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

Chicago Transit Authority

1347 photographs
Black and white photo of a damaged streetcar with a curved front and large windows, with smoke rising from its side. A person in uniform holds up a sign that says 'NOT IN SERVICE'. A Chicago Transit Authority Peter Witt streetcar after a wreck, with a person holding a 'NOT IN SERVICE' sign. c. 1947 to 1957 Front three-quarter view of a white CTA bus with fleet number 4308 on a city street, next to a yellow taxi, with tall buildings in the background. A Chicago Transit Authority New Flyer D40LF bus, number 4308, running an express route on a city street, with a yellow taxi nearby. April 1947 · Wacker and Clark, Chicago, IL Black-and-white photo of a streamlined streetcar with its trolley pole raised, on a snowy street in front of a brick factory lettered MACHINE CO., with overhead wires above. Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar 406[?] signed for route 20 Monroe-Dearborn, likely at Madison Street and Fifth Avenue on Chicago's West Side, in winter. c. 1948 to 1953 · Madison and 5th Av., Chicago, IL A green and cream trolleybus with the number 9501 and route 12 to Roosevelt and Wabash is parked at a snowy street corner next to a brick building with a sign for 'Red's.' A Chicago Transit Authority Flxible trolleybus, number 9501, on route 12 to Roosevelt and Wabash, stopped at a snowy bus stop. c. 1948 to 1973 A green and cream streamlined streetcar with its trolley pole raised stands on a street beside utility poles, bare trees and brick buildings. Chicago Transit Authority streetcar 4119, likely at Austin and Madison, signed for route 20 Madison, in Chicago. 1948 · Austin and Madison, Chicago, IL A green and cream PCC streetcar numbered 4095 on a city street with pedestrians crossing, tall buildings in the background, and overhead trolley wires. Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar 4095 on route 20 at Madison and Wacker in 1948. 1948 · Madison and Wacker, Chicago, IL A black and white photo of a Chicago Transit Authority motor bus, number 1787, showing its front and side with route signs and advertisements, parked on a wet street with a house in the background. Chicago Transit Authority bus number 1787, a Flxible New Look, on the 82 Kimball-Foster route in a winter scene. 1948 · Kedzie and Foster, Chicago, IL A vintage black-and-white photo of a CTA bus driving down a street with trolley tracks, past storefronts and parked 1950s cars. A Chicago Transit Authority New Look bus, number 2371 on route 40 Lincoln-Southport, drives down a tree-lined street in Chicago. 1948 · Lincoln and Southport, Chicago, IL A vintage Chicago Transit Authority motor bus is parked on a street near a gazebo with bare trees in the background. A Chicago Transit Authority New Look bus from the 1960s is posed on a street near a gazebo in winter. 1948 Black and white photo of a CTA bus on a city street with overhead wires, an overpass in the background, and vintage cars. A Chicago Transit Authority Flxible bus, number 3[?]1 on route 79 to North Ave. and Marquette, navigates a street corner under a railroad overpass, with a 1940s automobile blurred in motion nearby. 1948 · Montrose and Cicero, Chicago, IL Rear view of a 1950s CTA bus on a city street with old cars, a Sinclair gas station, and a church steeple in the background. A Chicago Transit Authority Flxible bus, number 2363, travels down a street with embedded trolley tracks on a summer day in the 1950s. 1948 · Southport, Chicago, IL A vintage black-and-white photograph of a Chicago Transit Authority bus from the 1950s on a city street, with embedded trolley tracks, classic cars, and a Sinclair gas station in the background. A Chicago Transit Authority bus, number 2358, serves the Lakeview-Ashland route on a street with embedded trolley tracks in the mid-1950s. 1948 · Southport and Diversey, Chicago, IL Two light green and cream Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcars, numbered 4147, run on a street with overhead wires, near a brick building and a GMC Trucks sign, on a sunny day. Two Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcars number 4147 on Route 20 at Fifth Avenue and Kedzie Avenue in Chicago, circa 1949. 1949 · Fifth Avenue and Kedzie Avenue, Chicago, IL A red and cream Chicago Transit Authority trolleybus, number 61, on route 85, is driving on a city street with vintage cars and storefronts, under clear skies. A red and cream Chicago Transit Authority trolleybus, number 61, on route 85, is seen on a city street in the late 1940s or early 1950s, with vintage automobiles and storefronts in the background. 1949 A vintage red streetcar with the number 227 on its front, turning at an intersection with 1940s cars and a brick building in the background. A red and cream Chicago Surface Lines Birney streetcar, number 227 on route 53, navigates an intersection at Pulaski and Lawrence in Chicago on a sunny day. 1949 · Pulaski and Lawrence, Chicago, IL A green and cream CTA trolleybus with the number 113 on the front and route 86 to Central-Lexington displayed, driving down a street lined with brick buildings and vintage cars. A Chicago Transit Authority trolleybus, number 113, operates on route 86 Central-Lexington on a city street in summer. 1949 A green and cream streamlined streetcar with its trolley pole raised crosses a granite-paved intersection, with cars, a yellow taxi, a large columned building and high-rise buildings around it. A Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar turns through the intersection at Madison and Clinton in Chicago. 1949 · Madison and Clinton, Chicago, IL A black and white photograph shows a vintage CTA bus at a street corner, with its destination sign reading '7 MONROE-STATE' and the number 1605 on the front bumper. A Chicago Transit Authority Flxible New Look bus, number 1605, on the 7 Monroe-State route in downtown Chicago, circa 1960s. 1949 · Monroe and Dearborn, Chicago, IL Black-and-white photo of a streamlined streetcar numbered 4087 with the sign 20 MADISON-DOWNTOWN, running on street tracks past office buildings while men in suits walk along the sidewalk. Chicago Transit Authority streetcar 4087 on route 20 Madison-Downtown in downtown Chicago, likely near Madison and Franklin. October 1, 1949 · Madison and Franklin, Chicago, IL Front view of two Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcars, numbers 4057 and 7040, parked side by side on streetcar tracks with destination signs visible, under overcast skies. Two Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcars, 4057 and 7040, are shown side by side at a streetcar terminal, bound for Western-Bedford and Western-79 routes. c. 1950 to 1958 A black and white photo of a Chicago Transit Authority bus number 2503, a GM New Look model, parked on a cobblestone street with a destination sign reading DU46 KUSTNER. CTA New Look bus 2503, likely from the 1960s, is stopped on a cobblestone street in Chicago with its destination sign reading 'DU46 KUSTNER'. 1950 · Monroe and Dearborn, Chicago, IL A green and cream streetcar with its trolley pole raised stands beside a covered shelter, and a green and cream bus is parked on a dirt lane on the shelter's other side, under a cloudy blue sky. Chicago Transit Authority streetcar 7010 and bus 3077 at the covered transfer shelter, likely at 63rd Place and Narragansett in Chicago. 1950 · 63rd Pl and Narragansett, Chicago, IL A vintage black-and-white photo of a Chicago Transit Authority bus with fleet number 2503, showing its front and side on a paved street with embedded track. A Chicago Transit Authority Flxible New Look bus, number 2503, on a city street in the 1960s. 1950 · Monroe and Dearborn, Chicago, IL A red and green streetcar and a green and cream bus are on a city street with tall buildings, neon signs for 'SPIEGEL' and 'the COTTON shop', and mid-1950s cars. A woman in a coat is crossing the street. A Chicago Transit Authority Birney streetcar and a New Look bus share the street in downtown Chicago, likely on State Street, in the mid-1950s. 1950 · State Madison, Chicago, IL Elevated view of a green and cream streetcar on a cobblestone street with double tracks. People stand at its front beside a parked car, dark sedans pass in the next lane, and billboards and old buildings line the far side. A Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar signed for Broadway-Devon on State Street at Roosevelt Road, Chicago, in the 1950s. June 1950 · State and Roosevelt, Chicago, IL A street scene with a cream and green CTA bus and a red CTA streetcar under an elevated train structure, with pedestrians on the sidewalk and vintage cars parked alongside a brick-paved street. A Chicago Transit Authority GMC bus and a PCC streetcar share a sun-drenched street beneath an elevated structure on Washington & Wells in the late 1940s. June 8, 1950 · Washington and Wells, Chicago, IL Front three-quarter view of a green and cream Chicago Transit Authority 2000-series rapid transit car with an 'A LOGAN SQUARE' destination sign, running on an elevated structure under an overcast sky. A Chicago Transit Authority 2000-series rapid transit car on the 'A' line to Logan Square, photographed on an elevated structure in the 1960s or 1970s. September 16, 1950 · Logan Square, Chicago, IL A green and cream streetcar numbered 4206, with a HALSTED-79 sign, travels on track laid over fresh ballast through a rubble-strewn lot, with overhead wires, wooden poles and brick industrial buildings behind it. Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar 4206, signed for Halsted-79, runs on temporary track through a cleared construction site at Halsted and Congress in Chicago. October 29, 1950 · Halsted and Congress, Chicago, IL Two green and cream streetcars, one approaching and one going away, on a brick street under trolley wires, with brick warehouses at left and a GMC Trucks sign at right. Two streetcars, the leader signed for Pulaski, run on a brick-paved street near 5th Ave and Harrison, likely on the Chicago Transit Authority. 1951 · 5th Ave and Harrison, Chicago, IL Side view of a dark green and cream streamlined streetcar with a red stripe, numbered 4020, on curving track in front of a brick building with a large painted sign reading Supply & Hardware Corp., beneath a dense web of overhead wires. Chicago Transit Authority streetcar 4020 on the turning loop at 63rd Place and Central, Chicago. 1951 · 63rd Pl and Central, Chicago, IL A green and cream streetcar numbered 4095 travels down a slushy city street past brick warehouses with The Fair billboards, while a red and green train passes on an elevated structure at right. Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar 4095 heads along State Street near 15th Street in winter, with The Fair billboards and an elevated train behind. 1951 · 15th and State, Chicago, IL Sepia street scene with a streamlined streetcar under trolley wires on a shop-lined street, while pedestrians cross the intersection and a crowd stands on the corner. A PCC streetcar signed 63-Stony Island, likely Chicago Transit Authority, at 63rd Street and Loomis Boulevard, Chicago, with pedestrians crossing in the foreground. 1951 · 63rd and Loomis Blvd, Chicago, IL A green and cream Chicago Transit Authority rapid transit train, car number 6150, travels on an elevated track with a destination sign reading 'JACKSON PARK', set against an urban skyline with water towers. A CTA 6000-series rapid transit car, number 6150, heads toward Jackson Park on an elevated structure in Chicago, likely in the 1950s or 1960s. 1951 · Racine Ave A green and cream streetcar with its trolley pole raised sits on a curved track beside a covered shelter and a wooden fence. A longer, older streetcar and part of another car stand across a paved loop under overhead wires. A Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar signed for Western stands at an off-street loop with a passenger shelter, with older streetcars in the background. 1951 · Western and 49 and Berwyn, Chicago, IL A black and white photo shows a CTA bus on a city street at dusk, surrounded by parked cars and pedestrians, with large glowing signs for shops like Sears and Bond's above. A Chicago Transit Authority New Look bus, number 638, on route 8 Halsted, moves down a busy street at dusk, flanked by vintage automobiles and illuminated storefronts. 1951 · 64th St. A black-and-white photo shows a 1950s CTA bus numbered 5207 on a cobblestone street with trolley tracks, a dark streetcar behind it, and brick buildings lining the road. A Chicago Transit Authority Flxible New Look bus on route 73 at Armitage and Clark, with a vintage streetcar in the background. 1951 · Armitage and Campbell, Chicago, IL A green and cream streetcar with a red stripe, signed 63-CENTRAL PARK, rounds a curve on a brick street with streetcar tracks; a brick hotel building is at left, trees and parked 1940s cars are behind it, and a dark storm sky is overhead. Chicago Transit Authority streetcar 4023 on route 63 to Central Park on the brick pavement at 64th Street and Stony Island Avenue, likely about 1949 to 1953. July 1, 1951 · 64th and Stony Island, Chicago, IL A white, orange, and blue streetcar with the number 1023 on its front is stopped at an intersection on a cobblestone street, with vintage cars and a brick building in the background. A Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar, number 1023, heads toward 63-Central Park on a cobblestone street lined with 1950s cars and a brick hotel. July 1, 1951 · 64th and Stony Island, Chicago, IL A black-and-white photo showing two trolleybuses on a city street with multiple vintage automobiles and a Sears store in the background. Two Chicago Transit Authority trolleybuses, including number 788, operate on a city street lined with 1950s-era buildings and automobiles. 1952 · Lawrence and Ravenswood, Chicago, IL A two-story brick carbarn lettered Chicago City Railway Company with numbered open bays. Three streamlined streetcars are parked inside, with curving tracks and overhead wires in front. Three Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcars stand in the bays of the old Chicago City Railway carbarn at 38th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue. 1952 · 38th and Cottage Grove, Chicago, IL Sepia photo of a streetcar numbered 7180 entering an indoor car wash, between tall rotating brushes on a wet floor with track, under a steel-beamed roof with brick walls and tall windows. Chicago Transit Authority streetcar 7180 passes through the brushes of a car washer, likely at Devon carbarn, Chicago. 1952 · 7180 Devon, Chicago, IL A green and cream streetcar with snow on its roof travels toward the camera on a slushy street lined with bare trees and snow-covered lawns, with another streetcar farther back. Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar 7154, signed for route 22 Vincennes-80th, on snowy Clark Street, likely near Chase Avenue. 1952 · Clark and Chase, Chicago, IL Black-and-white photo of a streamlined two-tone streetcar numbered 4008 with its trolley pole raised, moving past a tall brick building and a Y.M.C.A. billboard. Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar 4008 at Wabash and 8th in Chicago, with a Y.M.C.A. hotel billboard behind it. 1952 · Wabash and 8th, Chicago, IL Black-and-white photo of a two-tone streamlined streetcar with its trolley pole raised, signed 36 STATE-KINZIE, on a street under tall trees. Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar [?]197 on route 36, signed STATE-KINZIE, on a tree-lined street, likely in the 1950s. 1952 · 36 and Wisconsin Black-and-white photo of a two-tone streamlined streetcar signed 36 119 - Morgan on a bridge under overhead wires, with a riveted steel railing, an ornate street light and tall downtown office towers behind it. Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar [?]121, signed 36 119 - Morgan, crosses a bridge at State and Wacker in Chicago, likely the State Street bridge. 1952 · State and Wacker, Chicago, IL A black and white photo of a Chicago Transit Authority trolleybus, number 9563, on route 86 NARRAGANSETT, driving down a street with overhead wires and a building displaying ads for Jacob Loibl and City Club Beer. A Chicago Transit Authority trolleybus, number 9563, on route 86 NARRAGANSETT, captured on a winter day with overhead wires and period advertisements in the background. 1952 · 86 and Narragansett A green and cream streetcar signed 42 HALSTED-79 comes toward the camera under overhead wires. Old brick storefronts line the street, a man walks across the foreground, and a red truck blurs past at the right. A Chicago Transit Authority streetcar signed 42 Halsted-79 approaches the Milwaukee and Grand intersection in Chicago. 1952 · Milwaukee and Grand, Chicago, IL A green and cream streetcar with a single trolley pole runs on a wide, curving bridge approach beneath a massive dark steel truss frame. A traffic signal stands on a concrete median, and a dark old sedan drives away at the right. A Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar, likely number 72[?]6, crosses a bridge under a large steel truss structure. The note places it at Western Avenue and 31st Boulevard in Chicago. 1952 · Western and 31st Blvd, Chicago, IL