Historical Calendar. Chicago Transit Authority

Transcription

1 0 Historical alendar hicago ransit uthority

2 hicago otor oach ompany bus # is seen here, newly arrived from the Yellow oach anufacturing ompany in. he earliest motor bus routes were established on the city s park boulevard system due to the local park boards awarding franchises to bus companies rather than to street railways. he hicago otor oach ompany s fleet initially consisted of double decker buses that provided additional capacity, as well as great views from the upper level. January 0 un on ue ed hu ri at 0 ecember ebruary : Operations ivision roup ays Off t lternate day off if entral offices closed New Year s ay 0 0 artin Luther King, Jr. ay 0

3 In this early spring scene, trolley bus # is heading south along the # entral route approaching Lake treet. his coach was part of a fleet of electric buses that, at its height in the 0 s, was part of the largest trolley bus system in North merica. he building in the park, influenced by Philadelphia s Independence Hall, was built as a field house in on the site of the ustin own Hall, which served the then suburb of ustin when it was still a separate community before its annexation to the ity of hicago in. ebruary 0 un on ue ed hu ri at January arch : Operations ivision roup ays Off t lternate day off if entral offices closed 0 Valentine s ay 0 Presidents ay

4 n assortment of streetcars can be seen in this photo taken in front of the Kedzie car barn, located at Kedzie and Van uren. hicago urface Lines (L) # is most likely pulling out of the car barn to begin a trip on the ivision-van uren route. ar # was originally built in for the hicago Railways, a predecessor to the L. arch 0 un on ue ed hu ri at ebruary pril : Operations ivision roup ays Off t lternate day off if entral offices closed sh ednesday aylight avings ime tarts 0 0 t. Patrick s ay 0 irst ay of pring

5 he ceremonial ribbon is being cut as part of the dedication of the new kokie wift rapid transit line on pril, at the ribbon, from left to right, oard chairman eorge L. eent; Raymond imon, representing hicago ayor Richard J. aley; illiam. Hurd of the U.. Housing and Home inance gency (HH); and kokie ayor yron reisdorf. he wift was a demonstration project whose objective was to determine the feasibility of adapting rail transit to link fast-growing suburban development to an existing central city. Initially, four single-unit -0 series cars, one of which is pictured in the photo, provided service. 0 pril 0 un on ue ed hu ri at arch ay Palm unday Passover egins ood riday aster 0 arth ay 0 : Operations ivision roup ays Off t lternate day off if entral offices closed

6 outh ide Rapid ransit car # is seen heading southbound at the Harrison curve on the outh ide levated in this photo. he car is testing the new electric traction equipment planned for converting the outh ide L from steam to electric power. rank prague, the man charged with overseeing the work, is seen in the vestibule of the front car, in discussion with the motorman. ay 0 un on ue ed hu ri at 0 pril June : Operations ivision roup ays Off t lternate day off if entral offices closed inco de ayo 0 other s ay rmed orces ay 0 0 emorial ay

7 In this view looking north on Halsted at Harrison/lue Island, a southbound Halsted bus has just crossed over the relatively new ongress xpressway on the way to its terminal at th treet. he buildings in the background were in their last days before being demolished for the development of a new University of Illinois campus. June 0 un on ue ed hu ri at 0 lag ay 0 ay July : Operations ivision roup ays Off t lternate day off if entral offices closed 0 ather s ay Juneteenth irst ay of ummer

8 hicago urface Lines streetcar #0 part of a fleet of cars built by the Pullman ompany known as mall Pullmans is seen heading westward on its journey along Irving Park at eminary as a southbound hicago North hore & ilwaukee interurban train is making its way to the Loop overhead on the L structure in the background. July 0 un on ue ed hu ri at 0 June ugust Independence ay : Operations ivision roup ays Off t lternate day off if entral offices closed

9 trolley bus #, built by the armon-herrington ompany in, is signed for the # st-th route. he majority of the trolley bus routes in hicago were concentrated on the North and est sides, however, east-west routes along th and st streets also were established. ugust 0 un on ue ed hu ri at 0 July eptember : Operations ivision roup ays Off t lternate day off if entral offices closed 0 0 0

10 New Look bus #, built by the lxible ompany in, has just arrived from the factory and is crossing acker rive at the hicago River. he was in the process of modernizing and enlarging its bus fleet, having completed the last of the streetcar-to-bus route conversions just a few years earlier. he 00-series buses were used until. eptember 0 un on ue ed hu ri at Labor ay 0 0 irst ay of all Rosh Hashanah egins 0 0 ugust October : Operations ivision roup ays Off t lternate day off if entral offices closed

11 It is and hicago levated Railways car # has just been received from its builder, incinnati ar ompany. he - group of 000-series cars featured the newest amenities of the time, including plush seats and electric fans for the passengers comfort, and new shaded lighting. October 0 un on ue ed hu ri at eptember November : Operations ivision roup ays Off t lternate day off if entral offices closed Yom Kippur egins 0 olumbus ay 0 0 Halloween

12 his is the adison/ustin off-street terminal on the city s western border with Oak Park, where the hicago urface Lines (L) streetcars serving the #0 adison line terminated. wo pre-war P streetcars are basking in the sun, waiting their turn to begin their eastbound trips along the #0 adison route back to the Loop. hese two cars have experimental paint schemes the L was testing for use on a new order of P streetcars. November 0 un on ue ed hu ri at October ecember : Operations ivision roup ays Off t lternate day off if entral offices closed aylight avings ime nds lection ay 0 0 Veterans ay 0 hanksgiving ay

13 It s the holiday season and the erchandise art is sporting its decorations, along with generations of soot left over from many years of coal burning heat used in the city. train of newly-arrived 000-series cars built by the Pullman- tandard ompany in hicago is posed for photos on the ells treet ridge over the hicago River. ecember 0 un on ue ed hu ri at : Operations ivision roup ays Off t lternate day off if entral offices closed 0 Hanukkah egins 0 irst ay of inter 0 New Year s ve 0 hristmas ay November January 0 0 Kwanzaa egins 0 0

14 Historical Notes JNURY hicago otor oach ompany bus #, signed as pecial, is seen here, newly arrived from the Yellow oach anufacturing ompany in. he earliest motor bus routes were established on the city s park boulevard system due to the local park boards controlling the power to award transit franchises on the streets they controlled, and granting them to bus companies rather than to street railways. otor buses were first introduced on a.-mile stretch of heridan Road in. y, the hicago otor oach ompany () was formed under the leadership of John. Ritchie. he was acquired by the in. he fleet initially consisted of double decker buses that provided additional capacity, as well as great views from the upper level. Unfortunately, these buses also had their drawbacks, since the upper level was not completely enclosed or heated. he roof extended only over each row of seats and was open in the middle, which provided little protection from the elements. In addition, as time went on, there were various clearance issues that posed potential hazards to the passengers some riders recalled passengers having to duck down when the double-deckers went under some of the railroad viaducts so these buses were gradually phased out, with the last double-deckers running in 0. y this time, had introduced buses with fully enclosed top decks, as well as a large number of single deck buses to use on lines where clearances were a problem or where ridership warranted only a one-person crew since double deck buses required a driver and a conductor. us # appears in a typical winter scene common to hicagoans. One cannot help but to wonder, however, in looking closely at the tires, which appear as tread-less, just how reliable these buses were in the snow and ice. ost probably, riding these buses on hicago s streets during a snowstorm was indeed a memorable experience! RURY In this early spring scene, trolley bus #, built in by the Pullman-tandard ompany, is seen on its southbound journey along the # entral route approaching Lake treet. his coach was part of a fleet of electric buses that, at its height in the 0 s, was largest trolley bus system in North merica, serving fifteen routes primarily on the North and est sides of the city. rolley buses commonly served new routes in developing areas as newer neighborhoods beyond the established streetcar network were developed, or were implemented on several routes where the integrated extension routes (commonly operated with motor buses) into the main route segments they extended (typically streetcar routes) and began converting to an all-bus fleet. ffording a more flexible operation than streetcars, which remained on tracks in one designated place on the street, trolley buses provided some maneuverability in being able to pull up to the curb to alight and board passengers, as well as being able to move around minor obstructions. However, they still had to travel where the wires led. rolley buses ceased to be used on the # in January 0; the last trolley buses ran in hicago in arch. In the background is ustin own Hall Park, originally located in the suburb of ustin in icero ownship. he icero town hall was located in the park until ustin was annexed to the ity of hicago in. In, the park was transferred to the est Park ommission, which built a new field house for the newly renamed ustin own Hall Park. he large brick eorgian Revival-style building, seen in the photo, was influenced by Philadelphia s Independence Hall. he students in this photo have exited the trolley bus and are most likely walking to the Lake treet L station, just out of view. he scene is much the same today, minus the trolley buses, which have long been replaced with motor buses that currently operate on this route. RH Quite an assortment of streetcars can be seen in this January, photo taken in front of the Kedzie car barn, located at Kedzie and Van uren, one of a number of streetcar depots interspersed throughout the city. L # is most likely pulling out of the car barn to begin a trip on the ivision-van uren route. ar # was originally built in for the hicago Railways, a predecessor to the hicago urface Lines, in the railway s own shops. he car was part of the first series of streetcars to feature an arch style roof, without the clerestory style windows high, narrow windows along the roofline used on earlier streetcars. 000-series streetcar of undetermined number sits on the track in front of the barn, and also in the background are two pre-war P lue oose streetcars that were first introduced on the #0 adison route, representing an attempt to modernize the surface fleet. he Kedzie car barn was quite a busy place, with pullouts for quite a number of routes serving the est and Northwest sides of the city. ore than,000 trainmen 0 conductors and motormen worked out of Kedzie in. surface system depot still exists at this location, though it was converted to house buses circa early and completely rebuilt in. oday s bus garages, like the car barns of past generations, are always a flurry of activity at all hours of the day and night, as crews arrive and buses pull out on their runs, and pull in at the end of their service, where they are cleaned and any minor repairs that are needed are performed so that they will be ready for the following day s service. (Photo from the collection of ike harnota) PRIL he ceremonial ribbon is being cut as part of the dedication of the new kokie wift rapid transit line on pril, at the ribbon, from left to right, oard chairman eorge L. eent; Raymond imon, representing hicago ayor Richard J. aley; illiam. Hurd of the U.. Housing and Home inance gency (HH); and kokie ayor yron reisdorf. he kokie wift was, in the lingo of the time, a demonstration project authorized by the National Housing ct of. he two-year project s objective was to determine the feasibility of adapting rail transit to link fast-growing suburban development to an existing central city. In this case, the line offered a fast, non-stop shuttle service between empster treet in suburban kokie nearby access to the dens xpressway and where ample parking, a kiss n ride drop-off/pick-up area, and

15 Historical Notes connections to area bus routes were provided and the Howard L station, where connections could be made to the vanston and North-outh subway lines. he project was funded by the, Village of kokie, and the U.. HH (in the second year of the demonstration project, the HH became the U.. epartment of Housing and Urban evelopment (HU); in, HU s transportation projects were transferred to the new U.. epartment of ransportation). he private hicago Rapid ransit ompany originally provided L service over the same stretch of track beginning in until the replaced the service with buses in. hicago North hore & ilwaukee interurban trains also used the tracks for service between downtown hicago and downtown ilwaukee until the line s abandonment on January 0,, precisely at the time when much of kokie was being developed with new homes and apartment buildings. he availability of this existing stretch of compatible track already connected to the L system made the demonstration project feasible. onsequently, thousands of kokie residents and commuters within driving distance or on connecting bus routes found themselves without convenient transportation to jobs and shopping. he project was a great success, exceeding ridership projections several-fold, with aturday service added from the outset on what had been planned as a weekday-only service. fter the two-year demonstration period was over, the service was integrated into the L system permanently. Initially, four single-unit -0 series cars, one of which is pictured in the photo, provided service. uilt in by the t. Louis ar ompany, cars through were modified with specially designed bow-type trolley poles for operation on the kokie wift, which was powered by overhead catenary wire. switch in the operator s cab, when engaged by the operator, would raise or lower the pan trolley on the fly, in order to make the transition between overhead and third rail power supply. he success of the line required retrofitting additional cars for service quickly. oday, the kokie wift is known as the Yellow Line. In eptember of 00, the line was completely converted to third rail operation, eliminating the need for specially dedicated cars. In 0, a new mid-route station was opened at Oakton, providing even more convenient access, and giving a boost to the continued development of downtown kokie. Y outh ide Rapid ransit car #, built in by the ilbert ar ompany of roy, New York, is seen in this photo, heading southbound on a test run at the Harrison curve on the outh ide levated. he passenger cars in this fleet originally were built as unpowered coaches that were pulled by small orneytype steam locomotives. he steam-powered locomotives proved to be less economical compared to electric traction after the latter was introduced and proven reliable, as well as unappealing to the public since soot and cinders from the fires that heated the boilers would emanate from the engines. he engineering firm of argent & Lundy was hired to supervise the electrification project, and retained rank J. prague as a consulting engineer to evaluate various proposals for the work. prague, an inventor originally from onnecticut, was later credited as being an important developer of the electric motor and electric railways and known as the father of electric traction. lthough not the first electric L line in hicago, prague s conversion included an important new development: multiple unit (U) operation. Instead of having one locomotive (whether a steam engine or an electric motor car) pull the weight of an entire train, under U operation the motorman in the lead car controlled the power to all the motors in the train simultaneously by means of a small master controller so that all the cars would move together. In this photo, prague is seen in the vestibule of the front car, in discussion with the motorman. oday, all of the buildings seen in this photo are gone, and Harrison curve itself, which originally consisted of two sharp curves with radii exceeding 0 degrees, one immediately following the other, has been replaced. he new structure has gentler banked curves, enabling trains in both directions to travel at higher speeds without the noisy squeals and screeches caused when the wheel flanges of the trains negotiated the tight back-to-back curves at a snail s pace, so common at this location for well over one hundred years. JUN In this view looking north on Halsted at Harrison/lue Island, a southbound # Halsted bus has just crossed over the relatively new ongress xpressway, known today as the isenhower xpressway (I-0), on the way to its terminal at th treet. (he sign reading # is probably set in error, since that route began.-miles south of this location.) o the north of the expressway is hicago s reektown. Originally home of the city s first reek settlement, today reektown is home to a variety of fine restaurants and ethnic shops. he buildings in the background were in their last days before being demolished for the development of a new University of Illinois campus. lue Island itself no longer exists at this point, as the land has now been taken over by the university campus. he Halsted station of the ongress rapid transit line, known today as UI-Halsted station on the lue Line, can be seen in the center of the photo and today serves as one of the main links to the university. # was one of a series of 00 buses built by the lxible ompany in -. It was part of a fleet of nearly 00 propane fueled buses received from four manufacturers -rill, win oach, lxible and ack between 0 and. Propane, which is actually liquefied petroleum gas, was virtually odorless, and, at the time, less expensive than diesel fuel. However, special equipment, including storage tanks, was required at the garages that housed these buses, and there was a significant amount of local opposition, given the high volatility of this fuel and the risk of explosion. Other reasons for the end of s investment in propane buses included a lack of engine development and the increasing cost of the propane fuel. Propane buses ultimately disappeared completely from the with the retirement of the last of the propane buses in.

16 Historical Notes JULY In this eptember, photo, hicago urface Lines (L) streetcar #0 is seen heading westward on its journey along Irving Park at eminary. his car was part of a fleet of streetcars built by the Pullman ompany originally for the hicago Railways, which preceded the formation of the L. Known as mall Pullmans, due to the fact that they were over three feet shorter than the larger Pullman-built streetcars already in use on the streets, they enjoyed quite a long life, since none were scrapped until, with the majority lasting as late as and the last thirty-one being scrapped in. On the north side of Irving Park, the brick wall at the sidewalk edge encloses raceland emetery, one of the city s oldest cemeteries and the final resting place of three hicago mayors (arter Harrison r., arter Harrison, Jr., and red usse), and a number of architects such as Louis ullivan, aniel urnham, and ies van der Rohe, who were instrumental in shaping the new hicago from after the reat ire of through the mid-0th entury. Overhead on the L structure in the background, a southbound hicago North hore & ilwaukee interurban train is making its way to the Loop. he N& operated daily passenger service between downtown ilwaukee and downtown hicago, and shared trackage with the hicago Rapid ransit ompany and, later, the hicago ransit uthority. hough the years, the N& earned and maintained a reputation for dependable and efficient service. ll service on the N& sadly ended on January,. UU trolley bus #, built by the armon-herrington ompany in, is signed for the # st-th route. he majority of the trolley bus routes in hicago were concentrated on the North and est sides, however, east-west routes along th and st streets also were established. he st treet route was converted from streetcar to trolley bus in June, about a month after the route was re-extended east via th treet between ottage rove and Lake Park. everal of the north-south trolley bus routes did actually reach into the outh ide, with the # Kedzie-alifornia buses travelling as far south as rd Place, the # Pulaski buses to st, and the # icero buses to th Place. armon-herrington coaches featured wide entrance and exit doors, and offered a smooth, comfortable, and relatively quiet ride. In the photo, now-unused streetcar track remaining in the street from bygone days can be seen. rolley buses often replaced streetcars, since the existing 00volt power conversion and distribution system could easily be retrofitted for trolley bus use. In addition, the trolley buses were quieter and gave off no offensive exhaust compared to motor buses. hen the made its decision to dismantle the city s trolley bus system, it rapidly disappeared, as line after line was converted to motor bus. he last trolley bus routes, # Pulaski and # icero, were converted to motor bus on arch,. fter all trolley bus service ended in the city of hicago, a number of the armon-herrington trolley buses were sold to uadalajara, exico, where they operated for many more years. (Photo from the collection of ike harnota) PR New Look bus #, built by the lxible ompany in, has just arrived from the factory and is crossing acker rive at the hicago River. he was in the process of modernizing and enlarging its bus fleet, having completed the last of the streetcar-to-bus route conversions just a few years earlier, as well as looking to replace the aging buses of its fleet, some of which were inherited with the merger of the hicago otor oach ompany into the. his bus represented a departure from the previous standards used in bus manufacturing during the 0 s and 0 s. Of note is the oversized front windshield as well as the large double side windows, particularly the lifting sashes on the side windows which was especially rare. he exterior was primarily brushed aluminum, with green and white painted trim. he interior featured vinyl-upholstered fully cushioned seats and light colored interior walls, and incorporated fluorescent lighting for the first time. he 00-series buses were used until. he photo is a study in contrasts, as s newest bus at the time has been positioned over disused tracks remaining in the street that, just a few years before this photo was taken, saw daily service by streetcars. In the background is the former hicago un- imes/hicago aily News building, built in. great deal has changed since then, with the hicago aily News printing the last edition of its newspaper on arch,. he building itself was demolished in 00 when the un-imes located to new facilities in the former pparel enter next to the erchandise art, and is now the site of hicago s rump ower, a high profile multipurpose commercial/residential high rise building. lso seen on the right are the famed rigley uilding, built in 0 by the illiam rigley, Jr. family of chewing gum fame and, partially hidden behind it, the ribune ower, completed in and home of the hicago ribune and ribune ompany; in the left background is the llerton Hotel, which still stands today but would be completely obscured from this location by the many tall buildings that have since been built along and transformed the character of North ichigan venue. OOR It is and hicago levated Railways car #, signed for Loop xpress service, has just been received from its builder, incinnati ar ompany. he - group of 000-series cars featured the newest amenities of the time, including plush seats and electric fans for the passengers comfort, and new shaded lighting. he 000 s were the backbone of hicago s rapid transit system for several generations, with the last of them operating as late as in rush hour service on the then vanston xpress (today s Purple Line xpress). On October,, the tate treet ubway opened for service exclusively using the steel-bodied 000-series cars, since city ordinance prohibited the use of wooden rapid transit cars in the subway due to safety concerns.

17 Historical Notes he 000-series cars could draw power from the system s third rail by means of trolley shoes installed on each truck and the - built cars also had trolley poles for use on lines with overhead wire. or many years they served on the Lake treet Line and the vanston Line since both lines had portions with power provided by overhead wires. he Lake treet Line west of Laramie venue operated at grade to its terminal in orest Park and the vanston Line operated with overhead wire from Howard t. to its terminal in ilmette. hen the ground level portion of the Lake treet Line was raised to the hicago & North estern embankment and converted to third rail operation some of the 000-series cars were moved to the Ravenswood and vanston Lines while others were retired. he 000 s were retired from Ravenswood Line in, and once the vanston Line was converted from overhead wire to third rail in, there was no longer any reason to keep these cars and the remaining 000 s were retired. NOVR his is the adison/ustin off-street terminal on the city s western border with Oak Park, where the hicago urface Lines (L) streetcars serving the #0 adison line terminated. Passengers could transfer to hicago and est owns treet Railways streetcars to continue westward along adison. his terminal continues to serve as a terminal for s #0 adison bus route, as well as Pace # buses. wo lue eese P streetcars so named for their paint scheme of dark blue from the belt rail down, red belt rail, and cream above are basking in the sun, waiting their turn to begin their eastbound trips along the #0 adison route back to the Loop. hese P streetcars, so named for the Presidents onference ommittee, a transportation industry group that provided innovative ideas ultimately incorporated into their design, are part of a fleet of cars incorporating the latest technology and amenities of the time, based upon input from the heads of the various street railways in North merica. t the time, the stark reality facing most city transit systems was that their equipment was aging quickly, infrastructures were in disrepair, and ridership was steadily falling, as the public became more and more infatuated with the automobile. he intent of this committee was to design a state-of-the-art car, long before that term came into vogue. L received its first P cars in, which were introduced with great public interest and fanfare on the #0 adison line and the public loved them. hese cars offered a riding experience not known before, providing a smooth, quiet ride with quick acceleration. he interiors provided improved lighting and comfortable padded seats. he cars were so quiet, however, that they could literally sneak up without being heard. s the amount of traffic on city streets continued to increase, this became a mounting problem, as accidents between traffic and streetcars and pedestrians getting on and off said cars became increasingly common. ith additional orders of P cars planned, the L allowed passengers a chance to choose the color scheme for the post-war Ps. In, L repainted half a dozen Ps in various color schemes, two of which are seen here. Ultimately, the scheme chosen was ercury reen, roydon ream, and wamp Holly Orange, a scheme popularly associated with the postwar Ps and well as the P L cars. he lue eese operated on various routes throughout the system and lasted through the early 0 s, gradually being retired as the accelerated its conversion from streetcars to buses. (Photo from the collection of ike harnotta) R It s the holiday season and the erchandise art is sporting its decorations, along with generations of soot left over from many years of coal burning heat used in the city. train of newly-arrived 000-series cars built by the Pullman-tandard ompany in hicago is posed for photos on the ells treet ridge over the hicago River. he train is signed for Lake treet service although the train is posed on the Ravenswood Line for this photo, they were assigned to the Lake treet Line. oon after the formation of the, / skip-stop service was instituted on most lines, in an effort to speed up train service and lessen travel time. ertain stations were designated as stops and only trains so designated stopped there; trains stopped only at stops; and interspersed between them were stations designated as stations, at which all trains stopped. In this scheme, during periods when skip-stop service was in effect, all trains are expresses and there are no locals. Offpeak, trains made all stops. he est ide s Lake treet Line was the first rapid transit route to receive these new cars, which replaced the venerable 000-series cars. In, after the opening of the an Ryan Line to th treet, the Lake treet Line was connected with the new an Ryan rapid transit extension, inaugurating Lake-an Ryan service. ride from end to end on that line afforded a variety of riding experiences, since the route consisted of running on a raised embankment, open-trestle steel elevated structure, and expressway median. he 000-series cars sported a livery of alpine white and mint green when delivered, as well as wide picture windows. he entire fleet offered air conditioning for the first time. he interiors featured fluorescent lights and light walls and floors, and blue vinylupholstered fully cushioned seats. he cars also employed the blinker style doors that had been originally been introduced on the original 000-series and 000-series cars, and would continue to be the standard through the 0 s. he 000s were retired in.