Chicago's last electric streetcar. Chicago Illinois. June 21st, 1958. Photo courtessy of the Chicago Tribune Newspaper. www.chicagotribune.com, a photo by Eddie from Chicago on Flickr.
Hi everyone!
Welcome aboard Eddie's Railfan Page, from the city of Chicago Illinois USA.
I found this photograph from the Chicago Tribune Newspaper's website recently www.chicagotribune.com
I didn't occur to Me at the time, but last week Thursday, was the 54th anniversary of the end of Chicago streetcar service.
The city of Chicago Illinois, once had the world's largest streetcar system by the early 1900's, but fell on hard times by the Great Depression in the 1930's. Stll, the streetcar system under the predecessor company Chicago Surface Lines operated strong for many years, with new experimental electric trolley buses in 1930, and streamlined electric streetcars in 1936.
The current Chicago Transit Authority was formed in 1945, but did not begin operations as the CTA until October 1st, 1947.
Dedicated to phasing out electric streetcars and replacing them with cost effective transit buses since day one, the CTA gradually phased out electric streetcar routes one by one during the late 1940's and through out the 1959's. During the 1950's, the CTA's former elevated and subway rapid transit lines inherited from the former Chicago Rapid Transit Company, were upgraded during this period.
By the end of the 1950's, the remaining CTA surface transportation routes were now 100% transit bus equipped.
A handful of CTA streetcars and buses, are preserved today and occasionally operated at the Illinois Railway Museum in the town of Union Illinois www.irm.org
Thanks.
Eddie K.
No comments:
Post a Comment