SKU: T20

This classic film by traction expert and modeler Walter Druck surveys the vast Chicago elevated railway system. Known as the ?L?,it ranks second in size only to the extensive series of lines in New York City. The bulk of the material was filmed in 1948 and features a variety of ?L? rolling stock, plus North Shore Line and CA&E trains which also operated on portions of the system.

The development of Chicago?s elevated railways was spurred by a need to transport large crowds of people from the downtown ?loop? area to the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Jackson Park. To that end, the South Side Elevated Railroad Company constructed a 3-1/2 mile line from Congress Street to 39th Street. On June 6th, 1892,a fleet of 46 small Forney steam locomotives began pulling trains of wooden coaches over the route. The line reached Jackson Park in May, 1893.

Chicago?s ?L? system continued to expand, with new lines being constructed by the Lake Street, Metropolitan West Side, Northwestern, and Union Loop Elevated Railroads. In 1924, all of the ?L?s were consolidated as the Chicago Rapid Transit Company, which in 1947 became the publicly-owned Chicago Transit Authority.

Consisting of high-quality archive film, the program features an interesting variety of locations. Lines covered include Kenwood, Stock Yards, Lake Street, Ravenswood, Garfield Park, Westchester Shuttle, Evanston, and Mt. Carmel Funeral line.