History of Archer Avenue

[Beaverson]

Greetings,

I am interested in the History of the Archer Avenue bus lines. My dad used to work out of the Archer Garage in the late 1960s to the early 80's. He told me that at one point the Archer line (I guess the 62 line) used to be the second busiest line in world behind some line in Toronto (I think King street).

Anyway,

Any good websites with help facts like that? I've Google some sites and found some good stuff on Chicago rail but not buses. Any resource you could lead me to would be great.

thanks

[sw4400]

Just a little note, Beaverson.  You misspelled Archer in your title.  Don't worry, it happens to all of us now and again though.  I've probably done it more often than I know...:D

[Kevin]

Misspelling corrected.

I, too, would be interested in learning more about the history of that line. I don't know of many resources, however I've never really looked too hard in the past.

[Beaverson]

Thanks for the correction on Archer. I was a little nervous being a newbie.

thanks again

[Busjack]

Lind, Chicago Surface Lines: An Illustrated History (1974) has some information for when Archer was a streetcar line, and when the first express bus was instituted, through when the line was completely converted to bus. Krambles & Peterson, CTA at 45 (1992) has pictures of the Archer barn before and after conversion (but it has been subsequently remodeled). Both of these probably predate the information you seek.

Various members can give you their recollections. Mine are of the 1970s, where there were the regular 62 Archer, the 62 Archer Express, 99 Stevenson Expresses, etc., with the express runs being served by articulated buses in the 1980s. State Street was then a transit mall, and was mostly packed with those buses (which became somewhat of a blight on the area). Most of this became unnecessary (and the express bus runs terminated) after the Orange Line opened. The Orange Line opened in 1993, and the parallel buses were not completely cut back until 1997. (See chicago-l.org

for the history of the Orange Line.)

Some other lines also had part of their routes on Archer, primarily 42 Halsted Downtown and 45 Ashland Downtown (both of which are also now gone).

[Beaverson]

Busjack,

Thanks for the info. I'll check these books out. My memories also reflect yours of the 70's. My pops regularly drove the 62 Archer and the 62 Archer Express during the 70's through early 80's. I remember riding with him on my vacation days from school, you could literally touch the back of people shoulders from the pack of buses back to back in the transit mall.

Anyway, thanks for the info.

Beaverson