Flag Stop 4,614 transit photos from Chicago and beyond, mostly 1940s–2000s
Equipment

Master Unit

101 photographs
A vintage red Chicago streetcar with the number 551 travels down a busy urban street lined with parked cars and a white delivery truck. A red and cream Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, number 551, operates on a cobblestone street in Chicago. June 1950 · State and Roosevelt, Chicago, IL A vintage red and cream streetcar numbered 723, with a destination sign reading 'THE ISLAND', is shown on a cobblestone street with passengers visible through its windows, under overhead wires and next to a building with a 'FLOOR COVERINGS' sign. Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit 723, painted in red and cream, is seen on a street running route, likely near the Clinton and Harrison intersection, with passengers aboard and an advertisement for golf on its front. July 11, 1950 · Clinton and Harrison, Chicago, IL A vintage interurban streetcar with the number 25, in dark green and wood trim, runs on an elevated track through a city neighborhood with a 'Fox Deluxe Beer' billboard in the background. Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Master Unit car #25 on the Lake Street Loop, circa 1920s. August 1950 · Lake and Paulina, Chicago, IL A red and cream streetcar with the number 567 and 'NORTH WESTERN STATION' shown on its front is stopped on a city street with cars and brick buildings in the background. A Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, number 567, operates on a street in front of storefronts including Schlesinger's Meats. October 18, 1950 · Armitage A red and cream Chicago Surface Lines streetcar, number 436, is stopped on a city street with several passengers standing on its running board, surrounded by vintage 1940s automobiles and a Lay's potato chips billboard. A Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, number 436, is packed with passengers on a fan trip in downtown Chicago, circa 1948-1950. October 29, 1950 · Roosevelt and Wabash, Chicago, IL A vintage orange streetcar on city streets at dusk, with a classic car and pedestrians nearby. A Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, number 1786, is seen at the Ogden and Ashland intersection under dusk lighting. October 29, 1950 · Ogden and Ashland Blvd., Chicago, IL An old electric train car with 'RAPID TRANSIT' lettering on its side travels on elevated tracks near a building with a 'MOODY PIE CO' sign. A Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Master Unit interurban car on an elevated track, with the Moody Pie Company building visible in the background. October 30, 1950 · Lake Paulina An early 20th-century interurban car with a cream and maroon livery and an open front platform is parked on an elevated wooden structure. Snow is visible on the platform and the car's roof. A Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Master Unit interurban car, likely in the 1950s, rests on an elevated wooden structure in a snowy, overcast setting. November 6, 1950 · Irving Pk, Chicago, IL A red and cream streetcar with the number 726 and destination Halsted is stopped on a city street, with tall buildings and a 1950s car in the background. Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar 726 on the Halsted route in downtown Chicago, circa 1950-1953. 1951 · 42 and Washington A vintage red streetcar with the number 357 and destination 'California + Roscoe' is shown on a snowy street, with a driver visible in the cab and overhead wires above. A red Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, number 357, displays its California + Roscoe destination on a winter day. 1951 · California and Roscoe, CA A black and white photo of a vintage wooden 'L' car with a clerestory roof, stopped at an elevated station. The front sign reads 'A LAKE', and a 'Del Monte Fruit Co.' ad is visible on the platform wall. A Chicago Rapid Transit Company Master Unit rapid transit car at an elevated station platform, with a destination sign reading 'A LAKE'. 1951 · Wells and Madison, Chicago, IL Two Chicago Aurora and Elgin interurban cars on an elevated track, surrounded by buildings. A Chicago Aurora and Elgin interurban car on an elevated structure in Chicago, with another car visible in the distance. 1951 · Wells St. Terminal, Chicago, IL A red and cream interurban car with the number 505 on its side, labeled 'MILWAUKEE' on its front, is shown on a snowy street with passengers visible through its windows, in front of a Tudor-style building. A Milwaukee Road Master Unit interurban car, number 505, in orange and cream livery, stands on a snow-dusted street with passengers on board. January 1951 · Logan Blvd, Milwaukee, WI Three red and white interurban cars from the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee line are parked side-by-side in a snowy yard, with complex overhead wiring above them. A lineup of Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Master Unit interurban cars, including car 330, in a snow-dusted yard under an intricate web of overhead wires. March 13, 1951 · Kedzie Jackson Barn A red and cream streetcar numbered 3164 is parked in a rail yard, with overhead wires visible and other scrapped cars in the background. Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar no. 3164, painted in red and cream livery, sits in a rail yard under overcast skies. 1952 · 77th and Vincennes, Chicago, IL A vintage black-and-white photograph of Chicago Surface Lines streetcar 3359 on a city street, with its destination sign reading 'Cottage Grove Ave' and an ad for Lincoln Park Zoo on the front. The car is on a street lined with buildings and has a Coca-Cola sign on a building above it. Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar 3359, operating on the Cottage Grove Avenue line, photographed in the 1930s or 1940s. 1952 · 4 and Wabash A red and green Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee interurban train, led by car 759, on elevated tracks with city buildings in the background under a partly cloudy sky. A Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee interurban train, led by car 759, rounds a curve on an elevated structure in Chicago. 1952 · Sheridan and Irving Pk., Chicago, IL A vintage orange streetcar with the number 75 runs on tracks embedded in a busy, wide city street lined with tall buildings and 1950s automobiles. A Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, number 75, navigates a cobblestone street in downtown Chicago, likely in the early 1950s. April 1952 · 45 and Roosevelt Two red and cream streetcars, numbered 473 and 857, are stopped on a city street lined with tall buildings and large store signs for Spiegel and Wieboldt under a clear sky. Two Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcars, numbers 473 and 857, on a downtown street with prominent store signs for Spiegel and Wieboldt in the background. May 1, 1952 · 63rd and Green, Chicago, IL Two vintage wooden interurban cars in brown and cream livery are parked on an elevated wooden platform, with overhead wires visible. Two brown and cream Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Master Unit interurban cars on an elevated platform, likely at Lawndale station. May 3, 1952 An old photograph of a vintage interurban car on an elevated wooden track platform, showing its rear with decorative festoons and a matching car on a parallel track. A Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Master Unit interurban car, decorated with festoons, sits on an elevated wooden platform, with a second identical car on an adjacent track. May 3, 1952 A red and cream vintage streetcar numbered 3164, identified as a Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit, is parked in a rail yard with overhead wires visible and a route number 4 sign on the front. Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar 3164, painted in red and cream livery, is pictured in a yard under an overcast sky, with its route number 4 displayed on the front. June 1952 · 77th and Vincennes, Chicago, IL A black and white photograph of a vintage interurban car, numbered 4, with a destination sign reading 'HOWARD B', on a set of tracks with overhead wires and a wooden utility pole in the background. Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee interurban car #4, a Master Unit, photographed on its private right-of-way in Skokie, Illinois. July 29, 1952 · Skokie, IL An elevated view of a city street in winter with two vintage streetcars in the foreground, one red and one green, surrounded by cars and brick buildings with signs. Two Chicago Surface Lines streetcars, a Master Unit and a PCC, pass on a city street lined with vintage storefronts in the late 1940s. December 1952 · 63rd and Harvard, Chicago, IL A green and cream Chicago Surface Lines streetcar numbered 1733 is stopped on a city street under an elevated structure, with pedestrians nearby and storefronts in the background. Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar 1733 on Lake Street under the elevated tracks on a sunny day. 1953 · Lake and Dearborn, Chicago, IL A red electric interurban train car numbered 34 is on a set of tracks next to a grassy area, with a water tower and vintage cars in the background. A red Chicago Aurora and Elgin interurban car, number 34, heads toward Wheaton on a private right-of-way in Maywood, Illinois. 1953 · 1st Ave, Maywood, IL Three vintage red and white streetcars parked in front of a brick carhouse on a sunny day. Three Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcars, numbers 6151, 3196, and 554, parked in front of the Ashland Carhouse. August 23, 1953 · Ashland Carhouse An orange and green interurban train labeled CNS&M 183 travels down a street with visible trolley wires, passing a brick station and a stop sign, with a person standing on the sidewalk and cars parked nearby. Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee interurban car 183, a Master Unit, on Central Avenue in Highland Park, Illinois, in the 1950s. 1954 · Central Ave, Highland Pk A red and cream streetcar with the number 317 on its front travels down a cobblestone street lined with 1950s cars and buildings with signs reading 'Romano Drugs' and 'Coca-Cola'. A Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, number 317, on a city street lined with parked automobiles and storefronts, including Romano Drugs, in the early 1950s. February 22, 1954 · Grand, Halsted and Milwaukee, Chicago, IL A row of old, damaged interurban railcars with green and cream livery sit in a gravel and debris-filled scrapyard under overhead wires. Derelict Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Master Unit interurban cars in a scrapyard, likely shortly after the line's 1963 abandonment. March 21, 1954 · 77th and Vincennes, Chicago, IL A high-angle view of a red streetcar turning a corner on a city street, surrounded by 1940s cars and brick buildings, with a person standing on the car's roof. A red Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar navigates a city street in the late 1940s, with vintage automobiles and brick buildings lining the road. May 12, 1954 · Larrabee Division, Chicago, IL A red and white Chicago Surface Lines streetcar numbered 141 is positioned on a bascule bridge with vintage cars and a control tower nearby under a clear sky. A Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, number 141, stands on a bascule bridge under a clear sky in the late 1940s. May 24, 1954 · Halsted Lumber A red and green interurban train, identified as car 174, sits at a wooden station platform under a clear blue sky, with brick buildings and a Dr. Scholl's billboard in the background. Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Master Unit car 174 on an elevated structure in Chicago, likely at the Chicago & Franklin station. 1955 · Chicago and Franklin, Chicago, IL A vintage interurban car running on an elevated railway track, with city buildings and water towers in the background. A Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Master Unit car, number 324, on an elevated track in Chicago. January 1955 · Garfield Racine Ave, Chicago, IL A vintage black and white photo shows a streetcar on fire in the snow, with the number 542 visible on its front. A Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, number 542, is engulfed in flames during winter. March 23, 1956 · 77th Vincennes Two green and cream interurban cars, numbered 7210 and 7201, sit on tracks in a gravel yard with a clear sky and leafless trees in the background. Two Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Master Unit interurban cars, numbered 7210 and 7201, are parked in a yard in 1957. 1957 · 77th and Vincennes, Chicago, IL A vintage red streetcar with the number 565 on its front, shown at an angle on a city street with cars parked nearby and buildings in the background. A red and cream Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, number 565, on a winter day at the intersection of Paulina and J Polk streets. March 1957 · Paulina and J Polk A three-quarter rear view of a vintage brown and yellow interurban car, numbered 2858, sitting on tracks in a yard with a building and a blue car visible in the background. Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Interurban car 2858 is shown in a yard on a clear winter day, its brown and yellow livery intact, likely in the 1950s. April 14, 1957 · Kimball, Chicago, IL An old, light-colored wooden interurban car with many windows travels on elevated tracks alongside buildings and trees under an overcast sky. A Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Master Unit interurban car, lettered with an 'A' for the Skokie Valley route, travels on an elevated structure on a summer day in the 1950s. June 1957 · Diversey, Chicago, IL A vintage red interurban streetcar with the number 1541 and 'LONG BEACH LIMITED' written on its front travels down a city street lined with palm trees and 1950s cars. A red Pacific Electric Master Unit interurban car, number 1541, named 'LONG BEACH LIMITED', runs on a city street in Long Beach, California, in the 1950s. March 9, 1958 · Long Beach, CA A green and cream streetcar with the number 1423 is stopped at a street intersection on a sunny day, with a Richfield gas station and a building labeled 'BARNE' APTS.' in the background. A Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, number 1423, on route 5 at a Richfield gas station on a sunny day. August 1958 · 7th and Vermont A vintage orange and cream streetcar, numbered 531, runs down a city street under an elevated railway, with 1940s cars in the background. A Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, number 531, on the 'JU CENTRAL' route near the North Western Station in the 1940s. October 17, 1958 · Clinton and Lake, Chicago, IL A vintage dark green and red interurban car runs on streetcar tracks down a tree-lined street with a church steeple in the background on a cloudy winter day. A North Shore Line Master Unit interurban car, number 749, on a winter street in Milwaukee in 1960. 1960 · 5th St., Milwaukee, WI A red and green interurban car with the number 747 and a sign reading 'Skokie Valley Route Chicago-Limited' is stopped on a snow-covered track with overhead wires and utility poles in the background. A Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Master Unit interurban car, number 747, on the Skokie Valley Route in a snowy setting. 1961 · Kenosha, WI Side view of a cream-colored North Shore Line Master Unit interurban car, number 2219, on tracks surrounded by overgrown vegetation and overhead wires. A North Shore Line Master Unit interurban car, number 2219, rests on a private right-of-way, flanked by other cars in a yard setting. August 31, 1961 · Highwood, IL A vintage electric interurban car with a streamlined body and trolley pole is parked at a snowy station platform on an elevated railway at night in a city setting. A Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Master Unit interurban car, #801, stands at a snow-dusted station platform at night on an elevated structure in Chicago. January 20, 1963 · 6th and Clybourn, Chicago, IL A single electric multiple-unit train car, number 42, with a red, white and blue stripe, sits on elevated tracks under a clear sky, with a 'Linden Howard' sign in its front window and a Holiday Inn in the background. Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad Master Unit 42, painted in its 1970s livery, is shown on the elevated tracks in Chicago with a 'Linden Howard' destination sign. c. 1970 to 1982 A vintage red and cream streetcar numbered 460 is stopped on a city street at night, with people standing nearby and a car parked on the right. A Chicago Transit Authority Master Unit streetcar, number 460, on the 21 Cedar Prairie route at night, with people gathered on the sidewalk. July 16, 1978 · Lincoln and Wrightwood, Chicago, IL