Skip to content

Vehicles

Streetcar

194 photographs

Two red and cream streetcars with numbers 610 and 501 are parked in a brick carbarn; the front of car 610 shows a destination sign reading 'ASHLAND AV'.

Two Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcars, numbered 610 and 501, are parked side by side in a carbarn with overhead wires visible above. 1951 · 96th and Ashland

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 vintage red and cream streetcar with the number 6296 and route 4 sign is moving down a street with overhead wires and a building labeled 'GUARDIT' in the background.

A red Chicago Surface Lines Birney streetcar, number 6296, on route 4 to Cottage Grove 65, is seen on a street with a 'GUARDIT' building in the background. 1951 · Cottage Grove and 96th St., 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

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 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 vintage streetcar and a bus on a wide Chicago street lined with tall buildings and 1940s cars.

A Chicago Surface Lines Peter Witt streetcar, number 629, on a downtown street in the 1940s, sharing the road with buses and vintage automobiles. 1951 · 4 and Washington, Chicago, IL

A red Birney streetcar marked 351 travels down a busy State Street in Chicago, flanked by buildings with signs for 'BOND' and 'COLE JEWELERS', with vintage cars and pedestrians on the sidewalks.

A Chicago Surface Lines Birney streetcar, number 351, operates on State Street in downtown Chicago, surrounded by mid-century traffic and pedestrians. 1951 · State and Jackson, Chicago, IL

A red Birney streetcar, number 277, travels on a snowy city street under trolley wires, with large brick and white factory buildings behind it.

A Chicago Surface Lines Birney streetcar, number 277, is shown on a winter day at the intersection of State and Wacker, with the Steele-Wedeles and Central Cold Storage buildings in the background. March 1951 · State and Wacker, Chicago, IL

An overhead view of a red and cream Peter Witt streetcar on a wide city street with vintage automobiles and crowds of pedestrians on the sidewalks.

A Chicago Surface Lines Peter Witt streetcar, number 3, travels down a busy downtown street, likely State Street, in the late 1940s. July 17, 1951 · State and Van Buren, Chicago, IL

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 cream streetcar with the number 672 on its front navigates a sunny city street, with pedestrians on the sidewalk and storefronts in the background.

A Chicago Surface Lines streetcar, number 672, travels down a city street lined with early 20th-century buildings and storefronts. 1952 · State and Randolph, Chicago, IL

A red and cream streetcar travels down a busy urban street lined with vintage cars and tall buildings under a clear sky.

A Chicago Surface Lines Peter Witt streetcar, number 2143, on route 25, travels down a bustling city street in the late 1940s. 1952 · 45 and Jackson, 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

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 cream and green streetcar with a trolley pole and a C route sign turns across a downtown intersection with tracks, while pedestrians cross in front of tall office buildings.

A San Francisco Municipal Railway streetcar showing route C turns through the intersection of 1st and Market streets in San Francisco. July 1952 · Cline and 1st and Market, San Francisco, CA

A row of red Birney streetcars is parked inside a large brick carbarn with the number 5, 6, and 7 painted above the bays; a 'CITIES SERVICE' sign is visible on the building's corner.

Chicago Surface Lines Birney streetcars at the South Chicago carbarn in the 1930s. July 1, 1952 · 69th and Lashland, Chicago, IL

A vintage green and cream streetcar numbered 3141 with a 'LAKE' destination sign, parked on cobblestone tracks under a steel elevated structure in a city.

A green and cream Chicago Surface Lines Peter Witt streetcar, number 3141, on a city street under an elevated structure, showing its destination as LAKE. October 19, 1952 · Franklin and Lake, 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 vintage Chicago streetcar numbered 1783, running on the Lake route, is shown in a city street with a Ford dealership sign in the background and passengers visible inside.

Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar 1783 on the Lake route at the intersection of Lake and Dearborn Streets in Chicago, circa 1950s. 1953 · Lake and Dearborn, 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 and cream streetcar with the number 141 travels down a city street lined with shops and cars from the late 1940s, while a police officer directs traffic.

A Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, number 141, operates on a city street in the late 1940s, surrounded by 1950s automobiles and period storefronts. May 20, 1953 · 63rd Western, Chicago, IL

A red and cream streetcar, number 1759, turns on a city street with an elevated train structure overhead, surrounded by 1950s-era cars and a large movie billboard on a building.

A Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, number 1759, navigates a turn on a city street under an elevated structure, with a 1950s Billboard for 'Red Stiff' visible in the background. June 14, 1953 · Randolph 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 red streetcar runs down the center of a bustling city street, surrounded by vintage cars and pedestrians under an elevated structure.

A red Chicago Surface Lines Peter Witt streetcar navigates a busy city street lined with mid-century storefronts and parked cars. August 2, 1953 · 52 and Garfield

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

A red and cream streetcar with the number 1788 is on a city street, with a green and white elevated train passing overhead on a steel structure, surrounded by 1950s-era cars and storefronts.

A Chicago Surface Lines Peter Witt streetcar, number 1788, travels on the street below an elevated Chicago Transit Authority rapid transit train at the Lake and Dearborn intersection. September 26, 1953 · Lake and Dearborn, Chicago, IL

A red and cream streetcar marked 'LAKE' and numbered 1758 runs on a city street beneath an elevated green and cream rapid transit train, surrounded by 1940s automobiles and storefront signs including 'ENNEPER' and 'Ford'.

A Chicago Surface Lines Peter Witt streetcar, number 1758, on a street below an elevated 'L' line carrying a Chicago Rapid Transit Company train, with vintage automobiles and storefronts in the background. September 26, 1953 · Lake and Dearborn, Chicago, IL

A vintage red streetcar labeled number 6435 and route 8 sits on tracks beside an elevated train station, with several people nearby and city buildings in the background.

A red Chicago Surface Lines Peter Witt streetcar, number 6435, on route 8, is pictured on a city street next to an elevated station. October 5, 1953 · Halsted and Congress, Chicago, IL

A red and cream streetcar numbered 507 is stopped at an intersection with an elevated train bridge in the background, under a clear sky, with several vintage automobiles and a person standing on the sidewalk.

A Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, number 507, on a street crossing with a Chicago and North Western commuter train passing overhead on a bridge in the mid-1940s. October 15, 1953 · Archer and Clark, Chicago, IL

A red and cream streetcar numbered 3153 on route 21 is shown on a city street with an underpass in the background and a 1950s car driving past.

A Chicago Surface Lines Birney streetcar, number 3153 on route 21, navigates a street corner near an underpass in the early 1950s. October 15, 1953 · Cermak and Clark, Chicago, IL

A red and cream streetcar marked CSL 1721 moves down a street beneath a dark steel elevated structure, flanked by parked 1940s cars and a few pedestrians.

A Chicago Surface Lines Peter Witt streetcar, number 1721, travels under an elevated rail structure on a sunny day in the late 1940s, surrounded by period automobiles. October 20, 1953 · Lake and Ashland, Chicago, IL

A yellow and green streetcar numbered 1387 with a W roof sign travels on a wide paved street under overhead wires, with a second streetcar behind it, a large City Ford sign on a tower, low buildings, a 1940s sedan and hills in the distance.

Streetcar 1387 on route W passes under the City Ford sign as another streetcar approaches, with the note placing the scene at Pasadena Avenue and Avenue 18 in Los Angeles. 1954 · Pasadena and Ave 18, Los Angeles, CA

A vintage red streetcar numbered 688 travels across a metal truss bridge, with its destination sign showing 63RD-STONY, and cars following behind under bright sunlight.

A red Chicago Surface Lines Peter Witt streetcar, number 688, crosses a truss bridge on a sunny day, its destination sign reading '63RD-STONY'. February 22, 1954 · Halsted and Kinzie, Chicago, IL

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

Two green and cream streamlined streetcars numbered 7123 and 4400 stand beside a faded red older streetcar on curved track in a cobblestone yard, with more streetcars lined up behind a green fence.

Chicago Transit Authority streetcars 7123 and 4400, signed for Western-63 and Ashland-71, beside an older red streetcar at a carbarn yard in Chicago. April 25, 1954 · 76th and Ashland / 69th and Ashland, 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 cream streetcar from the Chicago Surface Lines turns at a street intersection in Chicago, surrounded by 1940s automobiles, brick buildings, and visible trolley wires.

A Chicago Surface Lines Master Unit streetcar, likely numbered [?]3, navigates a cobblestone intersection in Chicago during the 1940s, with vintage automobiles and storefronts lining the street. May 12, 1954 · Halsted - Grand, Chicago, IL

Two vintage Chicago streetcars, a green PCC and a red Peter Witt, are stopped at a grade crossing with automobiles and pedestrians nearby on a sunny day.

Two Chicago Transit Authority streetcars, a green PCC 9720 and a red Peter Witt 658, meet at a grade crossing on a city street. May 18, 1954 · Larrabee, 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 vintage color photo showing a red and cream streetcar on a city street with cobblestones, yellow taxis parked along the curb, an elevated train platform above, and storefronts including 'Flagg Bros' and 'Hardy'.

A red and cream Chicago Transit Authority Peter Witt streetcar numbered 610 runs under an elevated structure with CTA signage, on a sunny street lined with 1950s automobiles and storefronts. May 25, 1954 · Halsted and 63rd PL, Chicago, IL

A red and cream streetcar with the number 640 travels down a street under a dark elevated structure, with people on the sidewalk and vintage cars parked along the curb.

A Chicago Transit Authority Peter Witt streetcar, number 640, travels under an elevated structure on a city street lined with 1940s-era automobiles and storefronts. May 25, 1954 · Halsted and 63rd PL, Chicago, IL

A yellow and green streetcar numbered 1394 crosses an intersection on curved track under trolley wire, while two pedestrians cross the street beside brick buildings with bail bond signs and a hair-tonic billboard.

Streetcar 1394 turns through the intersection, likely at 1st and Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, in the 1950s. June 1954 · 1st and Broadway, Los Angeles, CA

A yellow streetcar with a green window band and a trolley pole crosses an intersection in front of a car lot with a large DINTY sign, while a pedestrian walks across the street at left.

A yellow and green streetcar, likely of Los Angeles Transit Lines, runs along a street past a car lot under a DINTY sign. June 1954 · 1st and Vermont, Los Angeles, CA