page_title: Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad
section_title: The Insull years
hierarchical_section_title: Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad / History / The Insull years
caption_attribution_description: English: Hat pin from motorman on the Chicago interurban railroad.
context_page_description: The Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad, also known as the North Shore Line, was an interurban that operated between the Chicago Loop and downtown Milwaukee. The 85-mile route of the North Shore Line utilized a combination of private rights-of-way and street running as well as trackage rights over the Chicago "L" network. In addition to operating passenger and freight trains, the company also provided streetcar and motor bus services throughout its history.
  Originating in 1895 as an electric street railway in the city of Waukegan, the property was gradually transformed into what author and railroad historian William D. Middleton described as a "super interurban". After a two-decade period of expansion, the nascent interurban was acquired in 1916 by business magnate Samuel Insull, who proceeded to reorganize the company and invest large amounts of capital into improving rail operations. During the "Roaring Twenties" the North Shore Line received industry recognition for its quality of service, and in 1941 the company debuted its streamlined Electroliner trains.
context_section_description: The original arrangement at the railroad's southern terminus in Evanston was for Chicago-bound passengers to transfer to the Northwestern Elevated (one "L" company) there. Following the railroad's acquisition by Samuel Insull, limited-stop North Shore Line trains began connecting with special "L" trains (also controlled by Insull) that ran express to the Chicago Loop. In 1919, the North Shore Line obtained trackage rights over the Northwestern Elevated and modified their cars with third rail equipment, giving them direct access to the Loop.  The following year, a new terminal in Milwaukee was dedicated, and in succeeding years, the remaining single-track in Wisconsin was eliminated, with the exception of a one-half-mile stretch of single-track in southern Milwaukee that remained a minor bottleneck until the railroad's end.
  During the early 1920s, the railroad instituted a number of named, limited-stop trains, some carrying deluxe dining and parlor/observation cars. One of the railroad's most distinctive named trains, inaugurated in 1917, was the Gold Coast Limited. The North Shore also created a network of motor coach (bus) lines to feed on potential traffic from territory not directly served by the company's trains.
caption: Hat pin from motorman on the Chicago, North Shore and Milwaukee railroad.
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