Lake Street Elevated Railroad

Last updated
Lake Street Elevated Railroad
Ashland CTA 060716.jpg
Ashland station, one of the original stations on the Lake Street "L"
Overview
Locale Chicago, Illinois
Service
Type Rapid transit
Operator(s)Lake Street Elevated Railroad Company (1893–1904)
Chicago and Oak Park Elevated Railroad (1904–1924)
History
Opened1893
Closed1924 (merged into Chicago Rapid Transit Company)
Technical
CharacterElevated
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge [1]
Electrification Third rail, Trolley wire 600 V DC
Route map

Contents

BSicon uhCONTg.svg
Loop
BSicon uhSTR.svg
BSicon uhKBHFa.svg
Market Terminal
BSicon uhSTR.svg
BSicon uhBHF.svg
Randolph/Market
BSicon uhABZg+l.svg
BSicon uhSTRr.svg
BSicon WASSERq.svg
BSicon uhKRZW.svg
BSicon WASSERq.svg
Chicago River
BSicon CONTgq.svg
BSicon umhKRZ.svg
BSicon CONTfq.svg
Milwaukee Road
BSicon uehBHF.svg
Canal
BSicon hCONTgq.svg
BSicon umhKRZho.svg
BSicon hKBHFeq.svg
Chicago and North Western Railway
BSicon uhBHF.svg
Clinton
BSicon uhBHF.svg
Halsted
BSicon uhBHF.svg
Morgan
BSicon uhBHF.svg
Racine
BSicon uhBHF.svg
Loomis
BSicon uhBHF.svg
Ashland
BSicon uhCONTgq.svg
BSicon uhTINThu.svg
BSicon uhCONTfq.svg
Lake Street Transfer
BSicon uehBHF.svg
Wood
BSicon uhBHF.svg
Damen
BSicon uhBHF.svg
Oakley
BSicon uhBHF.svg
Campbell
BSicon hCONTgq.svg
BSicon umhKRZho.svg
BSicon hCONTfq.svg
BSicon uhBHF.svg
California
BSicon uhBHF.svg
Sacramento
BSicon uhBHF.svg
Kedzie
BSicon uhBHF.svg
Homan
BSicon uhBHF.svg
Hamlin
BSicon lhSTRa@fq.svg
BSicon uexKDSTaq.svg
BSicon uehABZgr.svg
Hamlin yard and shops
BSicon uhBHF.svg
Pulaski
BSicon uhBHF.svg
Kostner
BSicon hCONTgq.svg
BSicon umhKRZho.svg
BSicon hCONTfq.svg
Belt Railway of Chicago
BSicon uhBHF.svg
Cicero
BSicon uhBHFe.svg
Laramie
BSicon uBHF.svg
Central
BSicon uBHF.svg
Menard
BSicon uBHF.svg
Austin
BSicon uBHF.svg
BSicon uexSTRl.svg
BSicon uexSTR+r.svg
BSicon RP4+r.svg
Lombard
BSicon uSTR.svg
BSicon uexBHF.svg
BSicon RP4.svg
Lombard/Randolph
BSicon uBHF.svg
BSicon uexSTR.svg
BSicon RP4.svg
Ridgeland
BSicon uSTR.svg
BSicon uexBHF.svg
BSicon RP4.svg
East/Randolph
BSicon uBHF.svg
BSicon uexSTR.svg
BSicon RP4.svg
Oak Park
BSicon uSTR.svg
BSicon uexBHF.svg
BSicon RP4.svg
Oak Park/Randolph
BSicon uBHF.svg
BSicon uexSTR.svg
BSicon RP4.svg
Harlem
BSicon uSTR.svg
BSicon uexKBHFe.svg
BSicon RP4.svg
Wisconsin/Randolph
BSicon uKBHFe.svg
Forest Park

The Lake Street Elevated Railroad was the second permanent elevated rapid transit line to be constructed in Chicago, Illinois. The first section of the line opened in November 1893. [2] Its route is still used today as part of the Green Line route of the Chicago "L" system.

History

The coal-burning steam locomotive "Clarence A" on the Lake Street Elevated Railroad, 1893 Clarence A train on the Lake Street Elevated, 1893.jpg
The coal-burning steam locomotive "Clarence A" on the Lake Street Elevated Railroad, 1893

The Lake Street Elevated Railway Company was chartered on February 7, 1888, and granted a 25-year franchise by the city council to build an elevated railroad above Lake Street from Canal Street to the city limits. [3] It was originally planned that the line would use a steam-powered monorail system that had been developed by Joe Meigs in Cambridge, Massachusetts, however the company eventually chose to use more traditional steam locomotives. [2]

Construction of the line began in 1889. Potential investors found the franchise too restrictive [2] and a new 40 year franchise was awarded by the city council in November 1890, that allowed the railroad to extend to Market Street in downtown Chicago. By 1892 the company had debts of $17 million (equivalent to $576 million in 2023 [4] ).[ citation needed ] It was sold to new owners, [2] renamed the Lake Street Elevated Railroad Company, and a new charter was granted on August 24, 1892. [3]

The first section, running from the downtown terminal at Market Street and Madison to California Avenue opened to the public in October 1893. The line was completed to 52nd Avenue (Laramie)—a total length of 6.4 miles (10.3 km)—in April 1894. [1] Service was extended to Austin Avenue in (what was then) the suburb of Austin via a section of track built at-grade in April 1899. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salt Lake City Union Pacific Depot</span> Historic train station in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.

The Salt Lake City Union Pacific Depot is a building on the western edge of downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Built in 1908–09, it dates back to the more prosperous era in the history of American railroad travel. As Salt Lake Union Pacific Railroad Station, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utilities of Seattle</span>

The utilities of Seattle are provided by two government owned, and five privately owned, public utilities. The public utilities are Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) for the water supply and waste management, and Seattle City Light for electricity. The private companies are Puget Sound Energy for natural gas; CenTrio Seattle for district heating; CenturyLink for telephone service, DSL and FTTH; and Comcast and Wave Broadband for cable television and cable internet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edge Ice Arena</span> Multi-purpose arena in Bensenville, Illinois

The Edge Ice Arena is a 3,000-seat multi-purpose arena located in Bensenville, Illinois. It had been used as the official training facility and practice arena for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League before the team built a new downtown Chicago training facility. The arena also had been used by Chicago Steel (USHL) from 2000 to 2015. The ice arena is also the home to the Roosevelt Lakers men's and women's college ice hockey teams competing at the ACHA Division I level. Until Roosevelt's merger with Robert Morris University Illinois in 2020, it was the home of Robert Morris Eagles ice hockey. The Edge is also home to several local high school ice hockey teams, and is used by local figure skating clubs, youth, and adult rec. ice hockey leagues, as well as public skating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock Creek Railway</span>

The Rock Creek Railway, which operated independently from 1890 to 1895, was one of the first electric streetcar companies in Washington, D.C., and the first to extend into Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Granville station (CTA)</span> Chicago "L" station

Granville is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's Red Line, part of the Chicago 'L' rapid transit system. It is located at 1119 West Granville Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. It is in the Edgewater neighborhood, close to the Rogers Park border. From Granville, trains take 36 minutes to reach the Chicago Loop. Purple Line weekday rush hour express service use the outside tracks and do not stop at this station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inner Loop (Rochester)</span> A freeway in Rochester, New York

The Inner Loop, formerly a complete loop, is now a C-shaped freeway in downtown Rochester, New York, in the United States. Only the portions north of Interstate 490 (I-490) are signed as the "Inner Loop". The official western terminus of the Inner Loop is at I-490 exit 13 in the shadow of Frontier Field west of downtown, while the eastern terminus is at I-490 exits 15 and 16 directly south of downtown on the east bank of the Genesee River. This section of the loop is designated New York State Route 940T (NY 940T), an unsigned reference route, by the New York State Department of Transportation. Although the NY 940T designation is not signed, the road is signed with orange trapezoidal route markers containing the words "Inner Loop" in white.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York State Route 105</span> State highway in Nassau County, New York, US

New York State Route 105 (NY 105) is a 3.41-mile (5.49 km) state highway located within Nassau County, New York, in the United States. It begins in the town of Hempstead at an intersection with NY 106 in North Bellmore that also serves as that route's southern terminus. From here, it runs east through North Wantagh to an interchange with NY 135 before crossing into the town of Oyster Bay and ending at a junction with NY 107 in Massapequa. Jerusalem Avenue continues west past the route's western terminus as a county-maintained road to Hempstead and east as a town road to Massapequa Preserve. NY 105 was assigned in the early 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing Building</span> Skyscraper and headquarters of Boeing in Chicago

The Boeing Building is a 36-floor skyscraper located in the Near West Side of Chicago. The building, at 100 North Riverside Plaza, is located on the west side of the Chicago River directly across from the downtown Loop. The building was designed with a structural system that uses steel trusses to support its suspended southwest corner in order to clear the Amtrak and Metra railroad tracks immediately beneath it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Model A (1903–04)</span> Motor vehicle

The original Ford Model A is the first car produced by the Ford Motor Company, beginning production in 1903. Ernest Pfennig, a Chicago dentist, became the first owner of a Model A on July 23, 1903; 1,750 cars were made in 1903 and 1904 at the Ford Mack Avenue Plant, a modest rented wood-frame building on Detroit's East Side, and Ford's first facility. The Model A was replaced by the Ford Model C during 1904 with some sales overlap.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peoria Civic Center</span> Convention center in Illinois, United States

Peoria Civic Center is an entertainment complex located in downtown Peoria, Illinois. Designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Philip Johnson and John Burgee, it has an arena, theater, exhibit hall and meeting rooms. It opened in 1982 and completed an expansion to its lobby and meeting facilities in 2007. On the grounds of the Peoria Civic Center sits the massive "Sonar Tide," the last and largest sculpture of the pioneer of abstract minimalism Ronald Bladen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York State Route 395</span> State highway in Schenectady County, New York, US

New York State Route 395 (NY 395) is a state highway located within the town of Duanesburg in Schenectady County, New York, in the United States. It connects NY 7 to U.S. Route 20 (US 20) by way of the village of Delanson. The route was assigned as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York and has not been altered since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philadelphia Transportation Company</span> Philadelphia Public Transit Operator (January 1, 1940 to September 30, 1968)

The Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC) was the main public transit operator in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 1940 to 1968. A private company, PTC was the successor to the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company (PRT), in operation since 1902, and was the immediate predecessor of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orpheum Theatre (Omaha)</span> Theater in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.

The Orpheum Theater is a theater located in Omaha, Nebraska. The theater hosts programs best served by a more theatrical setting, including the Omaha Performing Arts Broadway Season, presented with Broadway Across America, and Opera Omaha's season. The theatre is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The main auditorium is a proscenium theater known as "Slosburg Hall". The theater has a theatre organ, made by Wurlitzer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University Club of Chicago</span> Private social club in Illinois, US

The University Club of Chicago is a private social club located at 76 East Monroe Street at the corner of Michigan Avenue & Monroe Street in downtown Chicago, Illinois. It received its charter in 1887, when a group of college friends, principally alumni of Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, founded the club hoping to further their collegial ties and enjoy intellectual pursuits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza 440</span> Residential in Chicago, Illinois

Plaza 440 is a 49-story residential condominium building located in downtown Chicago, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke Energy Convention Center</span> Event venue in Cincinnati, Ohio

The Duke Energy Convention Center is a convention center located in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, covering two city blocks bounded by Elm Street, 5th Street, 6th Street, and Central Avenue.

Airport Expressway, is a 7.9-mile (12.7 km) long expressway located in Allen County and the City of Fort Wayne, Indiana. The expressway, completed in 2001, provides access to the Fort Wayne International Airport. Airport Expressway begins as an extension of Lower Huntington Road in rural Allen County at an interchange with Interstate 69 (I–69) exit 299 and travels northeast, then east to end at Fairfield Avenue. None of the highway is listed on the National Highway System. Various sections are rural four-lane undivided highway and urbanized four-lane divided highway.

The Seneca Road Company was formed to improve the main road running west from Utica, New York, the Genesee Road, from Utica to Canandaigua and operate it as a toll road or turnpike. The road was originally laid out in 1794 from Baggs Square in downtown Utica at the ford of the Mohawk River and followed the Indian trail past Syracuse to Canandaigua. Some accounts say it went to Geneva and Avon originally. There was no City of Syracuse then. The road became known as the Seneca Turnpike, which was 157 miles (253 km) long and, at the time, the longest toll road in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin Street Terminal</span> Rapid transit station in Chicago, 1895–1897

The Franklin Street Terminal was a rapid transit station on the Chicago "L" that was the eastern terminus of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad from 1895 to 1897. The Metropolitan had intended to construct its eastern end at Fifth Avenue, a block east of Franklin Street, but right-of-way acquisition costs had proven prohibitive so it settled on Franklin Street to house its terminal and offices. Rather than demolish the buildings on the site, the company opted to gut their second and third floors and run its tracks through them.

The Geary Subway is a proposed rail tunnel underneath Geary Boulevard in San Francisco, California. Several plans have been put forward as early as the 1930s to add a grade separated route along the corridor for transit. San Francisco Municipal Railway bus routes on the street served 52,900 daily riders in 2019, the most of any corridor in the city.

References

  1. 1 2 Poor, H.V.; Poor, H.W. (1898). Poor's Manual of the Railroads of the United States. p. 963.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Borzo, Greg (2007). "Chapter Three: Second "L"—Lake Street". The Chicago "L". Chicago: Arcadia Publishing. pp. 35–42. ISBN   978-0-7385-5100-5.
  3. 1 2 Wilcox, Delos F. (1911). Municipal Franchises: A Description of the Terms and Conditions upon which Private Corporations Enjoy Special Privileges in the Streets of American Cities. New York: The Engineering News Publishing Company. pp. 470–477.
  4. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  5. "Austin Hails Five-Cent Fares". Chicago Daily Tribune. April 15, 1899. p. 5.