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CTA 3142 7-4-01
CTA "169 car " 3142 (Brill 1923 order 21686) ex CSL (CRys) @IRM Union IL 7-4-2001
On Jan. 26, 1922 a fire devastated the Devon carhouse and destroyed 90 cars. To replace them (and add more capacity) the Chicago Surface Lines ordered this group of new streetcars known by the name "The 169 cars" because of their total number. Because CSL was only an operating company and owned no equipment , actual ownership belonged to 2 of the underlying companies that made up the Surface Lines. Chicago Railways owned 1721-1785 (built by CSL's West Shops), 3119-3160 (Brill) and 3161-3178 (Cummings) while Chicago City Railway owned 6155-6158 (West Shops), 6159-6186 (Brill) and 6187-6198 (Cummings.) This car, 3142, is the last survivor.
As built all were Pay-As-You-Enter two man cars with a rear entrance and sliding front doors and were assigned to the heaviest CSL routes (they had the alternate name of Broadway-State cars). In 1949-1950, following the CTA takeover, the Chicago Transit Authority converted them to one-man cars for use on the lighter lines, replacing the sliding front doors with folding ones and adding foot controls.
The Illinois Railroad Museum has done a fantastic job of restoring this car to its CTA appearance complete with the white band alerting prospective passengers that this is a front-entrance car. It would take a major project to faithfully restore it to its 1923 appearance and I'm glad IRM resisted the temptation. It's just like I remember these cars (I lived on the West Side as a child and remember them well on Ogden Avenue after Ogden became a one-man route.)
CTA 3142 7-4-01
CTA "169 car " 3142 (Brill 1923 order 21686) ex CSL (CRys) @IRM Union IL 7-4-2001
On Jan. 26, 1922 a fire devastated the Devon carhouse and destroyed 90 cars. To replace them (and add more capacity) the Chicago Surface Lines ordered this group of new streetcars known by the name "The 169 cars" because of their total number. Because CSL was only an operating company and owned no equipment , actual ownership belonged to 2 of the underlying companies that made up the Surface Lines. Chicago Railways owned 1721-1785 (built by CSL's West Shops), 3119-3160 (Brill) and 3161-3178 (Cummings) while Chicago City Railway owned 6155-6158 (West Shops), 6159-6186 (Brill) and 6187-6198 (Cummings.) This car, 3142, is the last survivor.
As built all were Pay-As-You-Enter two man cars with a rear entrance and sliding front doors and were assigned to the heaviest CSL routes (they had the alternate name of Broadway-State cars). In 1949-1950, following the CTA takeover, the Chicago Transit Authority converted them to one-man cars for use on the lighter lines, replacing the sliding front doors with folding ones and adding foot controls.
The Illinois Railroad Museum has done a fantastic job of restoring this car to its CTA appearance complete with the white band alerting prospective passengers that this is a front-entrance car. It would take a major project to faithfully restore it to its 1923 appearance and I'm glad IRM resisted the temptation. It's just like I remember these cars (I lived on the West Side as a child and remember them well on Ogden Avenue after Ogden became a one-man route.)