One of My happy memories growing up in the city of Chicago Illinois during the 1960's and early 1970's, was seeing and riding the Chicago Transit Authority's electric trolleybuses during their final years of operation in Chicago.
I spotted this photo at an internet website known as Tom's Trolleybus Pictures
www.trolleybuses.net
This Chicago Transit Authority Route # 53 Pulaski Road trolleybus, was photographed on September 7th, 1969 near the intersection of Grand Avenue. This particulr model of electric trolleybus, was manufactured by the Marmon Herrington Corporation in 1951. This bus was ordered by the CTA in 1951, as part of an order for 300 electric trolleybuses from the Marmon Herrington Corporation. This would also be the CTA's "Last" order for new electric trolleybuses.
The CTA began to gradually phase out some electric trolleybus routes during the mid to late 1950's, begining with the CTA Route # 76 Diversey Avenue line in June of 1955. The 1960's decade began to find more and more routes being phased out and converted to diesel and propane bus operation on a case by case basis.
The last three CTA electric trolleybus routes, were last operated on Sunday, March 25th, 1973. Route # 53 Pulaski Road was one of the lines on this date.
Luckilly, the last two 1951 CTA Marmon Herrington electric trolleybuses that operated in Chicago, are preserved and occasionally operated today at The Illinois Railway Museum, located in the town of Union Illinois. www.irm.org
