Interior of Chicago Transit Authority P.C.C electric streetcar # 4391. Built by the Saint Louis Car Company in 1948. The Illinois Railway Museum. Union Illinois. Saturday, May 18th, 2013., a photo by Eddie from Chicago on Flickr.
I took this photograph during a recent visit to the Illinois Railway Museum in Union Illinois.
Chicago Transit Authority PCC streamlined electric streetcar # 4391, was built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1948, and was from the last order for "New" electric streetcars in Chicago, delivered after World War 2 had ended in 1945.
The Chicago Transit Authority began operations on October 1st, 1947, after acquiring the funding to purchase the former Chicago Surface Lines Company (Streetcars and buses), and the Chicago Rapid Transit Company. New streetcars and buses were ordered both during and after World War 2 had ended, and were eventually delivered under contract.
Streetcars were falling out of favor, and the CTA was determined to replace streetcars with buses. Car # 4391, is the only surviving postwar Chicago PCC streetcar in existance today, as the remainder of the fleet were removed from service during the 1950's, cut up for scrap, with the usable components used to build new lightweight 6000 series rapid transit cars for the CTA, built by the St. louis Car Company.
This view shows how it was like riding aboard a CTA postwar streamlined streetcar, with their light tan interiors, incadescent lighting, and brown seats.
For more information, log on to the Illinois Railway Museum's website at www.irm.org
Thanks.
Eddie K.
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