Skip to content

Vehicles

PCC Streetcar

130 photographs

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 of a streamlined streetcar with a dark lower body and white upper body. It has a cream stripe sweeping up over its single headlight, the number 4022 on the front, and a sign reading 20 Dearborn-Monroe. It stands on pavement in front of bare trees and houses, and a second stre

Chicago PCC streetcar 4022, signed for route 20 Dearborn-Monroe, likely at the Madison and Austin terminal. 1945 · Madison and Austin, 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 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

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 green and yellow PCC streetcar numbered 1240 travels down a street lined with 1950s automobiles, overhead wires, and storefronts.

A Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority PCC streetcar numbered 1240 travels down a city street under overhead wires. 1949 · 8th Western, L. A., CA

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

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 yellow and cream Pacific Electric PCC streetcar with the number 28 on its front is driving down a busy street lined with 1950s cars and businesses like Sinclair Paints and Downtown Bakery.

A Pacific Electric PCC streetcar, number 28, travels down a Los Angeles street in the early 1950s, surrounded by automobiles and storefronts. c. 1950 to 1953

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 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

Black-and-white street scene with a streamlined streetcar under overhead wires, large rug cleaner signs on buildings at left and a tall GRANADA sign down the street.

A PCC streetcar signed for route 36 to 119th and Morgan on a Chicago commercial street, with the Granada theater sign in the distance. 1951 · 4134 Broadway

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 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 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 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

A black-and-white photo of a long two-story brick carbarn lettered CHICAGO CITY RAILWAY COMPANY and dated 1907, with five streamlined two-tone streetcars nosed out of its numbered bays under trolley wires.

PCC streetcars, including car 4004, rest in the bays of the 1907 Chicago City Railway Company carbarn at 38th Street and Cottage Grove in Chicago. 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 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

A green and cream streetcar with a trolley pole turns on a brick street next to a massive columned stone building. Cars of the early 1950s, including a yellow taxi, are in the street, with tall buildings behind.

A Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar, likely in service, rounds a corner on a brick-paved street at Madison and Clinton in Chicago. 1952 · Madison and Clinton, Chicago, IL

A green and cream streetcar numbered 4029 runs on a cobbled street with two sets of tracks, beside a two-story brick building with arched windows and GOLF and HOTEL signs, with bare trees and overhead wires behind it.

Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar 4029 runs on Stony Island Avenue near 64th Street, passing the Jackson Park View Hotel. March 10, 1952 · 64th and Stony Island, Chicago, IL

A green and cream streetcar numbered 7010, its sign reading 4 Cottage Grove, turns across a cobblestone street under overhead trolley wires, with brick buildings, billboards, a gas station and parked 1950s cars and trucks behind it.

Chicago Transit Authority streetcar 7010, signed for route 4 Cottage Grove, crosses a cobblestone intersection, likely at Indiana and Cermak in Chicago. October 19, 1952 · Indiana and Cermak / Cottage Grove, Chicago, IL

A green and cream streetcar with a trolley pole crosses a cobblestone intersection with tracks in front of a brick corner building with a Walgreens store, and a dark sedan is parked at left.

A Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar on Route 4 Cottage Grove crosses a cobbled intersection beside a Walgreens store in Chicago. October 19, 1952 · Indiana and Cermak and Cottage Grove, Chicago, IL

A green and cream streetcar with a lit 49 Western-Berwyn sign stands under a web of overhead wires beside a passenger shelter, with another streetcar to the right and two buses to the left.

A Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar signed 49 Western-Berwyn waits at the terminal at Western & 79th, Chicago, with a second PCC and two buses nearby. November 23, 1952 · Western and 79th, Chicago, 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 streetcar numbered 4008 with a sign reading 4 Cottage Grove runs along a street in the shadow of a steel elevated railway, with piano store signs on the buildings at left.

Chicago Transit Authority streetcar 4008 on route 4 Cottage Grove passes beneath the 'L' structure, likely at Wabash and Jackson in the Loop. 1953 · Wabash and Jackson, Chicago, IL

A green and cream streetcar with a rounded front and a trolley pole turns on a curved brick-paved track between dark brick buildings on a sunny day.

Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar 707[?], signed 22 81-HALSTED, rounds the loop track at Clark and Howard in Chicago. 1953 · Clark and Howard, Chicago, IL

A green and cream streetcar numbered 7030 with a trolley pole up stands on brick-paved track under a web of overhead wires, with another streetcar behind it and a red brick building at right.

Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar 7030 signed for route 4 Cottage Grove–Downtown, likely at 115th Street and Cottage Grove in Chicago. 1953 · 115th and Cottage Grove, Chicago, IL

A green and cream streetcar rounds a snowy street corner under overhead wires, next to a brick tavern and a painted Drewrys Beer sign.

Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar 40[?]6 on route 4 in the snow at 115th and St. Lawrence, Chicago. 1953 · 115th and St. Lawrence, Chicago, IL

A green and cream PCC streetcar numbered 7178 on a Chicago street in 1953, surrounded by 1950s automobiles and storefronts.

A Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar, number 7178, travels down a city street in 1953. 1953 · Clark and Devon, Chicago, IL

A black and white photograph of a classic PCC streetcar in Chicago, numbered 1208 and heading for Morgan Street, passing under a large bridge sign for Englewood Union Station.

A Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar, number 1208, on route 36 to Morgan Street, is pictured under the Englewood Union Station bridge. 1953 · 36 and State

A green and cream streetcar on a cobbled street with tracks under overhead wires. A pale blue station wagon and a man crossing the street are in the foreground, and parked cars and old brick buildings with shop signs line the street.

A Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar signed for Route 22 in summer street traffic in Chicago, Illinois. 1953 · Clark and Chicago, Chicago, IL

Black-and-white photo of a streamlined streetcar with a single trolley pole, signed 36 119-MORGAN, coming out from beneath a riveted steel railroad bridge lettered ENGLEWOOD UNION STATION.

A Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar on route 36, signed for 119-Morgan, comes out from under the Englewood Union Station railroad bridge on State Street near 64th Street, Chicago. 1953 · State and 64th St., Chicago, IL

Elevated view down a busy downtown Chicago street with a green and cream streetcar on double track, crowded sidewalks, a mail truck in the foreground and a neon Harding's sign at lower right.

A Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar approaches on a brick-paved downtown street lined with shoppers and Harding's restaurant sign, seen from an elevated vantage point. June 15, 1953 · Washington and Franklin, Chicago, IL

A green and cream PCC streetcar on a cobblestone street in Chicago, surrounded by pedestrians, vintage cars, and storefront signs including 'Harding's' and 'U.S. Mail'.

A Chicago Surface Lines PCC streetcar travels downtown on a sunny day in the late 1930s or 1940s, passing storefronts and pedestrians. June 15, 1953 · Washington and Franklin, Chicago, IL

A green and cream PCC streetcar numbered 4263 travels down a busy Chicago street with vintage cars and pedestrians, under clear skies.

Chicago Surface Lines PCC streetcar #4263 on State Street, likely in the early 1950s, surrounded by vintage automobiles and city storefronts. August 23, 1953 · State and Van Buren, Chicago, IL

A green and cream streetcar on tracks in the middle of a busy downtown street lined with tall buildings, parked cars, a yellow taxi and pennant banners on the lamp posts.

A Chicago Transit Authority PCC streetcar heads south on State Street at Van Buren under "College Days" banners, about 1953–57. August 23, 1953 · State and Van Buren, Chicago, IL