Watching again.. So interesting.. Thank you.. 🙂😊

Very nice... when Chicago was still livable

We need to bring society back to being good, moral, respectful people, the family, marriage, God, honesty, and integrity.

I was born in '56 so I don't remember the 50's. But from what I've seen and heard it was the greatest decade ever.

We really need to bring back our streetcars.

I was born in '49 so I never got to ride any of the old red trolleys, but I still remember being a mini-kid and my Dad hustling me through the back door of a Green Hornet streetcar. I was, maybe, 4 or 5 years old as I recall not being any taller than the back of a seat. We lived on the north Side and I used to ride the Irving Park trolley buses to the Ravenswood L station when I went to the U of I '67 to '71. Interesting to me that I remember that the old trolley tracks were never removed when streetcars ended, just paved over, and I remember the rails were exposed some places, like on Lincoln Avenue where the Ravenswood crossed over. Then I read on another forum (Forgotten Chicago, maybe?) that the reason why is that the rails provided an earthing ground for electrical current in the transit system and that, if removed, the grounding would transfer to the water distribution system and that would have caused the metal water mains to oxidize and corrode over time. I've lived in Florida now for 39 years but I still miss Chicago, though I miss it for what it was, not what it is now. You can take the boy out of Chicago but you can't take Chicago out of the boy. Thanks for the nostalgic memories. Regards.

I remember this from my childhood!

Fortunately, the cameraman was a trolley/train enthusiast. Otherwise we wouldn't be seeing any of this historic footage....and in color!! Thanks!

The street scenes near the end of the video show 111th Street near Longwood toward the Rock Island suburban line at the base of the hill. I had wondered how these trolleys ever got up that steep incline! They moved quite slowly! Who knows how it was done with ice and snow and a load of passengers. The flagging is taking place at 111th and Hale. Other scenes show a southbound trolley on Vincennes near 94th Street. The end of the line shot is at 111th Street and Mt. Olivet Cemetery near California Ave. It makes sense that this is a terminus since cemeteries were such destinations back then. So great to see these views!!

Love this. Thank you for posting!

The conductor could make change with his neat coin machine on his belt.

That first shot of the trolley going over the train tracks is 111th St in Morgan Park. My Great Grandma and Grandma and Grandpa live there. My Grandma took me to that Kaden's store many times and the little shops along the way there. This was during the early 1950's..

Great footage! I've had the pleasure of taking the last great Interurban Rail line left (NICTD, aka South Shore) through most of my life; part of the family hails from NW Indiana.

I still remember when South Shore trains came all the way into downtown South Bend. Alas, I'm too young to remember streetcars in Chicago - I was born in '56.

When I was a kid, you could drive down Western Ave. on the south side, and if the asphalt was chipped up, you could see the old roadway with the rails still there. Big Oil lobbied the big cities to switch to buses and here we are.

Superb quality of film for the period. Thank you.

Great stuff....I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. I barely remember the old electric buses on Belmont Avenue that ended at Thatcher/Cumberland, and [I think] ran until late 1969, so seeing all this history is fascinating to me. I rode the South Shore Line into South Bend in 1984 once, and "The Skokie Swift," twice. Man! If only we still had these!!! Also saw a documentary on Los Angeles' Red Car trains, as well. Sad to see that they all went away with the advent of the car-craze days of the 1950s. We even have some tracks exposed of the old trolley car lines here in San Diego. I see them every once in a great while....

This was a great video, thank you. I remember during the 50s the CTA converted to the "trolleybus" on many streets. The big problem was that without the rails, the trolleybus could be steered off the power line. Many times the driver would lose the power and the bus would stop. He'd have to get out of the bus and reattach the cable arm to the cable. I guess this became a big problem. Thanks again.

The trolley cars were cool but the car cars were making me wish I could go back, get a big building and store a bunch - my retirement!!! Thanks for putting this on Youtue

Surprisingly, there's not one bus to be seen here in such a big city. This must have been just a few years before the buses took over.

I use to play in the sand boxes located over the wheels ... Western Ave

I have to say, I was impressed with the colour scheme of red and cream on the street cars,a livery to my liking.

It was great! Thank you for sharing!

I LOVE MY CITY OF CHICAGO................WE GOTIT ALL!!!!!!!MOST BEAUTIFUL DOWNTOWN IN THE WORLD,BAR NONE

love seeing my city when it was beautifull. Thanks for the great film

Very nice video, thanks 👍

I enjoyed watching this video. The set where the Sears Store, @ Winchester & Lawrence, was especially close, went to school at McPherson, right across the street. Went into Sears many times, it's now occupied by DeVry Tech, since Sears is gone. Good production, greatly appreciated. Amazing that I moved into the neighborhood in 1949, and now 2022, still live here. Much has changed, but much is still. here, and good. From a 4 year old boy to a 77 year old Grandpa of 6-------TIME FLIES!

I don't remember the old cars...but I DO remember the Green CTA trolleys in the early 1950's (on Irving Park Rd). I also took one of the last rides on the inter-urban, from the Wrigley Field elevated station. to Milwaukee.

Very nice and informative video, thank you so much for posting this rare and valuable footage. God Bless....

EXCELLENT REALLY ENJOYED YOUR VIDEO. LOVE SEEING THE OLDER CARS

Yep, I remember the street cars on Lake street under the "L" trains. Also remember some auto tires were cut by the street car tracks. Then the trolley busses appeared. Thanks.

Fun to see! Looked much earlier than the 50s tho for the most part.

WOW... How America changed.. 😊 Thanks for the interesting video..

Só brasileiro do estado de minas gerais cidade de belo horizonte amei esse videio me traz uma grande nostalgia.. Parabéns Railfan Depot

Most people don't realize this but Chicago had the first subway in the US. They didn't last very long though, but the first one was opened in 1869 for trolleys

Aw cool, Lawrence Ave. Theres a ton of old footage of chicago, but its all downtown. Theres not many pics and vids of the old nw side.

Love it!

Hi !! Looks like an awesome DVD

Hi! I have an order in for the Union Pacific Big Boy Story (2 DVD set). Should arrive in the next day or 2. :-)

Can you put one for the south east side I wanna know about the old #24 wentworth street car that would curve in 9950 s. Commercial Ave

Great

A great time to be alive in America. I wish I had a time machine. You can thank THE TRIBE for introducing multiculturalism

It’s sad that the automotive industry killed street cars which eventually led to the fall of walkable cities/towns

I remember buying 20 cent Tokens

Be sure to go to the "IRM" The Illinois Rail Museum located in Union IL. We have a couple of operating trollies. There is a "Red Rocket Brill" and a Green Hornet PCC that will take you around the grounds along with operating Steam / Diesel Engines/ two old El Cars from the '30s and '40s. And much more to see. Go to IRM.ORG for more information.

any videos or the PPC TROLLEYS

Any footage of the train/trolley passing in front of Hull House or Little Italy down Halsted or Blue Island?

it's a shame they stop using trolleys when I was a toddler the city seemed different then

hi.

Was the CTA ever a. Truly system at one point? I will get this dvd for sure since I am a Chicago resident.

Hello

Hi try for the videos they are cool

Hi

Does anyone know the name of those Narrow streets? I think Irving Park Rd is shown a couple of times

Hi.

Great film. Would anyone know the street or road names shown here..? Thanks.

each and every city that gave up their street cars / trams has later deplored that stupid act

If memory serves, I have saw this street car in San Francisco heritage streetcar fleet (F line). Am I right? And this remind me of the electric passenger rail service between San Francisco and Sacramento, running through the lower deck of Bay Bridge. Do you have footage about that?

What's the location for :40 mark

Another "Chicago" vid that only focus on the loop, lakefront and/or north but this one doesn't even give the location

Did the trolls ever go threw oak park on the west side

I am in love with her! sorry

LoL look....Polar Express...jails...Sheridan and Great lakes drop offs...

Railfan depot - Julian Crews here with WGN-TV News. We’re doing a story about the IL Railway Museum in Union? Would you allow us to use a few portions of your Chicago street car / train footage? We can courtesy Railfan Depot. In order to use the footage, we’d just need short written approval? To use this footage on our website & on the air for Chicago and our downstate Nexstar (parent company) tv news stations. My email is jcrews@wgntv.com Thanks - Julian Crews