Arrow was sold to a public agency (SEPTA) in 1970. (F. I. Goldsmith, Jr. Photo)

NYCTA Rapid Transit Lo-V #5466
Location: New York City (Near Stillwell Avenue, Coney Island Terminal)
Date: November 14, 1965
Photographer: Unknown
Here is a classic view of a New York City Lo-V subway train, operated by the New York City Transit Authority. The landmark Brooklyn Union gas holder is also visible in the picture. The occasion seems to be a farewell fantrip for the Lo-Vs. These cars were built by American Car & Foundry in 1924 for the IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit Company).
From the Wikipedia:
“Low-V” is short for “Low Voltage”, which refers to the cars’ form of propulsion control. Earlier Composite and “High-V” (High Voltage) equipment that ran on the IRT had utilized a 600 volt DC circuit that ran directly through the motorman’s master controller to control the car’s propulsion. The 600 volts was also trainlined through the whole train by the use of high voltage jumper cables, which had to be run between cars. However, the Low-V equipment used battery voltage (32 volts) in the motor control circuit to move high voltage (600 volts) contacts underneath the car, which would control the car’s propulsion. Likewise, it would no longer be necessary to use 600 volt jumpers between cars. This tremendously improved the safety of the equipment for both train crews and shop personnel alike.
Today’s operator, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, has retained a set of Lo-Vs, which are used for special occasions, such as opening day at Yankee Stadium. Car 5466 is now at the Branford Electric Railway Association in Connecticut.

New Orleans streetcars have a long history, going back to 1835, when horsecars were first put into service. The St. Charles line has operated continuously since then, except for a period after Hurricane Katrina. The streetcars pictured here (972 and 836) were built in the 1920s by the Perley A. Thomas company. This picture was taken on June 7, 1960 by noted railfan photographer Clark Frazier.

Subject: Boston Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority PCC Streetcar #3173
Location: Boston, MA
Date: January 22, 1978
Photographer: Clark Frazier
Boston PCC 3173 was built in 1945 by Pullman-Standard. The MBTA still operates a few PCCs on the Ashmont-Mattapan line.
A blizzard paralyzed Boston in January 1978, and this picture shows a trolley stranded in the snow. It looks like the operator is having lunch.

Subject: SF Muni Cable Car #521
Location: San Francisco, CA
Date: 1956
Photographer: Clark Frazier
This is an excellent vintage picture of San Francisco’s famous cable cars.

Subject: SF Muni Magic Carpet #1003
Location: San Francisco, CA
Date: June 13, 1960
Photographer: Clark Frazier
San Francisco’s “Magic Carpets” 1001-1005 were double-ended streetcars, similar to PCCs but with somewhat different components, built in 1939 for the Municipal Railway. They were used in service until 1959. #1003, seen here, was the only survivor and it went to the Western Railway Museum, where it is today. Here it is shown prepared for the move.

Subject: CTA State of the Art Car on the Skokie Swift
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Date: February 1, 1975
Photographer: George J. Adler
From the Wikipedia:

The State-of-the-Art Car (SOAC) was a heavy rail mass transit demonstrator vehicle produced for the United States Department of Transportation’s Urban Mass Transportation Administration in the 1970s. It was intended to demonstrate the latest technologies to operating agencies and the riding public, and serve to promote existing and proposed transit lines. A single married pair was produced by the St. Louis Car Company in 1972. It operated in intermittent revenue service on six rapid transit systems in five United States cities between May 1974 and January 1977. Since 1989, the two cars have been on display at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.

This is a classic view of the SOAC on the Chicago Transit Authority’s Skokie Swift (aka Yellow Line). This was the only line it could be used on due to clearance issues, as it was wider than regular “L” cars.

Subject: The Milwaukee Road
Location: Pacific Northwest
Photographer: Unknown
Date: August 1971 (processing date)
In the early 1900s, the Milwaukee Road electrified over 600 miles of freight trackage in the northwestern United States. Use of electric locos ended in 1974. This was a very picturesque, if not a profitable, operation. Large parts of it were eventually abandoned. M. E. adds, “Your caption mentions freight trackage. Passenger trains used this line too, particularly the flagship Olympian Hiawatha. The electric locomotives in the picture were called Little Joes (after Joseph Stalin) because they were originally intended to go to Russia, but the U.S. government negated the shipment. The Chicago, South Shore and South Bend also had some Little Joes. By the way, the Milwaukee Road used electric locos to go through tunnels safely. There was a second section of electrified trackage in Washington State as well.”

Subject: The Milwaukee Road E45 B-C-A
Location: Pacific Northwest
Photographer: Unknown
Date: October 2, 1971

Subject: The Milwaukee Road E74
Location: Three Forks, Montana (West end of yard)
Photographer: Bruce Black
Date: September 4, 1973

Subject: Milwaukee and Suburban Transport Trolley Bus 526
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Route 18 @ 92nd and Lapham)
Date: 1960s
Photographer: Unknown
Milwaukee operated trolley buses from 1936 until 1965. These were also known locally as trackless trolleys. This picture was taken in the 1960s. #526 was built by Marmon-Herrington in 1946-47 for the Indianapolis system. It was sold to Milwaukee in 1957, which helps date the picture.

Subject: Milwaukee and Suburban Transport Trolley Bus #351
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Date: 1960s
Photographer: Unknown
#351 was built by Marmon-Herrington in 1947.

Subject: Milwaukee and Suburban Transport Trolley Bus 526
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Date: 1960s
Photographer: Unknown
#526 was built by Marmon-Herrington in 1946-47 for the Indianapolis system. It was sold to Milwaukee in 1957, which helps date the picture.

Subject: Milwaukee and Suburban Transport Trolley Bus #521
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Date: 1960s
Photographer: Unknown
#521 was built by Marmon-Herrington in 1946-47 for the Indianapolis system. It was sold to Milwaukee in 1957, which helps date the picture.

Subject: Chicago CTA Flxible Bus #3122
Location: Chicago, Illinois (Route 29 on State Street at Van Buren Street)
Date: August 16, 1978
Photographer: Unknown
CTA Flxible Bus 3122 was built in 1965. Here it is shown during construction of the ill-fated State Street Mall, which opened in 1979. The mall has since been removed.

Subject: PTC Peter Witt #8490
Location: Philadelphia (Route 55 – Willow Grove)
Date: September 15, 1957
Photographer: Unknown
Here is a classic view of a Philadelphia Transportation Company Peter Witt car. Philadelphia had 535 Peter Witt streetcars in all, built by Brill between 1923 and 1926. They were all retired from regular service by the end of 1957.

In November 1966 (processing date), CTA trolley bus 9551 is at the west end of the line for Route 73 – Armitage (at Latrobe). Glenn Anderson and Richard Kunz are among the group of people boarding the bus. Since the last Armitage trolley bus ran on October 15, 1966, that might be the occasion and would help date the slide.

Subject: Shaker Heights Rapid Transit ex-Toronto PCC 4663
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Date: January 21, 1979
Photographer: Unknown
Greater Cleveland RTA 4663 was built by Pullman-Standard in 1946, for the Cleveland Transit System as #4233. It was sold to Toronto in 1952. In 1978 the RTA, short on cars prior to delivery of its new LRVs, repurchased this car and several others and operated them on the Shaker Heights line for a short time. The body of 4663 has been on a farm since 1982.

Subject: SF Muni XT40 Trolley Bus #5761
Location: San Francisco, California (Route 1 – California, at Sacramento and Fillmore)
Date: June 7, 2019
Photographer: Peter Ehrlich
SF Muni XT40 Trolley Bus 5761 was built by New Flyer circa 2017-2019.

Subject: GM&O Diesel Loco #100
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
Date: September 1970
Photographer: Kutta
Here is a classic view of a Gulf Mobile and Ohio diesel train in the months prior to the Amtrak takeover.
From Railroad Pictures Archives:
“Built in May 1946 (c/n 3218) on EMD Order E660 as Alton 100, it became GM&O 100 in 1947 and was sold for scrap in March 1975.”

Subject: Metra #52 Diesel Loco
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Date: June 1977
Photographer: Joseph R. Quinn
Here is a classic view of a Metra commuter train in Chicago, having just left Union Station. You can see a Chicago “L” train in the background.

Subject: Boston MBTA Snowplow Streetcar #5138
Location: Boston, MA
Date: January 22, 1978
Photographer: Clark Frazier
Boston MBTA Snowplow streetcar 5138 started out as a Type 3 car, built in 1908 by the St. Louis Car Company. It was retired in 2009 and is now at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Maine. A blizzard paralyzed Boston in January 1978, and this picture shows a snowplow trolley. It appears only one track was in service.

Here is a “before and after” view of the Twin Peaks Tunnel entrance in San Francisco, with the two views taken 25 years apart:

Subject: SF Muni Iron Monster Streetcar #184 (and PCC 1024)
Location: San Francisco, CA (at the entrance to the Twin Peaks Tunnel)
Date: June 22, 1954
Photographer: J. W. Vigrass
Muni bought 125 of these cars from the long-vanished Jewett Car Co. in Ohio and put them to work hauling passengers to the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition. The cars were big – 47 feet long – and heavy – 24 tons each – and famously slow. They were painted battleship gray at first and then green and cream. San Franciscans called them “Iron Monsters.” They were all retired by 1958. A few were saved by museums and by the Municipal Railway.

Subject: SF Muni PCC #1168
Location: San Francisco, CA (West Portal, Twin Peaks Tunnel)
Date: December 7, 1979
Photographer: Clark Frazier
Muni PCC #1168 was built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1945 for St. Louis Public Service as car 1779. It came to San Francisco in 1961.

Subject: Southern Pacific SP #4449
Location: Port Costa, California
Date: June1984 (processing date)
Photographer: Greg Stadter
Here is an excellent original Kodachrome slide of a classic steam engine in action.
From the Wikipedia:

Southern Pacific 4449, also known as the Daylight, is the only surviving example of Southern Pacific Railroad’s “GS-4” class of 4-8-4 “Northern” type steam locomotives and one of only two GS-class locomotives surviving, the other being “GS-6” 4460 at the National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, Missouri. GS is an abbreviation of “General Service” or “Golden State,” a nickname for California (where the locomotive was operated in regular service).
The locomotive was built by Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio for the Southern Pacific in May 1941; it received the red-and-orange “Daylight” paint scheme for the passenger trains of the same name which it hauled for most of its service career. No. 4449 was retired from revenue service in 1956 and put into storage. In 1958, the Southern Pacific donated the locomotive to the City of Portland, Oregon. The City then put the locomotive on static display near Oaks Amusement Park, where it remained until 1974.
After this, No. 4449 was then restored to operation for use in the American Freedom Train, which toured the 48 contiguous United States as part of the nation’s 1976 Bicentennial celebration. The locomotive has operated in excursion service since 1984.
The locomotive’s operations are now based at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in Portland, Oregon where it is maintained by a non-profit group of volunteers named “The Friends of SP 4449”. In 1983, a poll of Trains magazine readers selected 4449 as being the most popular locomotive in the United States…
In 1984, 4449 pulled an all-Daylight-painted train from Portland via Los Angeles to New Orleans, Louisiana and back, to publicize the World’s Fair, with UP 8444 there too. The 7,477-mile (12,033 km) round trip was the longest steam train excursion in the history of the United States. However, this trip was not flawless. On June 11, No. 4449 was approaching Del Rio, Texas, still on its way to New Orleans, when the retention plate that holds the draw-bar pin in place somehow disconnected and fell in between the ties, allowing the tender and the entire consist to uncouple, while the locomotive accelerated all by itself. Fortunately, Doyle noticed this after checking the rear-view mirror and quickly applied the brakes. The locomotive backed-up, the fallen parts were recovered, the connections were quickly repaired, and No. 4449 and its consist proceeded to run only slightly behind schedule.

Subject: Southern Pacific SP #4449
Location: Portland Union Station
Date: April 26, 1981
Photographer: J. David Ingles

Subject: CTA Chicago “L” #4271-4272-1
Location: Chicago, Illinois (Wellington and Sheffield)
Date: January 9, 1994
Photographer: Gregory J. Sommers
CTA “L” car 1 was built in 1892 for the South Side Rapid Transit Company. Since this photo was taken, it was moved to the Chicago History Museum, where it is on display. CTA cars 4271 and 4272 were built in 1923 by the Cincinnati Car Company, and were the “state of the art” rapid transit cars of their time. They are part of the CTA Historical Fleet. M. E. adds, “Maybe THIS is the configuration of cars in the “mystery” photo at https://i0.wp.com/thetrolleydodger.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/aaf472a.jpg . And I appreciate Andris Kristopans’ thought that this train was awaiting a deadhead trip to Old Congress to start a southbound mainline trip in the afternoon rush. But that would mean, on the way south, the porch car led the train. That baffles me if the train was an Englewood train, because the detachable Normal Park-destined car (an older porch car in the 1930s and 1940s) was always at the rear. Either I am wrong, or the Rapid Transit Company occasionally put a porch car in the front — on an Englewood or Jackson Park train — and I never knew that. Here’s another thought: Maybe this picture was taken while the Rapid Transit Company was still getting new 4000-series cars, and at that time there were not enough 4000-series cars to form complete trains, so the porch car was still necessary. But the 4000-series cars arrived in the early 1920s. Could this photo be that old?”

Subject: Pittsburgh PAT PCC Streetcar #1729
Location: Pittsburgh, PA (Route 42/38 – Mt. Lebanon-Beechview)
Date: June 1982 (processing date)
Photographer: Joseph P. Saitta
Pittsburgh PCC 1729 was built by the St. Louis Car company in 1949. It was later rebuilt and renumbered to 4007.
The Port Authority of Allegheny County took over Pittsburgh Railways in 1964. The last PCC ran in Pittsburgh in 1999. Over a period of years, Pittsburgh’s extensive streetcar system morphed into the light rail of today.

Subject: Philadelphia DRPA Bridge RT Car #1017
Location: Philadelphia (Fern Rock Yard)
Date: April 1968 (processing date)
Photographer: Gerald H. Landau
Streamlined rapid transit cars such as this one were used in Philadelphia from 1936 until 1968, when this service was replaced by the PATCO Speedline. Car 1017 does not appear to still exist, although a small number of sister cars have been saved.
From the Wikipedia:

The Delaware River Bridge, now the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, was designed to accommodate both rail and road traffic. When it opened on July 1, 1926, it had two outboard structures beside the main roadway for rail and space for two streetcar tracks (never installed) on the main road deck. Construction of the rail line did not begin until 1932, and the Bridge Line opened on June 7, 1936. Relatively short, it only had four stations: 8th Street and Franklin Square in Philadelphia, and City Hall and Broadway in Camden. Connection was available to the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines at Broadway.
In Philadelphia, the line joined the 1932-opened Broad-Ridge Spur just west of Franklin Square and shared its 8th Street/Market Street station. An underground tunnel continuing south following 8th Street then west following Locust Street to 18th Street, had been started in 1917 as part of plans for a Center City subway loop. The shell of this 8th–Locust Street subway was completed, but not outfitted for passenger service, in 1933. Beginning in June 1949, Bridge Line and Ridge Spur services were through-routed, providing one-seat service between Girard station and Camden. Construction on the 8th–Locust Street subway resumed in 1950. Bridge Line service was extended to 15–16th & Locust station, with intermediate stations at 12–13th & Locust station and 9–10th & Locust station, on February 14, 1953. This section is owned by the City of Philadelphia and leased by PATCO.
Extension to Lindenwold
Despite the extension, Bridge Line ridership was limited by high fares and not extending east of Camden. In January 1954, due to low ridership on the extension, off-peak service and Saturday again began operating between Girard and Camden, with a shuttle train operating between 8th and 16th stations. Sunday service was suspended west of 8th Street at that time due to minimal usage. By 1962, only 1,900 daily passengers boarded the line west of 8th Street.
To facilitate the construction of extensions in Southern New Jersey, the states expanded the powers of the Delaware River Joint Commission (which owned the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and the New Jersey portion of the Bridge Line), rechristening it as the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) in 1951. The agency commissioned Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Hall & MacDonald to study possible rapid transit services for South Jersey; Parsons, Brinckerhoff’s final report recommended building a new tunnel under the Delaware and three lines in New Jersey. Route A would run to Moorestown, Route B to Kirkwood (now Lindenwold), and Route C to Woodbury Heights. A later study by Louis T. Klauder & Associates recommended using the Bridge Line instead to reach Philadelphia and suggested building Route B first, as it had the highest potential ridership.
Over the weekend of August 23 to 27, 1968, the Ridge Spur was connected to a new upper-level terminal platform at 8th Street station to allow conversion of the Bridge Line into the “High-Speed Line”. Bridge Line service was split into 16th Street–8th Street and 8th Street–Camden segments during the conversion, with a cross-platform transfer at 8th Street. Bridge Line service was suspended on December 29, 1968, for final conversion of the line. Service from Lindenwold station to Camden along former Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines trackage began on January 4, 1969; full service into Center City Philadelphia over the bridge began on February 15, 1969. The Lindenwold extension cost $92 million.

Keep those cards and letters coming in, folks.

Our Latest Book, Now Available:

The North Shore Line

From the back cover:

As late as 1963, it was possible to board high-speed electric trains on Chicago’s famous Loop “L” that ran 90 miles north to Milwaukee. This was the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad, commonly known as the North Shore Line. It rose from humble origins in the 1890s as a local streetcar line in Waukegan to eventually become America’s fastest interurban under the visionary management of Midwest utilities tycoon Samuel Insull. The North Shore Line, under Insull, became a worthy competitor to the established steam railroads. Hobbled by the Great Depression, the road fought back in 1941 with two streamlined, air-conditioned, articulated trains called Electroliners, which included dining service. It regained its popularity during World War II, when gasoline and tires were rationed, but eventually, it fell victim to highways and the automobile. The North Shore Line had intercity rail, commuter rail, electric freight, city streetcars, and even buses. It has been gone for nearly 60 years, but it will always remain the Road of Service.

Each copy purchased here will be signed by the author, and you will also receive a bonus North Shore Line map. Books will ship by USPS Media Mail.

Title The North Shore Line
Images of America
Author David Sadowski
Edition illustrated
Publisher Arcadia Publishing (SC), 2023
ISBN 1467108960, 978-1467108966
Length 160 pages

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CA&E Rarities

October 1, 2023February 2, 2025David Sadowski 16 Comments

I recently purchased a medium format color negative, showing a three-car Chicago Aurora and Elgin train (cars 455, 420, and 424) at the Forest Park Terminal, some time between 1953 and 1957. The interurban ended here then, and riders had to change trains and take the CTA downtown.
Color negative film was much less popular, apparently, than color slides when this picture was taken. In general, color quality and sharpness was not as good. In this case, there are variations in color based on the uneven fading of the colored film base over nearly 70 years. Colored film base was added to negatives to keep the film from becoming too contrasty. Since making a print from a negative is a two-step process, contrast is naturally increased when a print is made. When prints are made from slides, there is also an increase in contrast, but in the computer age, these issues are much more manageable. We are looking to the northeast.

The Chicago Aurora and Elgin interurban is the subject of our next book. We will leave no stone unturned, in our efforts to make the best possible book for our readers. Today, we are featuring just a few of the pictures we have collected for possible inclusion. Many of these are vintage CA&E company photos.

The high temperature was 70 degrees (low 57) with lots of sun in Chicago on Monday, April 18, 1938. The CA&E was in receivership at this time and would not emerge from bankruptcy until after World War II. Apparently, the receiver needed detailed documentation of the railroad’s facilities. A photographer, armed with an 8×10 view camera, was dispatched to take lots of pictures, which are now important historic artifacts.

Between 1923 and 1989, the very best view cameras were made by L.F. Deardorff & Sons Inc.. Here, I have a bit of personal history. I got to visit their shop just west of Chicago’s Loop a few times during the 1980s making deliveries. Everything they did was made by hand, using the finest possible materials, including exotic woods from Central America.

For much of the 20th century, Chicago was home to various catalog houses such as Sears, Roebuck and Company, Montgomery Wards, and many others. Several large local studios handled much of the product photography work. Eventually, this went into a decline. When Kranzten Studios went out of business in the late 1980s, their large inventory of Deardorff cameras hit the market and killed the demand for new ones. The company never recovered, although there are still other firms making view cameras today.

We also have many other new recent photo finds for your enjoyment. We recently received the gift of 41 original color slides from David Church, for which we are very grateful. A few of these appear here, and the rest will turn up in future posts. Mr. church says he purchased these 50 years ago or more.

Finally, we have three new CD titles of digitally remastered railroad audio now available. Four of the five discs are from steam recordings made in the late 1950s and early 1960s by North Jersey Recordings. This adds to our already extensive collections of train sounds from the Railroad Record Club and many others. You will find more details at the end of this post.

Keep those cards and letters coming in.

Enjoy!

-David Sadowski

PS- You might also like our Trolley Dodger Facebook auxiliary, a private group that now has 1,445 members.

Our Next Book Project

This is a picture of Aurora Elgin and Fox River Electric car 305, signed for Elgin. FYI, we are hard at work researching our next book about the Chicago Aurora and Elgin interurban. Although we already have thousands of images, we start out on these book projects with some of what we need, and then have to find the rest. Some have generously shared their images with us, and some we have to pay real money for. In case you would like to help contribute to this effort, either by sharing images or making a donation, we would like to hear from you. All contributors will be mentioned in the book, which will be dedicated to the memory of the late Robert D. Heinlein. The most difficult images to find are always the earliest ones. You can contact me via messenger, at thetrolleydodger@gmail.com or via my blog. I thank you for your time and consideration.

CA&E Rarities

Here is a picture of car 310, taken by Robert A. Selle during a CERA fantrip on August 8, 1954. “State Road station near Wheaton, Ill.” However, it actually looks like Glen Oak, which was adjacent to a golf course.

The Prince Crossing CA&E station, looking west on April 18, 1938.

CA&E 430, built by Cincinnati Car Company in 1927.

CA&E 410 on January 30, 1927. Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “410 was built by Pullman in 1923.” Sister car 409 is at the Illinois Railway Museum.

CA&E 303. Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “303 was built by Niles Car & Mfg Co in 1906. It was modernized in March 1945 and sold to Trolleyville USA in 1962. It was sold to Connecticut Trolley Museum in December 2009.”

A CA&E storage room at Wheaton, circa 1927.

Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “3004 was built by Baldwin-Westinghouse in April 1924, #57717. It was rebuilt in 1930 and scrapped in August 1963. 3003 was built by Baldwin-Westinghouse in September 1923, #57070. It was rebuilt in 1930 and scrapped in August 1963.” From the number on this company photo, this picture may date to 1927.

This looks like the CA&E paint shop at Wheaton on April 18, 1938.

The inspection pit at the Wheaton Shops on April 18, 1938.

Not sure of this location, but the date is April 18, 1938. Derek (no last name) writes: “The section of unknown CA&E trackage with the two bridges is on the the Batavia branch just before the power house. It’s crossing under the CB&Q line.” Bill Shapotkin: “This photo looks W/B on the Batavia Branch, just (timetable east) of Glenwood Park. The first bridge is the CB&Q. The second bridge is Illinois State Route 25.”

The Wheaton Shops on April 18, 1938.

I’m not sure where this freight train is in the picture, or just what those people are doing on the nearby hill. Jason Learakos notes, “The photo with the freight train at the hill with people on it, with the “End Of Block” sign is Lakewood on the Elgin branch. The hill is from the embankment of the nearby road overpass.”

The CA&E yard just west of Laramie Avenue in Chicago on April 18, 1938. We are looking east.

CA&E 410.

CA&E control trailer 701. The interurban had a car shortage in the 1930s, as suburban business grew, and ended up purchasing several cars from an east coast property that had surplus. The ends were modified to fit the tight clearances on the Chicago “L”, and the cars were given a somewhat more modern appearance. Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “701 was built by Cincinnati Car Co in 1913 as WB&A (Washington Baltimore and Annapolis) 81. It was sold as CA&E 701 in 1938.”

We are at the Spring Road station in Elmhurst on April 18, 1938, looking east.

Again, not sure where we are here, but the date is April 18, 1938. Jerry Hund: “I believe the unidentified station is Taylor St. in Glen Ellyn.”

CA&E wood car 52. Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “52 was built by Stephenson in 1903. It was modernized in January 1941 and retired in 1955.”

The Wheaton Yards on April 18, 1938.

The Wheaton Shops on April 18, 1938.

Wolf Road in Hillside on April 18, 1938.

The Wheaton Shops on April 18, 1938.

The view looking west from County Line Road in Elmhurst on July 13, 1931. This is the approximately where the Illinois Prairie Path crosses I-290 today.

A new station at Poplar Avenue in Elmhurst is dedicated on November 28, 1931. The City of Elmhurst had petitioned the railroad to add a station here, because it was expected to generate much ridership. The railroad wanted to move the nearby Stratford Hills station, which had low ridership. As it turned out, Stratford Hills did not close until 1943.

CA&E 105. Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “105 was built by Stephenson in 1903. It was modernized in August 1940 and retired in 1955.”

CA&E 416 at the Wheaton Shops on April 18, 1938. It was built by Pullman in 1923.

CA&E 10. Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “10 was built by Niles Car in 1902. It was rebuilt with a baggage compartment in 1910. It was later removed, but then reinstalled in April 1933 for funeral service. It was wrecked September 10, 1948, and scrapped.”

CA&E 315. Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “315 was built by Kuhlman Car Co in 1909, (order) #404. It was modernized at an unknown date and sold to Rockhill Trolley Museum in 1962.”

CA&E 602. Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “In 1937, the CA&E needed additional equipment. Much was available, but most of the cars suffered from extended lack of maintenance. Finally, 5 coaches were found on the Washington Baltimore & Annapolis which were just the ticket. 35 thru 39, built by Cincinnati Car in 1913, were purchased and remodeled for service as 600 thru 604. The ends were narrowed for service on the El. They had been motors, but came out as control trailers. Other modifications included drawbars, control, etc. A new paint scheme was devised. Blue and grey with red trim and tan roof was adopted from several selections. They entered service between July and October in 1937. 602 was built by Cincinnati Car Co in 1913 as WB&A 37. It was sold as CA&E 602 in August 1937 and burned in 1952.”

CA&E 209. Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “Five cars were built by Niles in late 1904 and were similar to the earlier Niles cars except that they were 4 feet longer and included a toilet compartment. There were four coaches, 201,203, 205, and 207, and a deluxe buffet-parlor car “Carolyn”. The coaches were motorized using 2 motors each from the earlier cars which had been delivered as 4 motor cars. “Carolyn” was built by Niles Car in 1904. It was rebuilt as 209, a trailer coach, in 1924 and rebuilt in May 1939. It was retired in 1959.”

The Wheaton Yards on April 18, 1938.

A CA&E storage area, presumably at the Wheaton Yards, circa 1927.

CA&E 436 at the Wheaton Shops on April 18, 1938. Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “305 was built by Niles Car & Mfg Co in 1906. It was wrecked and rebuilt in 1923 as 600, a buffet-parlor car. It was again rebuilt in 1929 as a coach to match the other 400s and numbered 436. It was scrapped in 1954.”

The Wheaton Shops on April 18, 1938.

CA&E435. From the Wikipedia: “435, 436 were wood body coaches rebuilt in 1929 from parlor-buffet cars #600 and #601. They were originally Florence and #305, mechanical sisters built by Niles in 1906.”

CA&E 319. Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “319 was built by Jewett Car Co in 1914. It was modernized at an unknown date and sold to Columbia Park & Southwestern (Trolleyville USA) in 1962. It was resold to IRM in December 2009.”

A view looking east from the 25th Avenue station platform on April 18, 1938. You can see the shadow of the photographer’s camera in the lower left hand corner. Most likely, either 4×5 or 8×10 sheet film was used in a view camera, possibly a Deardorff (which would have been made in Chicago). In the distance, you can see a gas holder located in forest Park, just east of first Avenue. One platform extension is turned up. These could be flipped to allow for the clearance of freight trains, which were wider than CA&E and “L” cars. When a freight train passed this and other high-level stations, which were required by the “L” cars of Garfield Park and Westchester trains, someone standing on the front of the loco would flip these up, and someone on the back of the train would flip them back down.

A Deardorff 8x10 view camera, known as model V8. These were produced from the 1923 until 1989.

A Deardorff 8×10 view camera, known as model V8. These were produced from the 1923 until 1989.

An unknown location, possibly on the Aurora branch, on April 18, 1938. Jason Learakos adds, “The unknown picture on the Aurora branch is actually on the Batavia branch, looking West from Raddant Road, facing the Fox River. You can see the two Batavia Powerhouse funnels in the distance, so this is definitely the Batavia branch. Based on the shape of the curve, this is Raddant.”

Recent Finds

An early excursion to Ravinia Park on the Chicago and Milwaukee Electric (called the North Shore Line starting in 1916). Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “118 thru 127 were built by Jewett Car in 1906. They were the first of the 52 foot cars which then set the standard for all following cars. Since they were wider than later cars, they never could operate into Chicago on the Elevated. They were rebuilt in 1914 with toilets and train doors. Since they could only be used on locals, they were retired as steel cars became available and most had been out of service for some time previous. 118 was built by Jewett Car in 1906 and retired in 1927.”

This and the next photo: CTA postwar PCC 4364 is at the new loop at 63rd Place and Narragansett on July 30, 1948. It doesn’t have a destination sign at front, and the side sign says Clark-Wentworth, which is nowhere near here. Perhaps it was here to pose for pictures. There is also prewar PCC 4005, operating on Route 63 – 63rd Street. The Clearing neighborhood has become completely built up here since, and while there is still a bus turnaround here, it was reduced in size to make room for a new public library.

North Shore Line 178 on the Mundelein branch west of Knollwood. (David Church collection)

Silverliner 742 is at the head of a two-car train in March 1961. Might this be in Wisconsin? (David Church collection) Nick Jenkins writes: “I believe the photo was taken from Howard Ave overpass in Milwaukee. The spur in the background would be the Austin Ave Team Track. The little green dot (in the trees) would be Sig 813 and the bridge over the Milwaukee Road is barely visible at the top edge of the photo.”

Silverliner 774, plus two, on the Skokie Valley Route in June 1960. (David Church collection)

There is only a span of a few years (1948-51) when this picture of CTA trolley bus 146 could have been taken, heading south on Central Avenue at Irving Park Road. The CTA took over from CSL and CRT on October 1, 1947, and new emblems did not start appearing on vehicles until the following year. Then, in the early 1950s, CTA renumbered all their trolley buses by adding a “9” in front of existing numbers, to eliminate duplicate numbers with the rest of the bus fleet. The entrance to Portage Park is at right. While the bus is operating on Central Avenue, that was Route 85, and this bus is signed for Route 55A. That seems to have run on Elston Avenue a bit north of here as an extension of the Central route, starting at Lawrence Avenue (4800 N), and ending at Holbrook Street in Norwood Park. Trolleybus service on Route 55A ended on January 21, 1951, which also helps date the picture. Trolley buses continued to run on Central until 1970. This model T40 bus was built circa 1930-31 by American Car Company.

Chicago Surface Lines streetcar 6234 is on 43rd Street, based on the addresses visible on that very distinctive building. I get the impression we are in Bronzeville, but am not sure of the cross street, or if that building still exists. My guess is this picture was taken in the 1940s. 6234 was part of a series of Multiple Unit cars, intended to couple to others in the busy years of the 1920s. Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “6234 was built by Lightweight Noiseless Streetcar Company in 1924. It was rebuilt (for) one-man service in 1932.” Mike Franklin: “Northeast corner of Cottage Grove Avenue and 43rd Street.” Our resident south side expert M. E. adds, “After doing some detective work, I conclude this picture is looking northeast at 43rd St. and Cottage Grove (800 East). Being so specific about the corner means knowing on which side of a street are even numbers, and which side are odd numbers. The Del-Mar Lunch place has an awning with the address 4257. That puts it just north of 43rd St., on the east side of the north/south street. At the far right of the photo is an optometrist’s store. I’m not positive, but I think I see the address 814. That puts the store on the north side of 43rd St., just east of Cottage Grove. The streetcar’s side sign says 43-Root. It is heading west on 43rd St., about to cross Cottage Grove Ave. The 43rd-Root route ran along 43rd St. from just west of the lake (Oakenwald Ave.) to State St., north to Root St. (4130 S.), then west to and across Halsted (800 W.) to a dead-end. The thing that astounds me is to see how many passengers are on the streetcar. I don’t think there was any major employer east of Cottage Grove along 43rd St. But there certainly was one at Root and Halsted — the International Amphitheater (at 42nd and Halsted). Another major employer was the Chicago Stock Yards, bounded by Ashland (1600 W.), 47th St., Halsted, and 39th St. (Pershing Rd.). To get from Root and Halsted into the Stock Yards proper, someone would have to get off the streetcar at Halsted, walk a little north to the Stock Yards L station at Halsted, then take the L into the yards. So I think we are seeing, on this streetcar, employees of either the Amphitheater or the Stock Yards going to work. An alternate way to get from the eastern end of the streetcar route to the Stock Yards would have been to take the Kenwood L (which also began at Oakenwald Av.) west to Indiana Ave., go over the pedestrian bridge spanning the north/south L tracks, and take the Stock Yards L (which began at Indiana Ave.) west to the stations inside the Stock Yards.”

The same location in 2017.

Chicago South Shore and South Bend electric locomotive 704 at South Bend, Indiana in 1961. Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “704 was built by Alco-General Electric in June 1931, (order) #68271, 11194, as NYC 1243, Class R-2. It was renumbered 343 in August 1936 and sold to CSS&SB in 1955. It was rebuilt as 704 in 1956 and scrapped in April 1976.”

North Shore Line Silverliner 757 is at Adams and Wabash on the Loop “L” on September 4, 1961. Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “757 was built by Standard Steel Car Co in 1930. It was modernized in 1949 and rebuilt as (a) Silverliner on March 16, 1956. It was sold to Wisconsin Electric Railway Historical Society in 1963 and resold to Illinois Railway Museum in 1988.”

Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee 411 at Coney Island Yard in New York City in the mid-1960s, after the abandonment. Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “411 was built as a trailer observation car by Cincinnati Car in June 1923 #2640. It was out of service in 1932. 411 It was rebuilt as a two motor coach by closing in the open platform and changing the seating on February 25, 1943, and sold to Trolley Museum of New York in 1963. It was sold to Wisconsin Electric Railway & Historical Society in 1973 and sold to Escanaba & Lake Superior in 1989.”

When I received this negative, no information came with it, but we are on the south side, most likely in the 1940s. Chicago Surface Lines car 5787 (I think that is the number) is on Through Route 5, Cottage Grove-South Chicago. This went to Ewing and 108th from April 10, 1927 until July 14, 1947, which does help date the photo. Car 5787 was known as a Nearside and was built by Brill in 1912. The cars of this type were retired circa 1946-47. The location is not known to me. Mike Franklin: “Building behind the car housed the Eastside Theater at 10555 S Ewing Ave, Chicago. Still standing.” Andre Kristopans: “He should be going two more blocks down Ewing to 108th and wye there.”

This circa 1909 postcard image, showing the first Aurora Elgin and Chicago train on the then-new branch to Geneva and St. Charles, appears to be based on a photograph but includes parts that are drawn in.

CTA Red Pullman 507 on the scrap line at South Shops on September 2, 1955. After the CTA took all the remaining red cars out of regular service in 1954, ten such cars were retained for emergency service. Of these, one car (460) became part of the CTA Historical Collection. Two were used in fantrips– 225, which Seashore Trolley Museum purchased in 1957, and 144, which went to the Illinois Electric Railway Museum. It’s not clear to me what the other seven cars were. 507 was built by in 1908/1909 for the Chicago City Railway and is known as a “Big Pullman.”

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)

Chicago Surface Lines 3136 is eastbound on Lake Street on October 21, 1940, operating on Through Route 16. What was a Through Route? These were the first numbered routes, which operated over the tracks of more than one streetcar company. They were a step in the consolidation of these private companies into what became the Chicago Surface Lines in 1913. After heading downtown, this car would have gone south via State Street. This Through Route was discontinued on October 7, 1946. The Lake streetcar route also became Route 16 over time. It ran until 1954. CTA had to run narrow buses on this route due to clearances, and this bus route was discontinued in 1997. Dig the kid with the big ears. Don’s Rail Photos (via Archive.org): “3136 was built by Brill Car Co in December 1922, #21686. It was rebuilt as one-man in 1949.” Here, you can see it is still a two-man car, as someone is entering from the rear.

CTA PCC 4405 is at South Shops after streetcar service ended in June 1958. This Ektachrome slide was very overexposed, and it was not possible to do a perfect job with the color. (David Church collection)

Chicago Aurora and DeKalb car 24 is in Kaneville, Illinois (north of Elgin) in this early photo. Service on this 29-mile interurban, which had a variety of names due to various reorganizations, began in 1906 and ended in 1923, when it was purchased by a scrap dealer and dismantled. The line was only electrified from 1910 on, which helps date the photo. Prior to that, gasoline powered cars were used.

Aurora Elgin and Fox River Electric car 66 is on North Farnsworth Street in Aurora. Passenger service was abandoned on this interurban in 1935. A small portion remained for freight into the early 1970s. That section, in South Elgin, is now the trackage used by the Fox River Trolley Museum. Car 66 was built by the St. Louis Car Company in the mid-1920s and was used as a city streetcar by the AE&FRE. After the company was reorganized in the early 1920s, city service was largely handled by Birney cars, which were operated by one man and had but a single truck underneath.

Our Latest Book, Now Available:

The North Shore Line

From the back cover:

As late as 1963, it was possible to board high-speed electric trains on Chicago’s famous Loop “L” that ran 90 miles north to Milwaukee. This was the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad, commonly known as the North Shore Line. It rose from humble origins in the 1890s as a local streetcar line in Waukegan to eventually become America’s fastest interurban under the visionary management of Midwest utilities tycoon Samuel Insull. The North Shore Line, under Insull, became a worthy competitor to the established steam railroads. Hobbled by the Great Depression, the road fought back in 1941 with two streamlined, air-conditioned, articulated trains called Electroliners, which included dining service. It regained its popularity during World War II, when gasoline and tires were rationed, but eventually, it fell victim to highways and the automobile. The North Shore Line had intercity rail, commuter rail, electric freight, city streetcars, and even buses. It has been gone for nearly 60 years, but it will always remain the Road of Service.

Each copy purchased here will be signed by the author, and you will also receive a bonus North Shore Line map. Books will ship by USPS Media Mail.

Title The North Shore Line
Images of America
Author David Sadowski
Edition illustrated
Publisher Arcadia Publishing (SC), 2023
ISBN 1467108960, 978-1467108966
Length 160 pages

The price of $23.99 includes shipping within the United States.

For Shipping to US Addresses:

New Compact Disc Titles, Now Available:

HFIH
Hi-Fi Iron Horse
Price: $15.99

Total time – 50:49

TSOS
The Sound of Steam
Reading 2124
Price: $19.99

Three very rare, out of print North Jersey Recordings LPs, now digitally remastered on two CDs at a special price.

Total time – 69:54 (Disc 1) and 61:20 (Disc 2)

RWW-V103
Rods, Wheels, and Whistles
Voice of the 103
Price: $19.99

Two very rare, out of print North Jersey Recordings LPs, now digitally remastered on two CDs at a special price.

Total time – 46:15 (RWW) and 49:26 (V103)

Help Support The Trolley Dodger

This is our 308th post, and we are gradually creating a body of work and an online resource for the benefit of all railfans, everywhere. To date, we have received over 1,018,000 page views, for which we are very grateful.

You can help us continue our original transit research by checking out the fine products in our Online Store.
As we have said before, “If you buy here, we will be here.”

We thank you for your support.

DONATIONS

Your financial contributions help make this web site better, and are greatly appreciated.

70 for 70 at IRM (Part Two)

July 8, 2023July 8, 2023David Sadowski 8 Comments

Wooden Chicago “L” car 1754, as part of a four-car train at the Illinois Railway Museum on July 1, 2023.

Our previous post 70 for 70 at IRM (Part One) featured still pictures we took of the July 1, 2023 Trolley Pageant. This was also a rich opportunity to shoot videos, so this post features no less that 45 different ones, most lasting one minute or less. We hope that you will enjoy them.

Part One included historical information on many of these cars. Information on nearly all the cars from the Illinois Railway Museum‘s extensive collection can be found here or here.

Before the end of this month, the Trolley Dodger blog will reach one million page views. We thank all our readers for their support.

-David Sadowski

PS- You might also like our Trolley Dodger Facebook auxiliary, a private group that now has 1,328 members.

The 2023 IRM Trolley Pageant Videos

North Shore Line Electroliner 801-802:

Placing the trolley pole of 251 back on the wire, as part of the North Shore Line 5-car train:

The North Shore Line 5-car train:

North Shore Line line car 604 and Merchandise Despatch car 229:

North Shore Line city streetcar 354 and Illinois Terminal 101:

Chicago Surface Lines 1374 and 3142:

Chicago Surface Lines 144:

Chicago Transit Authority 4391 backs up:

An Illinois Terminal 3-car train, with 277, 518, and 234:

Indiana Railroad car 65 making a backup move:

Chicago Transit Authority 4391:

Chicago Surface Lines 144:

Chicago Surface Lines 3142:

Chicago Surface Lines “Matchbox” 1374:

The Illinois Terminal 3-car train:

Illinois Terminal 101:

North Shore Line city streetcar 354:

North Shore Line box motor 229 and line car 604:

Electroliner 801-802:

The five-car North Shore Line train, with 749, 757, 714, 160, and 251:

Shaker Heights Rapid Transit car 18:

Cooperativa de Transportes Urbanos y Sub-Urbanos (Veracruz, Mexico) open car 19:

Chicago and West Towns 141:

Sand Springs Railway car 68:

The four-car train of Chicago Aurora & Elgin woods included 319, 36, 309, and 308:

The four-car train of Chicago Aurora & Elgin steels included 431, 409, 460, and 451:

A four-car train of wooden Chicago “L” cars included cars 24 (aka 1024), 1797, 1268, and 1754:

A four-car train of CTA 4000s, including cars 4290, 4412, 4410, and 4146:

SEPTA Broad Street Subway car 55, operating for the first time since 2011:

A 7-car CTA “L” train, made up of cars 41, 22, 6655-6, 30, and 6125-26:

The 7-car “L” train finally gets cleared to pass:

A six car train of 1960s/70s CTA rapid transit cars, made up of 2153-4, 2243-44, and 2433-4:

Municipality of East Troy box motor/line car M15 (formerly Milwaukee Electric):

Milwaukee Electric work car D13:

The trolley freight train, led by Commonwealth Edison loco 4:

Three South Shore Line cars (34, 40, and 504), hauled by a diesel locomotive:

South Shore Line line car 1100:

Illinois Central cars 1380 and 1198:

The 7-car train of CTA 6000s and single car units:

The train of CTA 6000s and single car units moves out of the way, allowing Illinois Central Highliners 1630 and 1637 to be seen as they pass the Depot:

Electric locos South Shore Line 803, Pennsylvania Railroad GG-1 4927, and Amtrak 945 finish up the Trolley Pageant:

Our Latest Book, Now Available:

The North Shore Line

From the back cover:

As late as 1963, it was possible to board high-speed electric trains on Chicago’s famous Loop “L” that ran 90 miles north to Milwaukee. This was the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad, commonly known as the North Shore Line. It rose from humble origins in the 1890s as a local streetcar line in Waukegan to eventually become America’s fastest interurban under the visionary management of Midwest utilities tycoon Samuel Insull. The North Shore Line, under Insull, became a worthy competitor to the established steam railroads. Hobbled by the Great Depression, the road fought back in 1941 with two streamlined, air-conditioned, articulated trains called Electroliners, which included dining service. It regained its popularity during World War II, when gasoline and tires were rationed, but eventually, it fell victim to highways and the automobile. The North Shore Line had intercity rail, commuter rail, electric freight, city streetcars, and even buses. It has been gone for nearly 60 years, but it will always remain the Road of Service.

Each copy purchased here will be signed by the author, and you will also receive a bonus North Shore Line map. Books will ship by USPS Media Mail.

Title The North Shore Line
Images of America
Author David Sadowski
Edition illustrated
Publisher Arcadia Publishing (SC), 2023
ISBN 1467108960, 978-1467108966
Length 160 pages

The price of $23.99 includes shipping within the United States.

For Shipping to US Addresses:

New Compact Disc, Now Available:

CTA-1
The Last Chicago Streetcars 1958
# of Discs – 1
Price: $15.99

Until now, it seemed as though audio recordings of Chicago streetcars were practically non-existent. For whatever reason, the late William A. Steventon does not appear to have made any for his Railroad Record Club, even though he did make other recordings in the Chicago area in 1956.

Now, audio recordings of the last runs of Chicago streetcars have been found, in the collections of the late Jeffrey L. Wien (who was one of the riders on that last car). We do not know who made these recordings, but this must have been done using a portable reel-to-reel machine.

These important recordings will finally fill a gap in transit history. The last Chicago Transit Authority streetcar finished its run in the early hours of June 21, 1958. Now you can experience these events just as Chicagoans did.

As a bonus, we have included Keeping Pace, a 1939 Chicago Surface Lines employee training program. This was digitally transferred from an original 16” transcription disc. These recordings were unheard for 80 years.

Total time – 74:38

Help Support The Trolley Dodger

This is our 303rd post, and we are gradually creating a body of work and an online resource for the benefit of all railfans, everywhere. To date, we have received over 995,000 page views, for which we are very grateful.

You can help us continue our original transit research by checking out the fine products in our Online Store.
As we have said before, “If you buy here, we will be here.”

We thank you for your support.

DONATIONS

Your financial contributions help make this web site better, and are greatly appreciated.

70 for 70 at IRM (Part One)

July 2, 2023July 3, 2023David Sadowski 3 Comments

The North Shore Line Electroliner has come a long way since it came to IRM in 1982. After the interurban abandoned service in 1963, it went to the Red Arrow Lines (aka the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company), where it continued to operate for another dozen years as a “Liberty Liner.” It has certainly come a long way since its return. Here, we see it near IRM’s 50th Avenue “L” station, which came from the Douglas Park line.

This is the Illinois Railway Museum‘s 70th anniversary, and in that span, it has certainly become the largest such operation in the United States, and possibly the world. So it should be no surprise that IRM pulled out all the stops for this year’s Trolley Pageant, which featured at least 70 pieces of electric railway equipment in more than 30 consists.

There was a delay in getting started, as there had been a bit of rain in the morning, and in spite of a few hiccups (at one point the power went out, possibly because there were so many things using it), it was a remarkable and unique event that couldn’t have happened anywhere else but Union, Illinois.

We were there to document the event for all those who couldn’t be there in person. This is part one, because we took so many pictures and videos that it would simply be too much to put it all into a single post. This post will feature our still pictures, and part two will include the numerous videos we took.

Many thanks go out to all the hard working volunteers that have made the museum what it is today– a first class operation that is unrivaled, and just keeps getting better and better.

Enjoy!

-David Sadowski

PS- You might also like our Trolley Dodger Facebook auxiliary, a private group that now has 1,317 members.

The 2023 IRM Trolley Pageant

Chicago Aurora and Elgin wood car 308, at the head of a four-car train. Don’s Rail Photos (via archive.org): “308 was built by Niles Car & Mfg Co in 1906. It was modernized by unknown date and sold to Indiana Transportation Museum in 1962 and resold to Illinois Railway Museum in 1996.”

CA&E 309. Don’s Rail Photos (via archive.org): “309 was built by Hicks Locomotive Works in 1907. It was modernized in October 1941 and acquired by Illinois Railway Museum in 1962.”

CA&E 36. Don’s Rail Photos (via archive.org): 36 was built by Stephenson in 1903. It was acquired by Trolleyville in 1961 and was painted as Columbia & Southwestern 36. It was sold to Illinois Railway Museum in December 2009.”

CA&E 319. Don’s Rail Photos (via archive.org): “319 was built by Jewett Car Co in 1914. It was modernized at an unknown date and sold to Columbia Park & Southwestern in 1962. It was resold to IRM in December 2009.”

Sand Springs (Oklahoma) Railway car 68 was built by the Cincinnati Car Company in 1918. It was originally delivered to the Cincinnati Lawrenceburg & Aurora in Ohio, and came to IRM in 1967.

Chicago and West Towns Railways 141 was built by McGuire-Cummings in 1924. After streetcar service ended in 1948, the body was stored on a farm. The Electric Railway Historical Society (ERHS) rescued it in 1959, and donated it to IRM in 1973. After a lengthy restoration, it was returned to operating condition in 2014.

Open car 19 was built by the J. G. Brill company in 1914, and operated in Veracruz, Mexico until 1961. It then went to Trolleyville USA in Ohio. IRM acquired it in 2009.

Cleveland center-entrance car 18 was built by the G.C. Kuhlman Car Company in 1914, and ran on the Shaker Heights Rapid Transit line until 1961. It then went to Trolleyville USA, and IRM purchased it in 2013. Frank Hicks has worked to get this car back to operating condition, and this was the first time it ran at IRM.

Center-entrance streetcars had a brief vogue and the most successful of these were called Peter Witts. They were two-man cars, as there was a conductor who collected fares inside. Some systems used a “pay as you enter” system, and some preferred “pay as you pass.” In order to exit through the front door, you had to walk by the conductor and would then pay your fare. The idea was to speed up loading, as fares could be collected while the car was in motion.

SHRT car 18 backs up to get into position for the Trolley Pageant. The conductor is making sure the pole stays on the wire while it is reversed, while the motorman is at the controls over in the other end of the car. Although this may originally have been a double-ended car, it seems to have been converted to single-end at some point in Cleveland.

North Shore Line combine 251, at the head of a five-car train. Don’s Rail Photos (via archive.org): “251 was built by Jewett in 1917, It had its seating reduced from 40 to 24 on October 3, 1925, and it was converted to a Silverliner on June 19, 1953. It was acquired by Illinois Railway Museum in 1963.”

North Shore Line car 160 is now that interurban’s second oldest surviving car, following 162, which was delivered earlier. Don’s Rail Photos (via archive.org): “160 was built by Brill in 1915, (job) #19605. It was acquired by Illinois Railway Museum in 1963.”

North Shore Line coach 714. Don’s Rail Photos (via archive.org): “714 was built by Cincinnati Car Co in 1926, (job) #2890. It is modernized in 1939 and preserved in 1963 by the Illinois Railway Museum.”

North Shore Line car 757. Don’s Rail Photos (via archive.org): “757 was built by Standard Steel Car Co in 1930. It was modernized in 1949 and rebuilt as Silverline on March 16, 1956. It was sold to Wisconsin Electric Railway Historical Society in 1963 and resold to Illinois Railway Museum in 1988.”

North Shore Line coach 749. Don’s Rail Photos (via archive.org): “749 was built by Pullman in 1928. It was modernized in 1940 and acquired by Illinois Railway Museum in 1963.”

North Shore Line city streetcar 354. The late Don Ross, from Don’s Rail Photos (via archive.org): “354 was built by St Louis Car Co in January 1928, #1453. It became the last car on August 12, 1951. It was purchased by the president of the Chicago Hardware Foundry. It was painted into the green and red of CHF, but the motors were removed. The car was acquired by the Illinois Electric Railway Museum (now IRM). Restoration began in 1958 (I put many hours on the car), and it is now in operation in Union. When I visited the car in 1989, it brought back many happy memories.”

Illinois Terminal interurban car 101. It ran between St. Louis and Alton. Don’s Rail Photos (via archive.org): “101 was built by American Car in 1917 as AG&StL 61. In 1926 the car became StL&ARy 61 and in 1930 it became IT 101. On March 9, 1956, it was sold to the Illinois Electric Railway Museum and is now at Union, IL.”

Two Chicago streetcars for the price of one, here. “Matchbox” 1374 was built by St. Louis Car Company (order #715) in 1905. The Chicago Transit Authority turned it into a salt spreader in 1947. It was purchased by the ERHS in 1958 and donated to IRM in 1973. The 3142 was built by J.G. Brill Company (order #21686) in 1923. It too was purchased by ERHS in 1958 and came to IRM in 1973. The white stripe indicates it was used as a one-man car, letting riders know they should board at the front instead of the back.

Chicago Pullman 144 was built in 1908 and ran in regular service until 1954. Until the end of streetcar service four years later, it was only used on fantrips. IRM purchased it in 1959.

CTA PCC streetcar 4391 is using the back-up controller to make its way to the parade staging area, as it is a single-ended car. Since the pole is reversed, the operator is trying to keep it from coming off the wire.

CTA PCC 4391 was built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1948 and ran in Chicago until 1958. ERHS purchased it the following year and it came to IRM in 1973. It is the only surviving car of its type. This is a two-man streetcar– you enter at the rear, pay the conductor, then exit via the middle or front.

Indiana Railroad high-speed lightweight car 65 was built in 1931 by Pullman and ran for a decade in Indiana before making its way to the CRANDIC (Cedar Rapids and Iowa City) in Iowa. It was purchased in 1953 as the first acquisition of the Illinois Electric Railway Museum, then located in North Chicago. The original ten founders each contributed $100 towards the cost. The last survivor of the ten was Malcolm D. McCarter, who died in 2016.

Indiana Railroad car 65 is similar to cars that were built around the same time for the Cincinnati and Lake Erie. After that line quit around 1938, several of those cars went to Lehigh Valley Transit in Pennsylvania, where they ran until 1951. Others made it to Iowa and ran on CRANDIC. The only other surviving Indiana Railroad high-speed car is 55, which was built by a different manufacturer. It survives at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Maine as LVT car 1030.

Two North Shore Line work cars (line car 604 and box motor 229) head west through the depot.

It was nice to see so many families with young children out at the museum for this event.

IRM’s North Shore Line Electroliner, built in 1941 by the St. Louis Car Company, is still undergoing interior restoration, but can operate. It was certainly a welcome addition to the Trolley Pageant.

One of the trolley poles on the Electroliner got snagged and had to be repositioned. Fortunately, no damage was done to the wire.

Where else but IRM could you see not one, but TWO four-car trains, made up of Chicago Aurora and Elgin interurban coaches, side by side? Over the years, the museum has put together a unique and unrivaled collection.

Although not yet numbered, this is either Chicago Aurora and Elgin car 451 or 453, built in 1945 by the St. Louis Car Company. Don’s Rail Photos (via archive.org): “451 was built by St Louis Car Co in September 1945, #1717. It was sold to Trolleyville in 1962 and lettered as Columbia Park & Southwestern. It was transferred as Lake Shore Electric Ry in 2006. It was sold to Illinois Railway Museum in December 2009.” 453 was purchased in 1962 by Trolleyville USA in Ohio, and went to the Electric City Trolley Museum in Scranton, PA in 2009. They considered turning it into an ersatz Laurel Line car, as none of those were saved. Having decided against that, it was acquired by IRM in 2019 and is undergoing restoration. Thus, all four surviving cars of this type are back in Illinois– three at IRM (451, 453, and 460) and 460 at the Fox River Trolley Museum. We recently posted pictures of that restoration. Spence Ziegler adds: “Dave, the unnumbered CA&E car is the 451, from what I understand it’s going to get the original “Futura” font lettering, which will look nice. That’s why the grey is darker also.”

A four-car train of Chicago wooden “L” cars, with 1754 at the rear. It was built by the Jewett Car Company in 1906 for the Northwestern Elevated. After the CTA stopped using wood cars in regular service in 1957, it was converted to a work car. IRM acquired it in 1971.

Broad Street Subway (Philadelphia) car 55 was built by the J.G. Brill Company (order #22488) in 1927. IRM purchased it in 1985, and this was the first time it operated at the museum in 20 years. Notice how it is both wider and longer than a Chicago “L” car, and has three sets of doors for faster service.

I don’t think any other museum besides IRM could field a seven-car Chicago “L” car train. This one consisted of two sets of married pairs and three single car units.

The “L” train makes its run-by, with car 41 in the lead. It was built in 1959 by the St. Louis Car Company and was designed to be operated as a single car for the Evanston line, where the CTA wanted to reduce operating expenses. For several years, riders would pay on the train at off-peak hours, and the train operator had a fare collection box. There was no conductor. Unfortunately, this really slowed down service, as the train could no proceed until everyone boarding had paid. Eventually, 41 was paired with car 28 but that car was eventually damaged and was not saved. 41 came to IRM in 1998.

A Commonwealth Edison diesel switcher came out at one point, probably to help move a disable railcar.

This rare Lake Shore Electric freight trailer was part of a train which included three electric locos, led by Commonwealth Edison 4, built in 1912 by Alco/General Electric (order #3514), which came to IRM in 1962.

North Shore Line box motor 213 (aka a “Merchandise Despatch” car) was built in 1920 by the Cincinnati Car Company (order #2445), and was sold to the Chicago Hardware Foundry in 1955. That was also the original location of the Illinois Electric Railway Museum. When IRM moved to its current location in 1964, 213 went with it.

A Milwaukee Electric logo on a piece of freight equipment in the parade.

For a rather nondescript car, South Shore Line 504 has had an interesting life. It started out in 1925 on the Indiana Public Service as a baggage/coach car. This turned into the Indiana Railroad in 1931, and it became coach/RPO (railway post office) 377 for another decade before that interurban was abandoned. The South Shore Line purchased it, and used it until 1975 to haul newspapers and small packages. (It still has a sign on it advertising their “emergency package service.” IRM bought it in 1975.

South Shore Line line car 1100 was built in 1925 by the St. Louis Car Company for the Indiana Service Corporation, which became the Indiana Railroad in 1931. It began as baggage/coach car 376, and became a coach/RPO in 1935. After the Indiana Railroad abandonment in 1941, the South Shore Line purchased it, and it was converted to a line car in 1947. I actually rode on this car in 1988 on a fantrip for the George Krambles scholorship fund. GK had begun his storied career working for the Indiana Railroad in 1936. IRM acquired it in 2010.

Illinois Central cars 1198 (powered) and 1380 (unpowered) were built by Pullman in 1926 and were used in service until 1972 on the electric suburban service, which later became the Metra Electric. After their retirement, the pair came to IRM. These cars are somewhat similar to the Erie Lackawanna cars that were used in New Jersey.

The seven-car CTA “L” train stops briefly at the depot, before heading west to get into position for its run-by.

CTA “L” cars 30 (left) and 6655 (right). With the two paired, you can see how the position of the doors differed.

And there are still plenty of other cars that hopefully will run in future Trolley Pageants at IRM.

Our Latest Book, Now Available:

The North Shore Line

From the back cover:

As late as 1963, it was possible to board high-speed electric trains on Chicago’s famous Loop “L” that ran 90 miles north to Milwaukee. This was the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad, commonly known as the North Shore Line. It rose from humble origins in the 1890s as a local streetcar line in Waukegan to eventually become America’s fastest interurban under the visionary management of Midwest utilities tycoon Samuel Insull. The North Shore Line, under Insull, became a worthy competitor to the established steam railroads. Hobbled by the Great Depression, the road fought back in 1941 with two streamlined, air-conditioned, articulated trains called Electroliners, which included dining service. It regained its popularity during World War II, when gasoline and tires were rationed, but eventually, it fell victim to highways and the automobile. The North Shore Line had intercity rail, commuter rail, electric freight, city streetcars, and even buses. It has been gone for nearly 60 years, but it will always remain the Road of Service.

Each copy purchased here will be signed by the author, and you will also receive a bonus North Shore Line map. Books will ship by USPS Media Mail.

Title The North Shore Line
Images of America
Author David Sadowski
Edition illustrated
Publisher Arcadia Publishing (SC), 2023
ISBN 1467108960, 978-1467108966
Length 160 pages

The price of $23.99 includes shipping within the United States.

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The Last Chicago Streetcars 1958
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Chicago Streetcars in Color, Part Five

June 20, 2023June 20, 2023David Sadowski 6 Comments

CTA 566 is on Ashland at 95th on July 14, 1953. This was the south end of Route 9 – Ashland. The car is about to change ends and head back north. (William Shapotkin Collection)

Today’s post features many classic pictures from the collections of longtime friend William Shapotkin. Most feature Chicago streetcars, and there are others from the “L”. Even if we have shared a few of these before, they are well worth seeing again. Most are here for the first time, and we put in many, many hours working these images over in Photoshop to make them look their best.

This is “Part Five” because we made four 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 2016.

We also recently paid a visit to the Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin, Illinois, where Chicago Aurora and Elgin car 458 has been put into service after a 13-year-long restoration.

We hope that you will enjoy them. Keep those cards and letters coming in, folks.

-David Sadowski

PS- You might also like our Trolley Dodger Facebook auxiliary, a private group that now has 1,288 members.

From the Collections of William Shapotkin

CTA 473 is at Devon and Ravenswood on a May 16, 1954 fantrip. (William Shapotkin Collection)

A CTA two-car train of 4000s is running on the Garfield Park “L” (actually, the Met main line) on August 10, 1956. The huge parking lot is actually where the Northwest (now Kennedy) expressway would soon be built, opening in 1960. The “L” continued to run here until June 1958, when the new median line opened in the Congress expressway, just to the south of here. This view looks to the northeast from the Halsted “L” station. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA Pullman-built PCC 4180 is southbound on south State Street in May 1950. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA 479 is on Irving Park Road during the May 16, 1954 “farewell to red cars” fantrip, just east of the north-south “L”. (William Shapotkin Collection)

The same location today.

CTA red Pullmans 479 and 473 make a photo stop on Irving Park Road, just west of the north-south “L”, on a May 16, 1954 fantrip.
This was a convenient place to stop, as there were no streetcars in regular service on Irving Park Road by this time, although the tracks and wire were still in place connecting some of the remaining lines. Two weeks later, red cars were retired, and only a few were used for charters after that. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA 473 on Irving Park Road, May 16, 1954.
This is just a few blocks north of Wrigley Field. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA 4390 at Vincennes and 77th on May 14, 1958. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA 7182 is southbound on State Street approaching Van Buren, circa 1955-57.
(William Shapotkin Collection)

This and the next two images: CTA work car Y-303 is at the Halsted and 39th Street materials handling yard on January 20, 1952. A Chicago Surface Lines trailer from the 1920s is behind it, used as a storage shed. (William Shapotkin Collection)

Two CTA streetcars pass on Cermak Road, near the city limits end of the line in the early 1950s. One 1700-series car has been repainted into CTA green. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA salt car AA-54 is on Kedzie Avenue on December 25, 1951. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA PCC 4375 is at Vincennes and 78th on May 14, 1958. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA 7256 is southbound on State Street at Van Buren on December 2, 1950. This picture was taken from the Loop “L” station there. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA L-203 at South Shops in the 1950s. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA work car AA-73 is at the 69th and Ashland yard on November 8, 1953. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA PCC 4136 is on “shoo-fly” trackage on Madison at Wacker Drive in June 1952, during construction of the Wacker Drive extension on the former Market Street. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA AA98 was trotted out one last time on May 25, 1958, shortly before the end of streetcar service in Chicago. It started life in 1907, built by the South Chicago City Railway. It eventually became Chicago Surface Lines 2846, and is now at the Illinois Railway Museum. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA crane S-342 is at the 61st Street Lower Yard on May 26, 1963. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA 6221-6222, at Skokie Shops on March 25, 1954, presumably when just delivered from the St. Louis Car Company. (William Shapotkin Collection)

A new CTA 2200-series “L” car, leaving the Brooklyn Army Terminal (presumably in 1969-70). (William Shapotkin Collection)

A four-car CTA Douglas Park “L” train descends the ramp to the Congress expressway median line in August 1978. (William Shapotkin Collection)

Nick Jenkins: “The (North Shore Line) train is northbound at North Chicago Junction. I also think that it is later than 1955. The track to the East Line (Waukegan) was removed in 1956.” (William Shapotkin Collection)

The interior of the CTA “L” station at Damen and North Avenues (today’s Blue Line to O’Hare) in February 1986. (William Shapotkin Photo)

The CTA North/Damen Tower, located at the north end (southbound platform) of the Damen and North Avenue station, which at one time controlled the movements of Logan Square and Humboldt Park trains, as it appeared in February 1986. (William Shapotkin Photo)

The view looking west from the Damen and North Avenue station, showing the former right-of-way of the old Humboldt Park “L”, as it appeared in February 1986. (William Shapotkin Photo)

CTA 6151 is southbound at Halsted and 38th on February 22, 1954. Towards the end of streetcar service on Halsted, older red cars replaced newer PCCs. Halsted had operated mainly Pullman-built postwar PCCs, which the CTA retired early and sent off to the St. Louis Car Company for scrapping and parts recycling into new rapid transit cars. The track going off to the left led to a materials handling yard. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA sand car AA-29 is at the car barn at 69th and Ashland in 1950. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA 7065 is on State Street, having crossed the Chicago River, in March 1951. The bridge here opened in 1949, ten years after the previous one was removed during construction of Chicago’s first subways.
(William Shapotkin Collection)

We are just north of the intersection of Armitage and California Avenues on Chicago’s Northwest Side. Car #6133, working a southbound trip on CTA Route #52 — KEDZIE/CALIFORNIA, is seen heading southbound in California approaching Armitage. The year is 1949 and in less than five years, transit service on this line would be converted to trolley buses. The view looks north. (William Shapotkin Collection)

In May 1952, car #369, working a southbound trip on CTA Route #52 — KEDZIE/CALIFORNIA, was photographed as it headed southbound in California at Shakespeare Ave on Chicago’s Northwest Side. The view looks north. (William Shapotkin Collection)

We are on Chicago’s South Side as cars #652 and 678, both working CTA Rt #8 — HALSTED, pass in Halsted at 74th Street. The view looks north from platform of Halsted suburban station on the WABASH. Photo dated Feb 22, 1954. (James J. Buckley Photo, William Shapotkin Collection)

We are at the Connecticut Trolley Museum at Warehouse Point– where CTA ‘L’ car #4436 was caught in this undated photo. (Our thanks to Bruce Moffat in identifying the car number and location.) According to their on-line roster, this car is still with us. (William Shapotkin Collection)

Car #2622 is seen working a westbound trip on CSL (i.e.: pre-CTA) Rt #75 — 74th/75th, heading west in 75th Street passing beneath the Illinois Central overcrossing of 75th near Woodlawn Avenue on Chicago’s South Side. Buses of successor CTA Rt #75 — 74th/75th continue operating through here for some 19 hours every day. Our thanks to Andre Kristopans for his assistance in identifying the photo location. (William Shapotkin Collection)

In October 1951, car #586 was caught working a northbound trip on CTA Rt #56 — MILWAUKEE. The car is heading northwest in Milwaukee Avenue as it crosses over the MILW/PRR (PCCStL) tracks, located just south of Kinzie Street in Chicago. (The MILW/PRR tracks led to the north approach to Union Station and are still in-use by Amtrak and Metra passenger trains today.) Today the Milwaukee Avenue bridge over these tracks is history, and buses of the successor bus route (still #56 — MILWAUKEE) cross these tracks on Des Plaines Street — located approximately 1-1/2 blocks west of this location. The view looks southeast. (William Shapotkin Collection)

Car #430, working a southbound trip on CTA Route #52– Kedzie/California, is southbound in Kedzie Avenue, crossing the Sanitary and Ship Canal near 34th Street on April 19, 1951.
(William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA red Pullman 563 is at Ashland and 95th (south terminus of Route 9 – Ashland) on July 14, 1953. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA red streetcar 6141 is at Navy Pier on July 4, 1951. This was, among other things, the eastern terminus of Route 65 – Grand Avenue, but that had already been converted to buses as of April 1, 1951. It appears the streetcar is signed for Route 28 – Stony Island, which was converted to buses as of June 29, 1951, so perhaps the date given here is wrong. CTA bus 3632 is operating on Route 15 – Canal-Archer. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA 1581 is at 16th and Kenton on May 22, 1948. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA snow plow/sweeper E-54 (still lettered for the Chicago Surface Lines) is at the Ashland car barn on September 29, 1952.
(William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA one-man streetcar 1725, signed for Route 58 – Ogden, is on Randolph at Halsted on March 13, 1951. We are looking to the northeast. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA 6150 is on Halsted at 78th Street on February 22, 1954, operating on Route 42 – Halsted-Downtown, which was a variant of the regular Route 8 – Halsted. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA red Pullman 677 is on State Street at Roosevelt Road on March 13, 1951. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA red Pullman 786 is on Van Buren Street near the Chicago River on April 1952.
(William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA red Pullman 706 is southbound on Wabash Avenue just north of the Chicago River on January 26, 1952, passing by the Silver Frolics nightclub. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA red Pullman 602 emerges from the Washington Street Tunnel in April 1951. (William Shapotkin Collection)

This car, marked as Chicago City Railway cable car trailer 209, is actually a recreation made by the Chicago Surface Lines in the 1930s, possibly using some original parts.
Here, we see it when it was part of the CTA Historical Collection. It is now at the Illinois Railway Museum. (Gerald H. Landau Photo, William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA red Pullman 483 is on 79th Street at Wallace Avenue on February 22, 1954. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA red Pullman 200 is on Halsted in April 1952, crossing the construction site of the Congress expressway. The streetcar is on a “shoo-fly” track, going around where the new bridge is under construction. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA 585 is on Des Plaines Avenue near Milwaukee Avenue in April 1951, running on Route 56 – Milwaukee. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CTA red Pullman 410 is on Kedzie Avenue in January 1951. (William Shapotkin Collection)

We are at the Indiana Avenue station on Chicago’s South Side for this going-away view of a northbound JACKSON PARK/HOWARD train of 6000-series cars. From the vantage point of the photo, the overhead transfer bridge (allowing passengers to transfer between Subway trains and the already-abandoned Kenwood and Stock Yards lines) was still in place. The view looks west (timetable northbound) in this June 3, 1960 photo by C. G. Parsons. (William Shapotkin Collection)

CA&E 458 Restored

I visited the Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin on Saturday, June 17th. Before I got there, they had unveiled newly restored Chicago Aurora and Elgin car 458, built in 1945. After the CA&E was abandoned, it went to Trolleyville USA in Ohio, where it was used as a parts car. But once it came back to Illinois, the Fox River people found it was surprisingly complete, and it underwent a complete restoration. Now, the car looks and runs great and can carry passengers for the first time in 66 years. The volunteers here are very dedicated and do excellent work. Someone also had a circa 1958-60 Lincoln on hand, with a power rear window.

Recent Finds

A North Shore Line Electroliner approaches Adams and Wabash on July 17, 1959.

Our Latest Book, Now Available:

The North Shore Line

From the back cover:

As late as 1963, it was possible to board high-speed electric trains on Chicago’s famous Loop “L” that ran 90 miles north to Milwaukee. This was the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad, commonly known as the North Shore Line. It rose from humble origins in the 1890s as a local streetcar line in Waukegan to eventually become America’s fastest interurban under the visionary management of Midwest utilities tycoon Samuel Insull. The North Shore Line, under Insull, became a worthy competitor to the established steam railroads. Hobbled by the Great Depression, the road fought back in 1941 with two streamlined, air-conditioned, articulated trains called Electroliners, which included dining service. It regained its popularity during World War II, when gasoline and tires were rationed, but eventually, it fell victim to highways and the automobile. The North Shore Line had intercity rail, commuter rail, electric freight, city streetcars, and even buses. It has been gone for nearly 60 years, but it will always remain the Road of Service.

Each copy purchased here will be signed by the author, and you will also receive a bonus North Shore Line map. Books will ship by USPS Media Mail.

Title The North Shore Line
Images of America
Author David Sadowski
Edition illustrated
Publisher Arcadia Publishing (SC), 2023
ISBN 1467108960, 978-1467108966
Length 160 pages

The price of $23.99 includes shipping within the United States.

For Shipping to US Addresses:

New Compact Disc, Now Available:

CTA-1
The Last Chicago Streetcars 1958
# of Discs – 1
Price: $15.99

Total time – 74:38

Help Support The Trolley Dodger

This is our 301st post, and we are gradually creating a body of work and an online resource for the benefit of all railfans, everywhere. To date, we have received over 990,000 page views, for which we are very grateful.

You can help us continue our original transit research by checking out the fine products in our Online Store.
As we have said before, “If you buy here, we will be here.”

We thank you for your support.

DONATIONS

Your financial contributions help make this web site better, and are greatly appreciated.