Over the years, I have made many visits to The Illinois Railway Museum located in the town of Union Illinois.
I was fortunate to capture this image during a June 2001 visit to the museum.
On the left We see a preserved Chicago Surface Lines 1941 White gasoline powered transit bus, while on the right is an early 1920's era electric streetcar also from the CSL. The city of Chicago Illinois at one time had the worlds largest electric streetcar network.
Chicago Surface Lines and another company wich eventually became part of todays Chicago Transit Authority known as The Chicago Motor Coach Company, began operating with motor buses during the 1920's. The CSL had a modest but ready fleet, used mostly on outlying or lightly trafficked bus routes.
The CSL began a slow and gradual phasing out program of certain lightly trafficked electric streetcar lines begining during the mid 1940's. By the time that the succesor company Chicago Transit Authority began operations in 1947, there was a big drive on behalf of the company to phase out electric streetcars and upgrade the aging rapid transit elevated and subway lines.
Streetcar route eliminations gained momentum during the 1950's, and the last route the CTA Route # 22 Clark /Wenthworth Avenue line ended Chicago's electric streetcar operations for good on June 21st, 1958.
These two unique preserved and operating artifacts from the Chicago Surface Lines gives one an idea how the early surface transit route conversion era must have looked and felt like in the windy city.
Thanks.
Eddie K
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