A pictorial look at the history of Chicago transit
Although the Chicago Transit Authority (”CTA”) receives a lot of criticism from daily commuters, an examination of the Chicago transit of the past should make Chicagoans grateful for the conditions (like air conditioning) that they have today.
In 1859, Chicago residents would have ridden in a horse drawn vehicle like the one below. It held 18 passengers and traveled the length of State Street from Randolph Avenue to 12th street. This vehicle, which is on exhibit at the Illinois Railway Museum, is believed to be the oldest intact example of the “animal railway” in North America.
From 1936 to 1958, Chicagoans traveled through downtown in streetcars, like the “green hornet” shown below from 1948. It had 57 seats and there were nearly 700 streetcars like this in use in Chicago.
In addition to the streetcars, the elevated trains (”el”) also served as an effective mode of transportation throughout the city, as they do today. The photos below shows few different trains through the years.
Elevated train 1922
Chicago, illinois railway museum, trains, railway, elevated train
Leave a Reply