streetcar tracks still visible

[samana09]

I was browsing on Google maps, where you can click on the camera icon at intersections,

and see 360-degree current photos of the intersection.

To my surprise, I saw former CSL/CTA streetcar tracks clearly visible at this location:

On the former Lake Street car line, on N. Pine between Lake St. and Corcoran.

They're visible under the bridge and you can even see part of the curve in the tracks

where they turned from eastbound Lake St to south on Pine.

Does anyone know any other places in CTA territory where streetcar tracks

can still be seen?

[Guest]

I was browsing on Google maps, where you can click on the camera icon at intersections,

and see 360-degree current photos of the intersection.

To my surprise, I saw former CSL/CTA streetcar tracks clearly visible at this location:

On the former Lake Street car line, on N. Pine between Lake St. and Corcoran.

They're visible under the bridge and you can even see part of the curve in the tracks

where they turned from eastbound Lake St to south on Pine.

Does anyone know any other places in CTA territory where streetcar tracks

can still be seen?

I remember a while back when Milwaukee ave was being worked on they would dig up the pavement revealing the long covered streetcar tracks. And just recently I spotted streetcar tracks on Milwaukee ave at Jeff Pk. when that stretch of pavement was being worked on.

[Busjack]

I remember a while back when Milwaukee ave was being worked on they would dig up the pavement revealing the long covered streetcar tracks.

Supposedly, the city just paved over the tracks, instead of removing them.

They used to be very conspicuous at 63rd and Stony Island, but the streets were paved since when I last saw them. At the time I wondered why there would be tracks under the L, until later learning that the systems were separate.

[Guest]

I remember back in 1986 when North ave. Garage closed. Following the teardown of the garage they had of course ripped up the pavement, you could literally see a web of streetcar tracks and construction equipment pulling them out of the ground. Even today you can still see old trolley wire poles along North Ave. at Lamon in front of the Harris bank.

[samana09]

Hi,

Thanks for the responses about cases where streetcar tracks could be seen when streets or

CTA yards were dug up.

But what I was really looking for was any cases where the actual streetcar tracks are visible right now

on public, driveable streets, like the location I mentioned.

Thanks

[Guest]

Here are some pics I shot friday while out collecting money for MDA. We stationed ourselves at the site of the old CTA Lawndale Garage/Carbarn at Cermak/Pulaski. You can see in a couple of the pics some of the long covered streetcar tracks that are surfacing. Also, in the back where the junkyard is, there is an old line pole still in place. For a worthy cause, Id thought Id throw in a pic of me and my crew and the truck driven by yours truly, not quite a Flxible 6000 or Nova LFS!! LOL

[paytonc]

Cermak just west of Western, under the CSX/NS tracks, was detoured for a while for a water main project. The higher-than-average traffic volumes really tore up the already-fragile pavement on 21st Street under the rail viaduct, such that the old cobblestones and streetcar tracks were exposed. I doubt it's been repaved since then, since it's the south side we're talking about.

(21st and Cermak had competing streetcar franchises, one serving the city and the other the suburbs -- not sure offhand which was which, though.)

[Busjack]

(21st and Cermak had competing streetcar franchises, one serving the city and the other the suburbs -- not sure offhand which was which, though.)

21st was Chicago Railways, which was the usual north and west side company.

Cermak was Southern Street Railway, which was affiliated with the Chicago City Railway Company, which was the south side company. I think someone posted on the Yahoo Chicagotransit group that that line, along with the spur into Lawndale, was basically to get people from Lawndale to jobs at the Stock Yards.

[ryanbytes]

You can get a glimpse of a rail on the east side of Chicago at Michigan. The rail is near the south corner on the east side of the crosswalk if I remember correctly. There's just a little section poking up but it's there. Sometimes I'm surprised at how close to the surface the tracks are.

[Guest]

Here are pics I took two weeks ago of some of the old line poles still visible at the site of where Lawndale Garage once stood. We were accessing the old car junkyard for a drill so I thought these would be interesting pieces to snap. I love finding vintage Chicago Transit, CTA/CSL remnants that still exist.

[Busjack]

Looking at these pictures, I wonder how much the city freeloaded off the remnants of CSL. For instance, you see modern streetlight brackets attached to poles such as these, but say, 55 years later, it doesn't dawn on one that they were streetcar line poles, and that's the reason they don't match the poles on side streets.

[Guest]

If you go by North/Lamon over the Harris Bank, you can see some of the old North Ave.Garage line poles with street lamps attached.

[westing]

Just found this in Google Street View, during the Fullerton renovation part of the street was torn up with tracks visible. The brick actually looks like it's in rather good shape, too bad they couldn't keep it uncovered :(

[Railwaymodeler]

That looks pretty neat.

I remember growing up in Davenport, IA, when I was a kid, there were small patches where the old Tri-City Electric rails were still visible. To a young railfan, that was the neatest thing, and sparked my interest in streetcars.

[Busjack]

Just found this in Google Street View, during the Fullerton renovation part of the street was torn up with tracks visible. The brick actually looks like it's in rather good shape, too bad they couldn't keep it uncovered

The bizarre thing is that the 1954 map on chicago-l.org indicates that CTA had to pay the city to cover the tracks, a total of nearly $2 million (about $16 million in current dollars) up to 1954, and that would not have covered the long routes, such as Cottage Grove, Western, Clark-Wentworth and Broadway-State, which were still streetcar. Apparently, the city still thought that transit was a cash cow. Compare the situation today.

As far as keeping it uncovered, I drove over Toronto streetcar tracks (and their streetcar still works) and you wouldn't want to feel the effect on your car's suspension. Heck, try driving over some of the brick streets in Wilmette.

[i8itall4u]

The bizarre thing is that the 1954 map on chicago-l.org indicates that CTA had to pay the city to cover the tracks, a total of nearly $2 million (about $16 million in current dollars) up to 1954, and that would not have covered the long routes, such as Cottage Grove, Western, Clark-Wentworth and Broadway-State, which were still streetcar. Apparently, the city still thought that transit was a cash cow. Compare the situation today.

As far as keeping it uncovered, I drove over Toronto streetcar tracks (and their streetcar still works) and you wouldn't want to feel the effect on your car's suspension. Heck, try driving over some of the brick streets in Wilmette.

Sunday I was driving south on Ashland between 91st and 95th and saw exposed tracks.