Leyden Lines of Franklin Park, IL

[rhburn333]

I have a fascination with this company as I rode it around Elmhurst in the 1950's and 1960's. The Elmhurst Historical Society has been very helpful.

First, Leyden Lines does not come up on Google or Bing. A real historical issue.

I have learned that the company came to Elmhurst with bus service in 1939. They operated primarly local service until noon on July 3, 1957, when the Chicago Aurora and Elgin folded.

At that point, their big route was Chicago to Wheaton. Most busses left from outside Wieboldts in River Forest at the Harlem Avenue CTA Station on the Lake Street Line.

However, I rode many times from the Trailways Station on Randolph Street in downtown Chicago across from Marshall Fields.

The Elmhurst Historical Society has records showing that the company went Chapter 7 bankruptcy for lack of a buyer in September, 1963.

I am new to this forum, but we may want to recognize that date when it comes.

Does anyone else have information on the Leyden Lines.

Rick Burn

Holland, MI

[rhburn333]

LEYDEN

BUS LINES LOCAL BUS SERVICE IN ELMHURST - Does anyone remember riding

the Leyden Lines which went bankrupt in September, 1963?

Leyden

Lines had an extensive bus system in Elmhurst in the 1950's. The

route 20 bus was called the "Stone Cottage - Southside Loop line and ran

every 20 minutes. The north route from downtown went north to North

Avenue and west on North Avenue (Illinois Highway 64) to the Stone

Cottage Restaurant near the intersection of Illinois 64 and 83.

The Southside Loop Route 20 went south on York Street to St. Charles

Road, west on St. Charles Road to Berkeley Avenue (just west of York

High School and the Illinois Central Tracks, south on Berkeley Avenue to

Vallette Street, east on Vallette to York Street, and then north on

York Street to downtown. It was a one way line south of York and St.

Charles and thus had the name "Southside Loop."

Another group

of Leyden Lines were the Routes 36 and 41 which ran one hour headways

(one route ran on the odd hours and one route ran on the even hours).

Both routes originated at Roosevelt and York Roads in Yorkfield, went

north on York Street to Vallette Street, east on Vallette to Niagara

Street which they followed to Poplar Avenue. They went north on Poplar

to St. Charles Road, then west to York Street.

From there, both

the 36 and 41 went north to Lake Street through downtown. The 36

turned left on Lake Street (US 20) and went west to Addison terminating

at Addison Road and Lake Street. The 41 went north to the Bensenville

Milwaukee Road Street.

The buses ran south from Addison and

Bensenville on the same routes, but both lines were called the #41.

There was no number 36 southbound.

Leyden Lines also had a

Route 15 which started in downtown Elmhurst and went to east on Schiller

Street to the Hospital, north on Berteau Avenue to North Avenue and

then east on North Avenue through Northlake ending at the Franklin Park

Milwaukee Road Station.

After the closure of the Chicago Aurora

and Elgin Railroad at noon on July 3, 1957, Leyden got operating

authority to operate a route from River Forest, IL next to Wieboldts

west on Lake Street to Maywood, south on 4th Avenue across the Chicago

and North Western Railroad and then west on St. Charles Road to Wheaton.

No local service was allowed in Cook County as West Towns Bus served

those towns.

In 1962 and 1963, I used to flag the 10 pm bus at

Bellwood Avenue and St. Charles Road in Bellwood and ride home to Poplar

Avenue. Some nights, he flew by and missed me.

Leyden Lines was well known for have speedometers that never worked. Their drivers were not always customer friendly.

Bankruptcy and shutdown came in September, 1963. West Towns Bus took

over the routes and eventually PACE come in to run the bus service

[Busjack]

The only thing I would suggest is to compare Pace 309.

Supposedly old Pace 325 was based on a Leyden route from Schiller Park, connecting to 307, and then via Washington to downtown Chicago. The part of 325 north of North Ave. was incorporated into 303 a couple of years ago.

Also, Krambles and Peterson, CTA at 45 indicates that in the late 40s, CTA proposed taking over West Towns, Leyden, and Bluebird, but nothing happened.

[rhburn333]

Bus jack, I forgot about Bluebird until you mentioned it. What parts of the suburbs did they run? Also, am I dreaming or was there a South Suburban Safeway Lines????

[busfan2847]

BLUEBIRD

Bluebird Coach Lines was formed in 1934 to opertate routes between Chicago and Joliet, replacing Chicago & Joliet Electric Railway Co interurban line. Gradually added additional routes between Chicago and West suburbs. In 1965, all operations sold to newly formed West Suburban Transit Lines, which ceased operation in 1973 after a strike. Certain West Towns Bus Co. routes were extended in west suburbs to replace some of the routes, now part of Pace West. Joliet routes operated by Valley Transit Corp for a time (now part of Pace Heritage).

SOUTH SUBURBAN SAFEWAY

Early local transportation in Chicago's south suburbs was provided by Chicago & Interurban Traction, operating an electric railway between Chicago's south side and Kankakee. The railway stopped operating in 1927, after losing passengers to competing Illinois Central Railroad, which had electrified the year before. Bus service between Chicago and Kankakee introduced by Illinois Roadway Lines, controlled by South Suburban Motor Coach. In 1929 Kankakee-Grant Park Bus Line extended north to Beecher. South Suburban Motor Coach acquires control of Kankakee-Grant Park Bus Line and E. N. Betourne Bus Line. Through bus route formed between Chicago and Danville, jointly operated by the South Suburban Motor Coach subsidiaries Illinois Roadway Lines, Kankakee-Grant Park Bus Line, and E. N. Betourne Bus Line. Service between Kankakee and Momence assumed by Safe Way Lines, a new South Suburban Motor Coach subsidiary. In 1930 E. N. Betourne Bus Line restructures Chicago to Danville intercity service to include dedicated buses operating north of Momence to Chicago, not carrying local passengers. South Suburban Motor Coach would continue local operation north of Kankakee, consolidating subsidiaries Illinois Roadway Lines and Kankakee-Grant Park Bus Line into the main company. In 1932 E. N. Betourne Bus Line sold to Southern Limited and in 1933 South Suburban Motor Coach reorganized as South Suburban Safeway Lines. In 1935 South Suburban Safeway Lines service between Crete and Kankakee sold to Southern Limited. Crete would remain the most southern point served by South Suburban Safeway Lines until the end of private ownership. In 1983, South Suburban Safeway was sold to the RTA, managed by ATE Management, becoming directly operated as Pace South Division in 1985.

[busfan2847]

I have a fascination with this company as I rode it around Elmhurst in the 1950's and 1960's. The Elmhurst Historical Society has been very helpful.

First, Leyden Lines does not come up on Google or Bing. A real historical issue.

I have learned that the company came to Elmhurst with bus service in 1939. They operated primarly local service until noon on July 3, 1957, when the Chicago Aurora and Elgin folded.

At that point, their big route was Chicago to Wheaton. Most busses left from outside Wieboldts in River Forest at the Harlem Avenue CTA Station on the Lake Street Line.

However, I rode many times from the Trailways Station on Randolph Street in downtown Chicago across from Marshall Fields.

The Elmhurst Historical Society has records showing that the company went Chapter 7 bankruptcy for lack of a buyer in September, 1963.

I am new to this forum, but we may want to recognize that date when it comes.

Does anyone else have information on the Leyden Lines.

Rick Burn

Holland, MI

Have you looked at http://www.chicagorailfan.com/maptlmc.html ?

[Busjack]

Bus jack, I forgot about Bluebird until you mentioned it. What parts of the suburbs did they run? Also, am I dreaming or was there a South Suburban Safeway Lines????

From some maps I saw (see the link in 2847's post above, for instance), West Towns ended at Mannheim and Blue Bird had essentially Mannheim to Oakbrook, including expresses to downtown Chicago.

Also, interestingly, the 1970 CTA map* shows both LaGrange and West Suburban in the LaGrange area.

_______________

*Available on chicago-l.org->Maps->Route Maps. Link not posted since it doesn't accept referred links.

[buslist]

At the end most Leyden service was provided with leased Safeways 4007s. When they were recalled in mid August to serve SSS's school routes, without enough operable buses Leyden shut down. Their garage in Lombard ( which still exists ) later became West Suburban's ( fairly far off routes ).

BTW rosters of Leyden, Bluebird, West Suburban etc. are still accessae at <http://www.webring.org/l/rd?ring=001bus;id=150;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eoocities%2Eorg%2F%7Ebuslist%2F>.

Now only if a certain someone would get off his butt and get this site going again!