CTA Blue line's Congress Branch History

[BusHunter]

I was looking over the chicago-l.org site and couldn't help noticing the opening dates of the stations west of the Cicero station (including Kostner) were in the early 1960's. We know the opening date of the Congress branch was June 22nd, 1958. So the only stations in existence then were up to Cicero and Desplaines? I always thought all those stations were built at the same time with the exception of Kostner.

[busfan2847]

I was looking over the chicago-l.org site and couldn't help noticing the opening dates of the stations west of the Cicero station (including Kostner) were in the early 1960's. We know the opening date of the Congress branch was June 22nd, 1958. So the only stations in existence then were up to Cicero and Desplaines? I always thought all those stations were built at the same time with the exception of Kostner.

On June 22nd 1958 the Congress branch was opened in the median of the Eisenhower Expressway from La Salle to Cicero. West of Cicero the trackbed on the south side of the freeway was not completed and until 1960 temporary stations and alignments were open at Central, Austin, Oak Park and Harlem stations as the track was moved from the Garfield Park alignment to the current Congress alignment.

Work on the Congress Expressway and "L" line west of Laramie Avenue resulted in some complicated staging and several temporary facilities along the at-grade portion of the Garfield Park Line. On 29th Aug 1954, Garfield Park trains were rerouted trains via temporary tracks north of original alignment between Central and Lombard to allow for highway construction. Over three years later (6th Sep 1957) the Garfield Line shifted to a second set of temporary tracks from Austin to west of Oak Park, even further north than the first temporary alignment.

Just under three years later, the permanent right-of-way was ready (19th Mar 1960), although the permanent replacement Congress Line stations were not. At Central and Austin there were three temporary stations between the closing of the Garfield Park station (29th Aug 1954)and the opening of the Congress line stations (10th Oct 1960 - Central, 27th Dec 1960 - Austin). Gunderson Ave and Oak Park closed 17th Sep 1957 and were replaced by temporary stations at Ridgeland (closed 20 Mar 1960) and Oak Park replaced by Congress Line station opened 19th Mar 1960. At Harlem the Garfield Park station closed 11th Dec 1957 and there were two temporary stations before the Congress Line station opened on 29th Jul 1960.

[Chicago13]

I was looking over the chicago-l.org site and couldn't help noticing the opening dates of the stations west of the Cicero station (including Kostner) were in the early 1960's. We know the opening date of the Congress branch was June 22nd, 1958. So the only stations in existence then were up to Cicero and Desplaines? I always thought all those stations were built at the same time with the exception of Kostner.

Kostner is not west of Cicero. It's east. And it wasn't part of the original plan. It was opened later thanks to wrangling by local politicians who insisted a station be built there.

[RJL6000]

So the only stations in existence then were up to Cicero and Desplaines?

The Desplaines station was not the same station as it is today (although the station, which is the terminal of the Congress/Forest Park branch, is now called "Forest Park"). Nor was it a 1920s station that was on the east side of Desplaines Avenue when the now-abandoned Westchester Branch opened in 1926. Instead, at the time, it was a "temporary" terminal which dated back to the "loop-in-loop" days of 1953 that had been heavily modified since the Chicago, Aurora & Elgin ceased passenger operations in 1957. That terminal has since been replaced twice - once by another "temporary" terminal that ended up lasting into 1977, and the current terminal that was built during the late 1970s and was completed in 1982.

[BusHunter]

Thanks alot Busfan2847. That's quite an interesting story. I've heard of the temporary tracks between Sacramento and (I believe) Aberdeen. (one of the streets around Racine) But the west end is harder to get the information on. I have videos of trains on the Sacramento alignment and have read about the trsins crossing the grade crossing by obeying the traffic lights to the street immediately to the north. The videos show an area just east of desplaines around 1958 that has a diamond crossing between two sets of tracks. I'm guessing the other track belonged to the soo line, as the CA&E was defunct in 1958. There are alot of mysteries to figure out looking at these videos.

[Guest]

Is it my imagination or is there some sort of project going on the Blue Line/Congress portion? Yesterday, I passed over the Eisenhower at California, it looks to me like the grade is being dug up on either side of the existing rail tracks. From the overpass, it looks like the right of way is being cleaned up to make way for additional tracks to be constructed. Can anyone else elaborate on this?

[Guest]

On June 22nd 1958 the Congress branch was opened in the median of the Eisenhower Expressway from La Salle to Cicero. West of Cicero the trackbed on the south side of the freeway was not completed and until 1960 temporary stations and alignments were open at Central, Austin, Oak Park and Harlem stations as the track was moved from the Garfield Park alignment to the current Congress alignment.

Work on the Congress Expressway and "L" line west of Laramie Avenue resulted in some complicated staging and several temporary facilities along the at-grade portion of the Garfield Park Line. On 29th Aug 1954, Garfield Park trains were rerouted trains via temporary tracks north of original alignment between Central and Lombard to allow for highway construction. Over three years later (6th Sep 1957) the Garfield Line shifted to a second set of temporary tracks from Austin to west of Oak Park, even further north than the first temporary alignment.

Just under three years later, the permanent right-of-way was ready (19th Mar 1960), although the permanent replacement Congress Line stations were not. At Central and Austin there were three temporary stations between the closing of the Garfield Park station (29th Aug 1954)and the opening of the Congress line stations (10th Oct 1960 - Central, 27th Dec 1960 - Austin). Gunderson Ave and Oak Park closed 17th Sep 1957 and were replaced by temporary stations at Ridgeland (closed 20 Mar 1960) and Oak Park replaced by Congress Line station opened 19th Mar 1960. At Harlem the Garfield Park station closed 11th Dec 1957 and there were two temporary stations before the Congress Line station opened on 29th Jul 1960.

Some great color video of this stretch can be seen in the "Chicago Elevated" DVD