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CTA history


Harold

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I am entering this forum to find the best home for a comprehensive catalog of Chicago Surface Lines and CTA history. My father began his career in 1941 and retired in 1983 at grade G11. I have many documents dating back to the 1940s including CTA directories, advertising campaigns, and planning content. I also have many historical maps. I am searching for a home for these historic documents. Any input would be much appreciated. e bay is not a solution! I hope a few old timers are still out there and can give me some pointers.

Respectfully,

Tim Rowbottom

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I am entering this forum to find the best home for a comprehensive catalog of Chicago Surface Lines and CTA history. My father began his career in 1941 and retired in 1983 at grade G11. I have many documents dating back to the 1940s including CTA directories, advertising campaigns, and planning content. I also have many historical maps. I am searching for a home for these historic documents. Any input would be much appreciated. e bay is not a solution! I hope a few old timers are still out there and can give me some pointers.

Respectfully,

Tim Rowbottom

If you are looking for a place to archive them, IRM has a library.

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  • 1 month later...

My dad was hired by the CTA in 1953 after coming home from Korea. His first barn was at North Park (Foster & Kedzie) and he was assigned the 151/Sheridan route. I did not know until after he passed away 3 years ago that he was the first African American to drive a North Side route for the CTA. During his 41 years there, he drove several routes and by the time he retired in 1994, he operated out of the 103rd Street barn and was driving the 4 Cottage Grove route, and occasionally, the 6 Jeffery Express. When he first started driving back in '53, the times being what they were, he couldn't eat at certain restaurants or stop at certain coffee houses. When the big snowstorm of 1967 hit, he was stranded on North Lake Shore Drive. One of his regular passengers invited him to stay at his home until the snow was plowed and he was able to get home. He could have been an "L" conductor or a line supervisor, but he preferred driving the bus. When he first started at CTA, he never dreamed he'd be there for 41 years. Just thought I'd share that.

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My dad was hired by the CTA in 1953 after coming home from Korea. His first barn was at North Park (Foster & Kedzie) and he was assigned the 151/Sheridan route. I did not know until after he passed away 3 years ago that he was the first African American to drive a North Side route for the CTA. During his 41 years there, he drove several routes and by the time he retired in 1994, he operated out of the 103rd Street barn and was driving the 4 Cottage Grove route, and occasionally, the 6 Jeffery Express. When he first started driving back in '53, the times being what they were, he couldn't eat at certain restaurants or stop at certain coffee houses. When the big snowstorm of 1967 hit, he was stranded on North Lake Shore Drive. One of his regular passengers invited him to stay at his home until the snow was plowed and he was able to get home. He could have been an "L" conductor or a line supervisor, but he preferred driving the bus. When he first started at CTA, he never dreamed he'd be there for 41 years. Just thought I'd share that.

Very Interesting Story! Was he driving the propane or diesel Flxible buses for the CTA when the 1967 blizzard hit?

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  • 3 months later...

I am entering this forum to find the best home for a comprehensive catalog of Chicago Surface Lines and CTA history. My father began his career in 1941 and retired in 1983 at grade G11. I have many documents dating back to the 1940s including CTA directories, advertising campaigns, and planning content. I also have many historical maps. I am searching for a home for these historic documents. Any input would be much appreciated. e bay is not a solution! I hope a few old timers are still out there and can give me some pointers.

Respectfully,

Tim Rowbottom

Hi Tim,

I don't know if you have found a home for the Chicago Surface Lines materials that you obtained from your Dad, but if you haven't, I would like to suggest that I and my business partner at Chicago Transport Memories, LLC have what we call the Wien-Criss Archive. We have used materials that we obtained from a number of sources to produce the DVD titled CHICAGO STREETCAR MEMORIES. You can find our website at chicago-transport-memories.com . We are always looking for new material for a book that we have been working on for CERA that will deal with Chicago streetcars. If you would consider making your materials available to us at Chicago Transport Memories, we would give you full credit for any materials that we would ultimately use in our proposed publication. So far we have been able to gather numerous publications, photos, slides, and movies from various sources. Your material is the type that we are always looking for.

Sincerely,

Jeff Wien

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My dad was hired by the CTA in 1953 after coming home from Korea. His first barn was at North Park (Foster & Kedzie) and he was assigned the 151/Sheridan route. I did not know until after he passed away 3 years ago that he was the first African American to drive a North Side route for the CTA. During his 41 years there, he drove several routes and by the time he retired in 1994, he operated out of the 103rd Street barn and was driving the 4 Cottage Grove route, and occasionally, the 6 Jeffery Express. When he first started driving back in '53, the times being what they were, he couldn't eat at certain restaurants or stop at certain coffee houses. When the big snowstorm of 1967 hit, he was stranded on North Lake Shore Drive. One of his regular passengers invited him to stay at his home until the snow was plowed and he was able to get home. He could have been an "L" conductor or a line supervisor, but he preferred driving the bus. When he first started at CTA, he never dreamed he'd be there for 41 years. Just thought I'd share that.

Did your dad possess any film of his time as a bus operator at CTA?.

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Speaking of history, I've been noticing placards on various buses in passing that kind of give a nod to this being CTA's 65th anniversary this year that have a prominent 40 foot bus model in service back then and one of the 1000s to represent CTA today. I'm always getting off the bus when I notice them, but I did notice they have the slogan Moving Chicago Forward which I believe is the catch phrase for Mayor Emanuel's capital improvement blitz for the city so I'm guessing these placards are meant to highlight what CTA will be doing and wants to do to that end of improving the city.

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