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

Photos

A side view of a vintage rapid transit car labeled 'South Side Rapid Transit' with the number 13, parked in front of a building with 'Delaware Car Works' lettered on it in 1892. A side view of South Side Rapid Transit car number 13, a first-generation steel rapid transit car, at the Delaware Car Works yard in 1892. 1892 · Jackson and Sharp, Delaware A black and white photograph of an old double-decker bus with 'CHICAGO MOTOR BUS' lettering on its side and the number 1155829 on its rear, driving down a street with two men on its open top deck. A vintage open-top double-decker bus of the Chicago Motor Coach Company, fleet number 1155829, is seen on a city street with passengers on its upper deck. May 9, 1919 · Lake Shore Drive, OH A vintage black-and-white photo of a double-decker bus with 'Chicago Motor Bus Company' lettering on its side and number 1155 on its front, showing passengers on the upper deck and a clear destination sign. A Chicago Motor Coach Company double-decker bus, number 1155, is shown on a summer day, likely in the 1910s or 1920s, with passengers on its open top deck and destination sign reading 'DOWN TOWN 7th Lake Shore Drive'. May 9, 1919 · Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL A vintage black and white photo of a double-decker bus labeled 'Chicago Motor Bus Company' with a 'Soldiers Welcome Sailors' sign on its roof, driving down a city street with passengers visible on the top deck. A Chicago Motor Bus Company double-decker bus from the World War I era, carrying passengers and displaying patriotic 'V for Victory' signs. May 9, 1919 · Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL Front view of a red and black Birney interurban car marked 'CHICAGO LOCAL' inside a carbarn, with the car partially in shadow and tracks visible on the ground. A Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Birney interurban car with 'CHICAGO LOCAL' lettering sits in a carbarn, viewed from the front with overhead wires visible. c. 1924 to 1936 A light green and white trolleybus with number 9124 and a 'Bubble Up' ad on the front, running on a city street with overhead wires, a billboard for Calvert Reserve, and pedestrians walking nearby. A Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority trolleybus, number 9124, on route 2 to City Terrace, is captured on a sunny day with 1950s-era cars and storefronts in the background. September 1924 · 2 / Broadway, Los Angeles, CA An orange and green interurban car numbered 504 from the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad, viewed from a three-quarter front angle, stopped on tracks with overhead wires visible. Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad interurban car 504, an Insull-era steel coach, sits on a private right-of-way under an overcast sky. c. 1926 to 1956 A vintage orange interurban car numbered 270 is parked on an elevated railway platform with a control tower in the background. Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad car 270, an Insull-era steel coach, is pictured on an elevated structure with its destination sign reading 'SOUTH SHORE'. c. 1926 to 1947 · 40th, Kenwood, IN A grey, weathered electric railcar with 'LS' on its side and trolley poles on its roof is parked on railroad tracks next to a white building, with a red car partially visible behind it. A weathered Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad Master Unit railcar marked 'LS' sits idle on tracks in a yard. c. 1926 to 1956 A black steam locomotive with the number 1385 on its front, emitting thick black smoke, moves along tracks flanked by trees and tall grass on a sunny day. Steam locomotive #1385 blows black smoke as it approaches on a sun-dappled, overgrown private right-of-way in summer. c. 1930 to 2000 A vintage black-and-white photo of a Chicago Surface Lines streetcar numbered 3185, viewed from the front-left on a street with overhead wires and a building in the background. Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar 3185 is shown in a three-quarter front view on a city street. c. 1930 to 1939 Side view of two orange and maroon interurban cars on a street, with overhead wires and a vintage car in the corner. Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Birney car 1721, painted in orange and maroon, is shown in street service with a 'LAKE B' destination sign. c. 1930 to 1940 A large black steam locomotive with a 4-8-4 wheel arrangement is parked in a rail yard, emitting smoke from its stack, against a backdrop of utility poles and a red building. A large black 4-8-4 Northern type steam locomotive is shown in a rail yard on an overcast day, with smoke rising from its stack. c. 1930 to 1950 A large red and black sign reading 'NORTH SHORE LINE' is mounted on wooden posts in front of a long, white industrial building with a red roof trim, surrounded by grass and utility poles under an overcast sky. A large 'NORTH SHORE LINE' sign stands on wooden posts in front of a long white building with a red trim, set against a grassy yard and a pale sky. c. 1930 to 2000 A vintage black-and-white photo of a Chicago streetcar, number 270, on a street with a building and a car in the background. A Chicago Surface Lines Birney streetcar, number 270, is shown on a city street in the late 1930s. c. 1930 to 1940 A red and silver interurban railcar with the number 25 and the name 'Rosemont' on its side, parked on train tracks in front of a brick building under an overcast sky. A Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee interurban car, number 25, in its classic red livery, displayed on a private right-of-way. c. 1930 to 1963 A black and white photograph from the 1930s showing a streetcar on a snowy city street with several people and old cars around it. A Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, number 1211, on a snowy street in the 1930s, with pedestrians and early automobiles nearby. November 16, 1930 A black and white photo shows a vintage streetcar numbered 1211 on a snowy city street with people, old cars, and storefronts, including a 'MEATS' shop and a 'HARD LAUNDRY'. A Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, number 1211, is stopped on a snowy street under an elevated structure, with pedestrians and early 1930s automobiles nearby. November 16, 1930 · Montrose and Broadway, Chicago, IL A black-and-white photo of a vintage streetcar with the number 973 on its front, traveling on a city street with tall buildings and a large Coca-Cola billboard in the background. A Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, number 973, bound for Indiana Avenue, travels through the city streets in the 1930s or 1940s. c. 1931 to 1947 A black and white photo shows a trolleybus on a city street with a large crowd of people holding protest signs, one of which reads 'FOSTER AVE FEEDER BUS WED. JUNE 30', marking the last day of trolleybus service on that route. A Chicago Surface Lines trolleybus, number 82 on the Kimball-Leland route, is surrounded by a crowd of protesters holding signs on the last day of service for the Foster Avenue feeder line on June 30, 1936. June 21, 1931 A black and white photo shows a Chicago trolleybus on a city street, with a large crowd of people holding signs in front of it, protesting a bus route change. A Chicago Surface Lines Brill trolleybus, number 1033, on route 82 Kimball Leland, is surrounded by a crowd holding protest signs about a new feeder bus route in the late 1930s. June 21, 1931 · Kimball, Chicago, IL A vintage streetcar numbered 236 travels on a city street alongside a horse-drawn wagon and early automobiles, under overhead wires. A Chicago Surface Lines Peter Witt streetcar, number 236, at the corner of Clinton and Roosevelt streets, sharing the street with horse-drawn and motorized traffic. 1932 · Clinton and Roosevelt, Chicago, IL A black and white street scene from the 1930s showing a Chicago Surface Lines streetcar on a cobblestone street with an elevated railway in the background. A Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, number 3259, heads to the North Western Station on a winter day in the 1930s. May 7, 1932 · Franklin and Washington, Chicago, IL A black and white photo of a 1930s Chicago street scene showing a streetcar on tracks, several old cars, and a person crossing the road, with a Shell gas station and a Capitol sign in the background. Chicago Surface Lines streetcar number 5460, route 8, on Halsted Street in the 1930s, with vintage automobiles and a pedestrian crossing the street. March 1933 · Halsted A black and white photo of a vintage streetcar on a city street with a pedestrian crossing and several cars from the era. A Chicago Surface Lines Peter Witt streetcar, number 5460, operates on a city street in the early 1930s. March 1933 · Halsted and 80th St, Chicago, IL Black-and-white photo of a vintage Superior motor bus, number 519, with 'ILL. C.C. No. 19' on its side, parked on a city street with snow on the ground. An Illinois Central Coach Company motor bus, number 519, at the 87-Vincennes route terminus in Chicago, likely during the 1930s. 1936 · 77th and Vincennes, Chicago, IL A vintage black-and-white photo of a 1936 Chicago Surface Lines motor bus, number 418, on a cobblestone street, showing its front and side with a '95 95-STATE' route sign and a 1936 Illinois license plate. A 1936 Chicago Surface Lines White motor bus, number 418, parked on a cobblestone street with its route sign reading '95 95-STATE'. 1936 · 77th and Vincennes, Chicago, IL A black and white photo of two vintage streetcars on a snowy city street lined with parked cars and large stone buildings. Two Chicago Surface Lines Peter Witt streetcars, numbers 1971 and 1955, are shown on a snow-covered street with parked 1930s automobiles and large stone buildings. 1937 · Fairbanks, Chicago, IL A black and white photo of two PCC streetcars on a Chicago street, with overhead wires and houses in the background. Two Chicago Surface Lines PCC streetcars, numbers 187 and 178, are seen on the 76 DIVERSEY-WESTERN route at the intersection of Diversey and Harlem in Chicago, likely in the 1940s. 1938 · Diversey and Harlem, Chicago, IL A black-and-white photo shows the burned-out interior of a carbarn, featuring the front of a streetcar numbered 268, surrounded by charred debris and twisted metal. Chicago Surface Lines streetcar 268 sits damaged inside a burned-out carbarn, with only its front end and number board still visible among the wreckage. September 1938 · Lawndale P'Ke A vintage black-and-white photo showing a streetcar on a wet city street in front of a movie theater, with pedestrians and an elevated train structure in the background. A Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, number 3022, heading to Elston, captured in a winter street scene near the Chicago Theater with a marquee advertising 'Love Thy Neighbor'. December 1938 · State and Lake, Chicago, IL A vintage orange interurban train with the number 1260 on its side and a destination sign reading 'EVANSTON MILMETTE' travels on elevated tracks surrounded by trees on a clear day. Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Master Unit interurban car 1260, heading to Evanston and Wilmette, on an elevated structure in summer. c. 1940 to 1963 A red and white interurban railcar with the number 25 and the name Ravenswood on its side, sitting on tracks in a yard. Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee interurban car 25, a Master Unit, in its orange and white livery at a yard. c. 1940 to 1963 A close-up side view of a red interurban railcar, number L9, with an orange car numbered 1111 visible behind it on adjacent tracks. A red Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Master Unit interurban car, number L9, is shown in a yard with an orange companion car, number 1111, in the background. c. 1940 to 1963 A dark green Pullman troop sleeper car numbered 7271 sits on tracks next to a yellow passenger car under overhead wires, with grass and a brick path in the foreground. A Pullman troop sleeper car, number 7271, is parked in a yard next to a light yellow passenger car, under an overhead wire system on an overcast day. c. 1940 to 1970 A yellow and green passenger train with open observation cars curves along a mountainside, carrying passengers through a dense forest of pine trees. A Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad passenger train, featuring vintage open-platform cars, winds through a forested mountain valley under an overcast sky. c. 1940 to 1960 A black and white street scene showing a Chicago Surface Lines streetcar numbered 3006 on the front, pulling a second car down a busy city street lined with buildings and pedestrians. Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar 3006 on route 87 to Macine at State and Van Buren, circa 1935. June 1940 · State and Van Buren, Chicago, IL A black-and-white photo of a Chicago Rapid Transit Company 4000-series rapid transit car, numbered 4085, at an elevated station with a platform and tracks visible. Chicago Rapid Transit Company car 4085, a 4000-series rapid transit car, stopped at an elevated station platform. 1941 · Wells and Randolph, Chicago, IL A vintage black and white photo of a Chicago streetcar numbered 1735, with several people near it and a car parked alongside, in front of a building labeled UPTOWN. A Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, number 1735, is shown on a street in front of a building marked 'UPTOWN'. April 1941 · Broadway and Lawrence, Chicago, IL A black steam locomotive billowing thick black smoke travels on a set of tracks with embankments and utility poles on either side. A steam locomotive emits a large plume of black smoke as it travels along a set of tracks bordered by embankments and utility poles. July 1941 · Roxbury, MA A black and white photo of a crowded street in Chicago where a Chicago Surface Lines streetcar, number 1748, is stopped at an intersection while pedestrians cross the tracks. Chicago Surface Lines streetcar 1748, a Master Unit car, navigates a busy street crossing at Clark and Addison in Chicago during the late 1930s. October 5, 1941 · Clark and Addison, Chicago, IL A bustling 1940s street scene in Chicago with two vintage streetcars, many pedestrians, and classic automobiles at the intersection of Clark and Addison, with Wrigley Field visible in the background. Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcars 1715 and 1760 at Clark and Addison, with pedestrians crossing in front of Wrigley Field. October 5, 1941 · Clark and Addison, Chicago, IL A black and white photograph of two vintage streetcars on a dirt road in Chicago; one is numbered 5023 and the other 6163, both with trolley poles and route signs, set against a backdrop of large buildings. Two Chicago Surface Lines streetcars, a Master Unit and a Peter Witt, on an unpaved street in winter. 1942 · State and Randolph, Chicago, IL A black-and-white photo of a vintage streetcar numbered 3286 on a city street, with a drugstore and other storefronts visible behind it. Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar 3286, photographed on a city street with storefronts in the background. 1942 · 78 and Broadway A vintage black and white photo shows a white, wood-bodied electric interurban car numbered 4427 with a navy recruitment ad along its side, sitting on tracks in a grassy area. Chicago Surface Lines interurban car 4427, a Cincinnati Car Master Unit, displays a 'Join the WAVES' recruitment advertisement while stopped in a grassy yard. 1942 · Skokie, IL Side view of a black steam locomotive with a round CB&Q herald on its side, showing its number 26[?] and builder's plate from 1943. A Chicago, Burlington and Quincy S-4 steam locomotive, number 26[?], built in 1943 by the American Locomotive Company, is seen emitting steam. c. 1943 to 1960 A black and white photo of a heavily damaged rapid transit car with its front end crumpled, sitting on an elevated track next to another car. A severely damaged Chicago Rapid Transit Company 4000-series rapid transit car after a wreck, seen on an elevated structure. July 1944 · 61 St and Calumet, Chicago, IL Black-and-white photo of two vintage streetcars at a city intersection, one labeled 604 and the other 8010, with a storefront reading 'Marianne's DRESSES' in the background. Two Chicago Surface Lines streetcars, 604 (Master Unit) and 8010 (4000-series), at an intersection with a corner store in the 1930s or 1940s. 1945