For many years prior to the late 1940's, electric streetcar transit
service to Chicago's near western suburbs, was provided by the
Chicago And West Towns Railway Company.
Although the company began converting some of their streetcar
routes to cost effective motor transit bus operation during the early
1940's, one line that stayed in service was the La Grange line, which
operated between west suburban Cicero Illinois, to the town of
La Grange. This route served the businesses on West Cermak Road
in the towns of Cicero and Berwyn Illinois, North Riverside, as well
as Brookfield Illinois, and finally terminating at the intersection of
Hillgrove and Brainard Avenues in west suburban La Grange Illinois.
many people would ride the La Grange line, which traveled through
some of the outlying Cook County Forest Preserves in a scenic setting,
and often would disembark at the south gate of Chicago's Brookfield Zoo.
The La Grange line, was the last Chicago & West Towns line using the-
old electric streetcars, and was taken out of service, and converted to -
motor transit bus operation, during April of 1948. The company would
soon become the West Towns Bus Company as well.
Car # 141, is currently the only known surviving streetcar from the
former Chicago & West Towns Railway, and after many years in
storage, it was restored and returned to service within the past several
years at the Illinois Railway museum. Car # 141, was a regular car
that was assigned to operate on the La Grange line as well. It was
built by the Mc Quire Cummings Car Company in 1924.
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