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Chicago Switching => General Discussion => Topic started by: themats on October 08, 2015, 09:47:56 AM
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From the fantastic Trolley Dodger blog:
https://thetrolleydodger.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/misc598.jpg (https://thetrolleydodger.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/misc598.jpg)
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Great catch. The area around Wrigley definitely had a much more gritty look than today.
It would be interesting to see a list of CSL streetcar crossings at grade with steam railroads.
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Does anyone have any idea what year this was?
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Well PCC streetcars first entered service in Chicago in 1936. In 1958 the last Chicago Surface Lines (CSL) streetcars ended service. My guess is the late 1940s judging from the dirty appearance of the circa 1939-40 autos. Private vehicle production ceased when the US entered WWII. Modern, post-war vehicles with fenders included in the body did not come out until 1947 led by Studebaker. Most post-war cars until then were simply pre-war models that were reintroduced due to the lack of new designs and tooling.
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Being somewhat of a trolley fan, I can narrow the timeframe of this photo a little.
PCC #4066 is one of the postwar cars and was part of a group delivered between
September 1946 and March 1947. The easiest spotting feature of the postwar cars
are the standee windows, which were not present on the pre-war cars. Another item
helping to date the photo is the Solvey Coke sign in the background. A photo I came
across, dated April 1954, shows this sign had been changed to Sahara Coal. So the
timeframe is firmly set between late '46 and early '54 (probably at least a little earlier
as I can't imagine anyone repainting that sign in Winter or early Spring).
As a guess I'd say late '40s because of the autos, as previously pointed out. Not a new
looking one in the bunch.
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Regarding grade crossings between the CSL/CTA and railroads: there is a nice map showing these in the book "Chicago Surface Lines."
I started to make a list, but let's just say there are a lot. The heaviest concentration, as might be expected, is on the southeast side.
If anyone has an questions about crossings on a particular street, I'd be happy to check it out. The only trouble with the map is
it doesn't identify the railroads, but there are several pictures of the crossings. A couple that come to mind are on the PRR and NKP.
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The Milwaukee Road's Chicago & Evanston (C&E) line and its connected Goose Island trackage crossed streetcar lines at grade in Chicago at Irving Park, Clark, Fullerton, North, Division, Halsted (on Goose Island) and Chicago Avenue from what I recall.