Delighted to find this archival footage! What a loss! I was a poor college student in Chicago its last year, but whenever I could scratch the funds together I rode the North Shore! The street running in Milwaukee was such fun, especially in the heavy, elegant Electroliners! I'm overcome with nostalgia!
Great video, I used to ride this train all the time in my teens and 20's. I hopped a bus from Wilmette for a $1.00 and got a transfer for a quarter and rode all over Chicago for the day. What fun!
As a little kid, I became a lifelong train buff riding the North Shore from Dempster Street to either Wilson Avenue or the Loop. My grandparents lived on Surf Street near Sheridan and Diversey. From the Loop we took the L to Belmont. From Wilson, we took a CTA bus. We moved to Ohio in 1958, and I was heartbroken. Once in awhile we would visit and ride the North Shore from "Marshall Fields" (Wabash) past Dempster to Northfield.
Wow this is so awesome to see. I lived on 5th and Harrison between the ages of 11 and 16 (2012-2017). I never would have guessed that my neighborhood used to be an old train yard all those years ago! That area looks completely different compared to what used to be there in these clips. It's crazy how times have changed. I would have loved to see the NSL in action, so sad it got shut down.
Oh Boy! How I remember this. I lived near the Howard L station and used to ride the NS every week to Milwaukee, then Bus to Delafield for High School. Then after a stint in the Air Force, in 1964 I worked for the CTA and one of my jobs was a work train on weekends. We had the old NS Line car For trolley wire inspection on the Evanston and Skokie lines. I was also 1 of only 5 people also qualified on the CTA Freight Locos. Thanks for putting this up.
We lived in Winnetka and Glencoe in late 30s and early 40s and I rode the North Shore daily to New Trier High School, then downtown to work. We endured the construction of the Ditch in those years which was a huge construction project in Winnetka. Rode the cars from Fort Sheridan outward bound in 1944. Now I'm 94!
@barbarawilett2647: If the Shore Line Route of the North Shore survived there would be a monumental effort to eliminate street running on Greenleaf Avenue by putting the tracks in a separate island road bed just like what they've done with the South Shore Line in Michigan City IN on 10th and 11th Street which looks really nice. Also there would be efforts to eliminate street running in Milwaukee by probably relocating the tracks alongside I-94 on elevated trackage just like was done to the South Shore Line in East Chicago Indiana along 5 miles of the Indiana Toll Road.
That ride was also fun, especially when the overhead wires were still in place and you could sit or stand at the front window. The ride from Linden St to Howard St was equally neat when the 4000 cars were running with overhead wire and trolley poles prior to 1973. If the NS had been able to stay in business till the mid 1970s, I believe it would still be around. Ridership would have increased dramatically with the Arab oil embargo.
I was fortunate enough to ride theNS in it's later years. It was a memorable experience riding on the "el" in Chicago, then lots of fast open country running, then on the streets of Milwaukee.
I grew up in North Chicago, less than 2 blocks from the old North Shore's Electroliner right-of-way which ran parallel to Commonwealth Ave in North Chicago. Unfortunately, the NSL ceased operation 6 months before I was born, so I never saw the trains, but often heard older folks talk about them. It's fascinating to finally see what these trains looked like and see where the tracks ran. It's also fascinating to see what downtown Waukegan looked like in 1945!
Who ever made this film did a great job it's nice to see how things use to kinda wish this service was still around looks a lot better then what is around now.
Thanks, this and the South Shore film are real gems! I have very dim memories of NSL trains on the Mundelein branch; seeing them on way to my uncle's house in Libertyville. I could not have been more than 4 years old.
SparkDalmatian - Very nice film, I don't recall ever seeing it before. My parents met riding a Chicago streetcar to work in 1941. They began dating then Pearl Harbour and he enlisted. They dated by mail til he was discharged, they married in 1946 and moved to Glencoe, 2 kids, 1 in '48 and then me in '54. My dad commuted to his office in the LOOP by train and I vaguely recall using the train to go into LOOP with my mom for weekly shopping days as a tiny little boy. Before expressways it was the best way to go. In 1963 my life ended when my dad took a promotion and we all moved to South Bend Indiana which by then was beginning a long spiral down because of Studebaker leaving. I left for college in Florida in 1972 and returned in 1994 to help the parents deal with their health issues. If I'm not in a hurry, I still use the South Shore Interurban line to visit the city.
David Budka - I'm 63 and just an insignificant number with the IRS but had it not been for Chicago streetcars in the 1940's my parents would have never met and I'd not be here. How any American can think trains, streetcars and Interurbans are unAmerican is beyond me, the rails built this country!!
David Budka And this was before the age of the HIGHWAYS when AUTOMOBILES took over the business. And you can also blame the GOVERNMENT for starting the GREAT DEPRESSION that led up to the demise of the INTERURBAN LINES.
Much of the North Shore's equipment (including one of the Electroliners) is located at the Illinois Railroad Museum in Union Illinois. The Electoliners had a small grill that was used to cook food - a person I met that day said he had one of the hamburgers stashed in his freezer (this was about 1990)
Thanks for this vid! I grew up in the Zion area when the North Shore was still running. I later rode my bike for many years on the old right of way, now the North Shore Bike Trail.
My grandfather was an engineer on the North Shore line. He would toot the horn as he passed his south Milwaukee home to let my Grandma know that he was near to the station. Great memories.
Organgrinder...1) Not ALL of the elevated lines have been torn down 2) The man says the street running is Linden but I believe its actually Greenleaf. 3) Check out the Illinois Railway Museum 2013 Trolley Pageant here on youtube or go to IRM.org. They do have one of the Electroliners, its just not quite fully operations....yet.
Only by the CTA between Howard and Dempster Street in Skokie. For a number of years the C&NW used one track of the Skokie Valley Line a few miles north of Dempster, but now everything else is long gone. :o(
I am just seeing your video... i know, it's been 10 years since you posted it, but it was brought to my attention in my local Nextdoor dot com group.... Thanks for posting....pretty sad we had this infrastructure for high speed rail in place and it was destroyed.... Anyway, i live right by the old skokie valley right of way near skokie and wilmette.... The old CNW tracks (formerly the NSL right of way) are still in place in certain sections between the major roads.... The line was semi abandoned in the mid 90's, but the UP (which took over the CNW) still used the track to store freight cars during lean times..... Then it was completely abandoned by the early 2000's....except for the few sections of track...... And, there is still some NSL infrastructure along the way... If you watch the vid north of dempster street, you'll see the overhead towers serve a dual purpose----first to carry the wires for the trains themselves; and if you look on the left side (west side) of the towers, you'll see regular power lines carried higher up... When they tore up the NS line, they astonishingly didn't remove the sections on the left carrying the regular power lines... I know this because they still exist between glenview rd and lake st, and they currently (no pun) carry com-ed power lines... You can see where they cut off the overhead part of the towers... Pretty cool to see these towers still pretty much intact and still in use.... Also, some of the concrete pilings for the right (east) side of the overhead towers are still in place..... Where wilmette ave once crossed the tracks (doesn't anymore--some stupid urban planning if you ask me), there are still concrete structures visible... In addition, at that spot, you can still see the ORIGINAL CNW grade, which is now overgrown.... As for the lakeshore route, which is now the green bay bike path, you can still see the concrete pilings... as a side note, another branch off the linden street line used to run to the glen view country club near golf rd and harms rd in the teens and 1920's.... it was abandoned by the early 1930's.... it ran along the middle of central ave to a station at gross point road (now the "hot dog island" restaurant), then you transferred to another trolly which ran along the south side of old orchard road, then thru harms woods then to the country club.... some evidence is still visible... in the woods, you can still see the grade and pilings where it crossed the north branch chicago river and associated bottomlands; and you can see the grade along old orchard road.... several years ago, they put a bike path along old orchard road, so it's a little harder to make out the grade, but it's still there.... it's easier to make out with a coat of snow on the ground... i'm curious where the Harmswoods" station was located? was it at golf, or old orchard road?
I was a kid living in Highwood for the last half of the 1960's, can't figure out where the shops and the offices would of been. I remember trains running when I lived there but they were using EMD locomotives and it was pretty much commuter traffic. Fast forward 40 years later I'm living southwest of Green Bay Wisconsin and one night I see a Wisconsin Central train with a couple of CNW EMD locomotives tucked in behind the locomotives, I suspect they were hauling them to the boneyard
@VolumedMusicMan The NSL always used the Northwestern Elevated to reach downtown. I don't think it ever used the subway because of overhead clearance restrictions with their trolley poles.
One minor error - the street the NS rode on in Wilmette was not Linden St., But Greenleaf Ave. The trains stopped at Linden St station, the northern CTA "EL" terminus, then turned west on Greenleaf Ave.
@1974rail From what I know he was on the mechanical department for the CRT/CTA in Chicago for many years. One of his kin, Walter Keevil, is now one of the Admins for both CERA and Shore Line Interurban Historical Society.
My understanding is that the floors were filled with concrete, as was every cubic inch of spare space. Typically, the 3 "pups" were MU'd from the few clips I've seen. The only time I'd expect them to run single is moving only a few cars or switching Pettibone Yard.
Thank you, JLJ, for posting this. Wig-wag signal at 20:20! Were thoselectric locomotives weightedown for greater traction? Interesting seeing how the the four-quadrant gates are lowered.
Would be nice if this video could be cleaned up visually for better viewing. Then include an aerial view from the present to show where the line originally ran and how it has changed since it ceased operations. Also I believe there was an aerial photo of the West Junction at Milwaukee and how this might fit into the North Shore Lines.
Actually there are a lot of things wrong in this video. It is still very awesome and I love watching it over and over again!! Thing narrator is not accurate in some parts but the best footage of the north shore I've ever seen!!
Don't worry the Elevated line you see in this clip, the Northwestern Elevated, still exists, the stations are modernized, but the structure is pretty much the same.
From the Loop in Chicago to 6 th and National Streets in Milwaukee. The Chicago. North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad in 1945. The Route of the Silverliners and the Electroliners. " Ship & Travel the North Shore Line",.
Sorry, if it makes you feel better I don't live close to any "L" line and the one closest to me, the Red Line, is an open-cut route built down the median of the Dan Ryan Expressway plus it's closed for a major overhaul.
If you go to s 5th street and Harrison ave in Milwaukee today you would never guess that there were trains there, just go to Google street view.And that house on the right is still there. 17:00 min mark.
I am probably not saying anything that is not obvious to anyone who is interested in the topic, but the double-whammy that gutted the American passenger rail industry in the middle of the 20th Century was the emergence of passenger jet airline service and the construction of the interstate highway system. I am not a big fan of big government but Amtrak did save most of what was left by the early 1970's.
America hasn't made much progress since the 1940's. Infact, we've probably made anti-progress. Due to Trump... Foreigners think America is an awesome country, with freedom. Well you foreigner may want to rethink that... Just say in'.
+JoeyLovesTrains (NorthShoreLine) WISN AM 1130 Radio Talk Show Host Mark Belling isn't any help at all. Milwaukee could of had a nice rail system today if he wouldn't of been on the radio in the early 1990s.
retthok Take Venezuela for instance. I believe Venezuela is very much a hated enemy just like North Korea and Iran. The leader of Venezuela should quake in his boots because he knows that our MILITARY and our U.S. MARINES and NAVY SEALS can be at his front door faster than a fire brigade just like we did with Panama and their deposed leader Noriega. And so do these foreign countries care about us? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
5:08 note all the cars crossing the tacks in front of the oncoming train. They cross even when it blows its air whistle. One guy has a large tank of gasoline in the back of his truck. Very stupid people.
brushcreek42 And now look at us USA - our roads are now more clogged than ever before. We're going back to the sixteen hour day eight hours work and eight hours commuting. No wonder why so many marriages have failed no time for us to enjoy family life after work.
Getting away from the interurbans & trolliies after World War II was Very dumb, stupid & ignorant. Many cities in the United States brought back the trolley car system, but it was at a price. Boston, Philadelphia which has the most miles of trolley car lines in the United States, San Francisco, Cleveland & Newark,NJ were smart they kept their trolley system operating.
Rebuilding it from Skokie to Racine will be easy because the right of way still exists. (there are even tracks in some parts) However rebuilding it north of Racine will be nearly impossible because the right of way is completely gone.
It was closer to an air whistle, and the cars were about 15-20 years old by then. Also, for another example of a worn down horn, see the U34CH, part 6-8.
Delighted to find this archival footage! What a loss! I was a poor college student in Chicago its last year, but whenever I could scratch the funds together I rode the North Shore! The street running in Milwaukee was such fun, especially in the heavy, elegant Electroliners! I'm overcome with nostalgia!
Organgrinder1010 Now is the time to take hold of H.G. Wells' Time Machine and set the clock back to the North Shore's proud heyday.
Great video, I used to ride this train all the time in my teens and 20's. I hopped a bus from Wilmette for a $1.00 and got a transfer for a quarter and rode all over Chicago for the day. What fun!
As a little kid, I became a lifelong train buff riding the North Shore from Dempster Street to either Wilson Avenue or the Loop. My grandparents lived on Surf Street near Sheridan and Diversey. From the Loop we took the L to Belmont. From Wilson, we took a CTA bus. We moved to Ohio in 1958, and I was heartbroken. Once in awhile we would visit and ride the North Shore from "Marshall Fields" (Wabash) past Dempster to Northfield.
Wow this is so awesome to see. I lived on 5th and Harrison between the ages of 11 and 16 (2012-2017). I never would have guessed that my neighborhood used to be an old train yard all those years ago! That area looks completely different compared to what used to be there in these clips. It's crazy how times have changed. I would have loved to see the NSL in action, so sad it got shut down.
Oh Boy! How I remember this. I lived near the Howard L station and used to ride the NS every week to Milwaukee, then Bus to Delafield for High School.
Then after a stint in the Air Force, in 1964 I worked for the CTA and one of my jobs was a work train on weekends. We had the old NS Line car For trolley wire inspection on the Evanston and Skokie lines.
I was also 1 of only 5 people also qualified on the CTA Freight Locos.
Thanks for putting this up.
We lived in Winnetka and Glencoe in late 30s and early 40s and I rode the North Shore daily to New Trier High School, then downtown to work. We endured the construction of the Ditch in those years which was a huge construction project in Winnetka. Rode the cars from Fort Sheridan outward bound in 1944. Now I'm 94!
@barbarawilett2647: If the Shore Line Route of the North Shore survived there would be a monumental effort to eliminate street running on Greenleaf Avenue by putting the tracks in a separate island road bed just like what they've done with the South Shore Line in Michigan City IN on 10th and 11th Street which looks really nice. Also there would be efforts to eliminate street running in Milwaukee by probably relocating the tracks alongside I-94 on elevated trackage just like was done to the South Shore Line in East Chicago Indiana along 5 miles of the Indiana Toll Road.
That ride was also fun, especially when the overhead wires were still in place and you could sit or stand at the front window. The ride from Linden St to Howard St was equally neat when the 4000 cars were running with overhead wire and trolley poles prior to 1973. If the NS had been able to stay in business till the mid 1970s, I believe it would still be around. Ridership would have increased dramatically with the Arab oil embargo.
I was fortunate enough to ride theNS in it's later years. It was a memorable experience riding on the "el" in Chicago, then lots of fast open country running, then on the streets of Milwaukee.
I grew up in North Chicago, less than 2 blocks from the old North Shore's Electroliner right-of-way which ran parallel to Commonwealth Ave in North Chicago. Unfortunately, the NSL ceased operation 6 months before I was born, so I never saw the trains, but often heard older folks talk about them. It's fascinating to finally see what these trains looked like and see where the tracks ran. It's also fascinating to see what downtown Waukegan looked like in 1945!
Who ever made this film did a great job it's nice to see how things use to kinda wish this service was still around looks a lot better then what is around now.
Agreed.
Thanks, this and the South Shore film are real gems! I have very dim memories of NSL trains on the Mundelein branch; seeing them on way to my uncle's house in Libertyville. I could not have been more than 4 years old.
SparkDalmatian - Very nice film, I don't recall ever seeing it before. My parents met riding a Chicago streetcar to work in 1941. They began dating then Pearl Harbour and he enlisted. They dated by mail til he was discharged, they married in 1946 and moved to Glencoe, 2 kids, 1 in '48 and then me in '54. My dad commuted to his office in the LOOP by train and I vaguely recall using the train to go into LOOP with my mom for weekly shopping days as a tiny little boy. Before expressways it was the best way to go. In 1963 my life ended when my dad took a promotion and we all moved to South Bend Indiana which by then was beginning a long spiral down because of Studebaker leaving. I left for college in Florida in 1972 and returned in 1994 to help the parents deal with their health issues. If I'm not in a hurry, I still use the South Shore Interurban line to visit the city.
I spoke to one younger American, and in his mind trains and streetcars are unAmerican. I would argue they once were the soul of America.
catch phrased tend to slip out.
David Budka - I'm 63 and just an insignificant number with the IRS but had it not been for Chicago streetcars in the 1940's my parents would have never met and I'd not be here. How any American can think trains, streetcars and Interurbans are unAmerican is beyond me, the rails built this country!!
David Budka And this was before the age of the HIGHWAYS when AUTOMOBILES took over the business. And you can also blame the GOVERNMENT for starting the GREAT DEPRESSION that led up to the demise of the INTERURBAN LINES.
This boy is an idiot.
Never trust anyone who hates trains.
Much of the North Shore's equipment (including one of the Electroliners) is located at the Illinois Railroad Museum in Union Illinois. The Electoliners had a small grill that was used to cook food - a person I met that day said he had one of the hamburgers stashed in his freezer (this was about 1990)
So cool! I am from Northfield and I have been looking for something like this for a long time. Too bad the line isn't around anymore.
@sc2man13: If the North Shore survived it would most likely look and sound like today's SOUTH SHORE LINE.
Thank you for uploading this! It's a great time capsule!
Thanks for this vid! I grew up in the Zion area when the North Shore was still running. I later rode my bike for many years on the old right of way, now the North Shore Bike Trail.
My grandfather was an engineer on the North Shore line. He would toot the horn as he passed his south Milwaukee home to let my Grandma know that he was near to the station. Great memories.
Organgrinder...1) Not ALL of the elevated lines have been torn down 2) The man says the street running is Linden but I believe its actually Greenleaf. 3) Check out the Illinois Railway Museum 2013 Trolley Pageant here on youtube or go to IRM.org. They do have one of the Electroliners, its just not quite fully operations....yet.
Only by the CTA between Howard and Dempster Street in Skokie. For a number of years the C&NW used one track of the Skokie Valley Line a few miles north of Dempster, but now everything else is long gone. :o(
I am just seeing your video... i know, it's been 10 years since you posted it, but it was brought to my attention in my local Nextdoor dot com group.... Thanks for posting....pretty sad we had this infrastructure for high speed rail in place and it was destroyed....
Anyway, i live right by the old skokie valley right of way near skokie and wilmette.... The old CNW tracks (formerly the NSL right of way) are still in place in certain sections between the major roads.... The line was semi abandoned in the mid 90's, but the UP (which took over the CNW) still used the track to store freight cars during lean times..... Then it was completely abandoned by the early 2000's....except for the few sections of track...... And, there is still some NSL infrastructure along the way... If you watch the vid north of dempster street, you'll see the overhead towers serve a dual purpose----first to carry the wires for the trains themselves; and if you look on the left side (west side) of the towers, you'll see regular power lines carried higher up... When they tore up the NS line, they astonishingly didn't remove the sections on the left carrying the regular power lines... I know this because they still exist between glenview rd and lake st, and they currently (no pun) carry com-ed power lines... You can see where they cut off the overhead part of the towers... Pretty cool to see these towers still pretty much intact and still in use.... Also, some of the concrete pilings for the right (east) side of the overhead towers are still in place..... Where wilmette ave once crossed the tracks (doesn't anymore--some stupid urban planning if you ask me), there are still concrete structures visible... In addition, at that spot, you can still see the ORIGINAL CNW grade, which is now overgrown.... As for the lakeshore route, which is now the green bay bike path, you can still see the concrete pilings...
as a side note, another branch off the linden street line used to run to the glen view country club near golf rd and harms rd in the teens and 1920's.... it was abandoned by the early 1930's.... it ran along the middle of central ave to a station at gross point road (now the "hot dog island" restaurant), then you transferred to another trolly which ran along the south side of old orchard road, then thru harms woods then to the country club.... some evidence is still visible... in the woods, you can still see the grade and pilings where it crossed the north branch chicago river and associated bottomlands; and you can see the grade along old orchard road.... several years ago, they put a bike path along old orchard road, so it's a little harder to make out the grade, but it's still there.... it's easier to make out with a coat of snow on the ground...
i'm curious where the Harmswoods" station was located? was it at golf, or old orchard road?
I was a kid living in Highwood for the last half of the 1960's, can't figure out where the shops and the offices would of been. I remember trains running when I lived there but they were using EMD locomotives and it was pretty much commuter traffic. Fast forward 40 years later I'm living southwest of Green Bay Wisconsin and one night I see a Wisconsin Central train with a couple of CNW EMD locomotives tucked in behind the locomotives, I suspect they were hauling them to the boneyard
Thanks for posting. This is wonderful.
Thank you, this has been added to a playlist...
@VolumedMusicMan The NSL always used the Northwestern Elevated to reach downtown. I don't think it ever used the subway because of overhead clearance restrictions with their trolley poles.
thanks for posting!! i live right in winnetka its awesome to see the old north shore.
One minor error - the street the NS rode on in Wilmette was not Linden St., But Greenleaf Ave. The trains stopped at Linden St station, the northern CTA "EL" terminus, then turned west on Greenleaf Ave.
According to CRT track charts, the NSL diverged just south of the Linden interlocking plant.
Linden ave was the station at Evanston, The trains actually went a little north to Greenleaf Avenue.
Correct
Robert Leffingwell This is actually like me going riding on lines that the CTA now runs the Skokie Swift and Purple Line.
@1974rail From what I know he was on the mechanical department for the CRT/CTA in Chicago for many years. One of his kin, Walter Keevil, is now one of the Admins for both CERA and Shore Line Interurban Historical Society.
My understanding is that the floors were filled with concrete, as was every cubic inch of spare space. Typically, the 3 "pups" were MU'd from the few clips I've seen. The only time I'd expect them to run single is moving only a few cars or switching Pettibone Yard.
thanks for posting; I'd always seen the dark green trains but never used them :)
Thanks for posting this. A SHAME IT STILL ISN,T AROUND
I've only read about the North Shore Line, to see it on film is awesome!
Thank you, JLJ, for posting this.
Wig-wag signal at 20:20!
Were thoselectric locomotives weightedown for greater traction?
Interesting seeing how the the four-quadrant gates are lowered.
Would be nice if this video could be cleaned up visually for better viewing. Then include an aerial view from the present to show where the line originally ran and how it has changed since it ceased operations. Also I believe there was an aerial photo of the West Junction at Milwaukee and how this might fit into the North Shore Lines.
Is the sound on this film an actual recording of the trip or is it dubbed? God bless.
My Dad grew up in Kenilworth... I can't believe my eyes....
Nice video
My Aunt Emily rode this while working in Evanston. To Milwaukee + then train to Wautona WI.
Wow, nice piece of memorabilia!
Where did you get this footage?
@cbalducc It is dubbed. If you watch the South Shore Line 1927 you will hear the same sound dubs.
wow. that was just a stunning look back.
Actually there are a lot of things wrong in this video. It is still very awesome and I love watching it over and over again!! Thing narrator is not accurate in some parts but the best footage of the north shore I've ever seen!!
Don't worry the Elevated line you see in this clip, the Northwestern Elevated, still exists, the stations are modernized, but the structure is pretty much the same.
From the Loop in Chicago to 6 th and National Streets in Milwaukee. The Chicago. North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad in 1945. The Route of the Silverliners and the Electroliners. " Ship & Travel the North Shore Line",.
It was 600v system wide. The 1500v runs on the South Shore and Metra Electric (ex-IC).
Isn't it 600v at the IRM or did they change the motors in the cars?
What were the electrification systems? 660v dc 3rd rail & perhaps up to 1500v dc overhead? I'm sure there would be demand for this now.
Sorry, if it makes you feel better I don't live close to any "L" line and the one closest to me, the Red Line, is an open-cut route built down the median of the Dan Ryan Expressway plus it's closed for a major overhaul.
A perfect example of train travel nowadays.
Don Kennedy a north shore conductor passed away in nov 2015 of a stroke!
The reason I asked was that it looked like it was coming out of the tunnel. I realized it was on the inside elevated track.
Did he pass away back in the 60s and was he live in evenston?
does anyone have any info on charles keevil?
If you go to s 5th street and Harrison ave in Milwaukee today you would never guess that there were trains there, just go to Google street view.And that house on the right is still there. 17:00 min mark.
Did the NSL always ride on the North Side Main Line? Did it ever use the State Street subway?
Never touched the subway. Cars were too tall for the tunnels. That is why CRT/CTA bought cars with no trolley poles.
I am probably not saying anything that is not obvious to anyone who is interested in the topic, but the double-whammy that gutted the American passenger rail industry in the middle of the 20th Century was the emergence of passenger jet airline service and the construction of the interstate highway system. I am not a big fan of big government but Amtrak did save most of what was left by the early 1970's.
Anyone wanting to ride the North Shore now has to go to the Illinois Railway Museum. Also, the cars have no speedometers.
Who’s here from the north shore mural in Evanston?
The Skokie Valley part with those stations imagine what a help it would be today to the increased popluation of those areas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cool I like this.
I was 15 pushing 16 when The North Shore Line called it quits
So we abandon electric and move to oil and foreign dependency. Brilliant.
You're right! XD It really is "brilliant".
America hasn't made much progress since the 1940's. Infact, we've probably made anti-progress. Due to Trump... Foreigners think America is an awesome country, with freedom. Well you foreigner may want to rethink that... Just say in'.
+JoeyLovesTrains (NorthShoreLine)
WISN AM 1130 Radio Talk Show Host Mark Belling isn't any help at all. Milwaukee could of had a nice rail system today if he wouldn't of been on the radio in the early 1990s.
retthok And do these foreign countries care about us? No way Jose!
retthok Take Venezuela for instance. I believe Venezuela is very much a hated enemy just like North Korea and Iran. The leader of Venezuela should quake in his boots because he knows that our MILITARY and our U.S. MARINES and NAVY SEALS can be at his front door faster than a fire brigade just like we did with Panama and their deposed leader Noriega. And so do these foreign countries care about us? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
The horn sounds funny! Frikkin awesome!
At least I got to ride the howard - dempster st section.
The problem is, I don't live near it. It's going to be impossible to visit it.
They were called "electroburgers" in regular service.
Now all we have is McDonald's and their shitty Big Macs.
Have this on VHS
Now, I want to find a copy.
What is the title of this video?
+106850111641163872336 Have to look around on-line. I bought my copy from a former rail collector. I hope it come out on DVD someday.
Lourdes C Interurban Films back in the 1980s.
OMFG I WANT ONE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm modeling the North Shore Line on microsoft train simulator
I'm doing it in Trainz 12. Where are you getting info?
Why are they so late to crank the gates down?
That Damn Horn is Creepin Me Out.
5:08 note all the cars crossing the tacks in front of the oncoming train. They cross even when it blows its air whistle. One guy has a large tank of gasoline in the back of his truck. Very stupid people.
Still happens. Just the other day, a vehicle was hit by a BNSF train near Downers Grove, I recall hearing.
there were rare occurences when NSL trains were routed through the subway.
Expressways and autos prevailed.
brushcreek42 And now look at us USA - our roads are now more clogged than ever before. We're going back to the sixteen hour day eight hours work and eight hours commuting. No wonder why so many marriages have failed no time for us to enjoy family life after work.
To bad the interstate has replaced this
I don't believe so.
look at the crowds. holdover post-war traffic. All would be gone soon.
this is the longest ride ive ever took lol
100,006 views, lol
Getting away from the interurbans & trolliies after World War II was
Very dumb, stupid & ignorant. Many cities in the United States
brought back the trolley car system, but it was at a price. Boston,
Philadelphia which has the most miles of trolley car lines in the
United States, San Francisco, Cleveland & Newark,NJ were
smart they kept their trolley system operating.
In those days with the fast rise of private auto ownership it was believed that passenger rail would inevitably become extinct.
+Christopher O'Rourke it is a good thing that the south shore line managed to survive when all the others shut down.
Chicago had the biggest streetcar system in the WORLD at one point. Chicago got rid of there's in 1958.
+Robert Kania I was insanely stupid for them to get rid of the North Shore Line. My life long dream is to recreate the North Shore one day.
Rebuilding it from Skokie to Racine will be easy because the right of way still exists. (there are even tracks in some parts) However rebuilding it north of Racine will be nearly impossible because the right of way is completely gone.
Whats With The G*****N Horn?
Quentin Kirk Almost sounds like a demented Ford Model T ...
It was closer to an air whistle, and the cars were about 15-20 years old by then. Also, for another example of a worn down horn, see the U34CH, part 6-8.
this isnt the tram to narrabeen....i want mi money back.