South Side Elevated Railroad
Encyclopedia
The South Side Elevated Railroad (originally Chicago and South Side Rapid Transit Railroad) was the first elevated rapid transit
line in Chicago
, Illinois. The line ran from downtown Chicago to Jackson Park
, with branches to Englewood
, Normal Park
, Kenwood
, and the Union Stock Yards
. The first 3.6 miles (5.8 km) of the line opened on June 6, 1892, and much of its route is still used today as part of the Chicago 'L'
system.
A 6-car train carrying 300 guests made the inaugural run along first section of the line—running between a station at 39th Street
and the Congress Terminal
downtown—on May 27, 1892, and the line opened to the public ten days later. Initially the 3.6 miles (5.8 km) journey from 39th street to downtown took 14 minutes and cost 5¢. The line was gradually extended over the coming months, with the route reaching Jackson Park on May 12, 1893 to provide service to the World's Columbian Exposition
. Rolling stock on the line included 46 Forney-type
(0-4-4
) steam locomotive
s that were built at the Baldwin Locomotive Works
in Philadelphia, and 180 46 feet (14 m)-long wooden passenger cars. The first 20 locomotives were delivered coupled into a single train in April 1892.
on September 16, 1896 for $4,100,100. The South Side Elevated Railroad was formed to take over the route in 1897. Service was extended into the newly built Union Loop
on October 18, 1897 connecting the South Side Elevated Railroad with the Lake Street Elevated Railroad
, the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad
, and (after 1900) the Northwestern Elevated Railroad
. These other companies used third rail
electrification to power their trains so the South Side Elevated Railroad enlisted Frank Julian Sprague to convert its rolling stock to electrical power. Sprague used his previously untested system of multiple-unit train control
(MU) whereby multiple self-powered cars could be linked together and controlled by a single person, making the South Side Elevated Railroad the first in the world to use MU operation.
opened in stages between 1905 and 1907 (with a short 0.9 miles (1.4 km) brach to Normal Park opening in 1907), and branches to Kenwood
and the Union Stock Yards
—both running on tracks owned by the Chicago Junction Railroad—opened in 1907 and 1908 respectively.
. The Chicago Transit Authority
took over the assets of the CRT in 1947. The Normal Park branch closed in 1954 and the Kenwood and Stock Yards branches were abandoned in 1957 but most of the rest of the route of the South Side Elevated Railroad continues in service as part of the CTA's Green Line
.
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
line in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois. The line ran from downtown Chicago to Jackson Park
Jackson Park (Chicago)
Jackson Park is a 500 acre park on Chicago's South Side, located at 6401 South Stony Island Avenue in the Woodlawn community area. It extends into the South Shore and Hyde Park community areas, bordering Lake Michigan and several South Side neighborhoods...
, with branches to Englewood
Englewood, Chicago
Englewood, once known as "Junction Grove" , is one of the 77 official community areas of Chicago. At its height, over 97,000 people lived in its approximately 3 square miles , but the neighborhood's population has since dropped dramatically...
, Normal Park
Normal Park
Normal Park is the name of a former football field in Chicago, Illinois. It was on Racine Avenue between 61st and 63rd Streets. Normal Avenue is also sometimes given as one of its bordering streets, although Normal Avenue is about 7 blocks east of Racine , at least under the current city grid...
, Kenwood
Kenwood, Chicago
Kenwood, located on the South Side of the City of Chicago, Illinois, is one of the 77 well-defined Chicago community areas.Kenwood was part of Hyde Park Township, which was annexed by the City of Chicago in 1889....
, and the Union Stock Yards
Union Stock Yards
The Union Stock Yard & Transit Co., or The Yards, was the meat packing district in Chicago for over a century starting in 1865. The district was operated by a group of railroad companies that acquired swampland, and turned it to a centralized processing area...
. The first 3.6 miles (5.8 km) of the line opened on June 6, 1892, and much of its route is still used today as part of the Chicago 'L'
Chicago 'L'
The L is the rapid transit system serving the city of Chicago and some of its surrounding suburbs. It is operated by the Chicago Transit Authority...
system.
Chicago and South Side Rapid Transit Railroad
The Chicago and South Side Rapid Transit Railroad Company was incorporated on January 4, 1888, and secured a franchise from the City of Chicago on March 26 of that year to construct an elevated railroad between Van Buren Street and 39th Street (Pershing Road). The franchise required the company to build along a right of way immediately adjacent and parallel to one of the alleys from Van Buren Street to 37th Street, rapidly earning the line the nickname of the "alley L". On April 2, 1892 the city authorized the extension of the line as far south as 71st street, and a further extension along 63rd Street was passed on April 7, 1893, the total cost of construction was estimated at $6,750,000.A 6-car train carrying 300 guests made the inaugural run along first section of the line—running between a station at 39th Street
Pershing (CTA)
Pershing was a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's South Side Main Line, which is now part of the Green Line. The station was located at Pershing Road and State Street in the Douglas neighborhood of Chicago. Pershing was situated south of Tech-35th, which is now named 35-Bronzeville-IIT, and...
and the Congress Terminal
Congress Terminal
Congress Terminal was a stub-end terminal on the "L" in downtown Chicago, Illinois. It was located at Congress Parkway over Holden Court. The terminal was in operation from 1892 to 1963....
downtown—on May 27, 1892, and the line opened to the public ten days later. Initially the 3.6 miles (5.8 km) journey from 39th street to downtown took 14 minutes and cost 5¢. The line was gradually extended over the coming months, with the route reaching Jackson Park on May 12, 1893 to provide service to the World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
. Rolling stock on the line included 46 Forney-type
Forney locomotive
The Forney is a type of tank locomotive patented by Matthias N. Forney between 1861 and 1864. Forney locomotives include the following characteristics:* An 0-4-4T wheel arrangement, that is four driving wheels followed by a truck with four wheels....
(0-4-4
0-4-4
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-4 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles...
) steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s that were built at the Baldwin Locomotive Works
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
in Philadelphia, and 180 46 feet (14 m)-long wooden passenger cars. The first 20 locomotives were delivered coupled into a single train in April 1892.
Bankruptcy and takeover
When the World's Columbian Exposition closed, lack of development along the southern portion of the route led to plummeting passenger numbers. The Chicago and South Side Rapid Transit Railroad Company went into receivership in 1895 and was sold under foreclosureForeclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
on September 16, 1896 for $4,100,100. The South Side Elevated Railroad was formed to take over the route in 1897. Service was extended into the newly built Union Loop
The Loop (CTA)
The Loop is the two mile circuit of elevated railroad that forms the hub of the 'L' rapid transit system in Chicago, Illinois. The Loop is so named because the railroad loops around a rectangle formed by Lake Street , Wabash Avenue , Van Buren Street , and Wells Street...
on October 18, 1897 connecting the South Side Elevated Railroad with the Lake Street Elevated Railroad
Lake Street Elevated Railroad
The Lake Street Elevated Railroad was the second permanent elevated rapid transit line to be constructed in Chicago, Illinois. The first section of the line opened on November 6, 1893, and its route is still used today as part of the Green Line route of the Chicago 'L' system.-Beginnings:The Lake...
, the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad
Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad
The Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad was the third elevated rapid transit line to be built in Chicago, Illinois and was the first of Chicago’s elevated lines to be electrically powered...
, and (after 1900) the Northwestern Elevated Railroad
Northwestern Elevated Railroad
The Northwestern Elevated Railroad was the last of the privately constructed rapid transit lines to be built in Chicago, Illinois. The line ran from the Loop in downtown Chicago north to Wilson Avenue in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood a with branch to Ravenswood and Albany Park that left the main...
. These other companies used third rail
Third rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
electrification to power their trains so the South Side Elevated Railroad enlisted Frank Julian Sprague to convert its rolling stock to electrical power. Sprague used his previously untested system of multiple-unit train control
Multiple-unit train control
Multiple-unit train control, sometimes abbreviated to multiple-unit or MU, is a method of simultaneously controlling all the traction equipment in a train from a single location, whether it is a Multiple unit comprising a number of self-powered passenger cars or a set of locomotives.A set of...
(MU) whereby multiple self-powered cars could be linked together and controlled by a single person, making the South Side Elevated Railroad the first in the world to use MU operation.
Branches
As ridership increased, the South Side Elevated Railroad constructed additional branches. A 3 miles (4.8 km) branch to EnglewoodEnglewood, Chicago
Englewood, once known as "Junction Grove" , is one of the 77 official community areas of Chicago. At its height, over 97,000 people lived in its approximately 3 square miles , but the neighborhood's population has since dropped dramatically...
opened in stages between 1905 and 1907 (with a short 0.9 miles (1.4 km) brach to Normal Park opening in 1907), and branches to Kenwood
Kenwood, Chicago
Kenwood, located on the South Side of the City of Chicago, Illinois, is one of the 77 well-defined Chicago community areas.Kenwood was part of Hyde Park Township, which was annexed by the City of Chicago in 1889....
and the Union Stock Yards
Union Stock Yards
The Union Stock Yard & Transit Co., or The Yards, was the meat packing district in Chicago for over a century starting in 1865. The district was operated by a group of railroad companies that acquired swampland, and turned it to a centralized processing area...
—both running on tracks owned by the Chicago Junction Railroad—opened in 1907 and 1908 respectively.
Consolidation
In 1913 Chicago's four elevated railroad companies came together to form the Chicago Elevated Railways Collateral Trust establishing crosstown services for the first time, and in 1924 all four companies were formally united to form the Chicago Rapid Transit CompanyChicago Rapid Transit Company
The Chicago Rapid Transit Company was a privately owned firm providing rapid transit rail service in Chicago, Illinois and several adjacent communities between the years 1924 and 1947...
. The Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago Transit Authority, also known as CTA, is the operator of mass transit within the City of Chicago, Illinois and some of its surrounding suburbs....
took over the assets of the CRT in 1947. The Normal Park branch closed in 1954 and the Kenwood and Stock Yards branches were abandoned in 1957 but most of the rest of the route of the South Side Elevated Railroad continues in service as part of the CTA's Green Line
Green Line (Chicago Transit Authority)
The Green Line is part of the CTA rapid transit system known as the Chicago 'L'. It is the only completely elevated route in the 'L' system. It utilizes the system's oldest segments , extending with 29 stops between Forest Park and Oak Park , through Chicago's Loop, to the South Side and Englewood...
.