Chicago Surface Lines Drawings
name: label: Creator
content: Chicago City Railway Company.
label: Creator
content: West Chicago Street Railroad Company.
label: Creator
content: Pennsylvania & West Virginia Railway.
label: Creator
content: Chicago Transit Authority.
label: Creator
content: Chicago Surface Lines.
label: Names
content: Chicago Board of Traction Supervising Engineers.
label: Names
content: Chicago Consolidated Traction Company.
label: Names
content: Chicago Railways Company.
label: Names
content: Chicago Union Traction Company.
label: Names
content: D.T. Steelwork Company.
label: Names
content: Garden City Construction Company.
label: Names
content: Gilbert Car Manufacturing Company.
label: Names
content: Lake Street Elevated Railroad (Chicago, Ill.).
label: Former owner
content: National Museum of American History (U.S.).  Division of Transportation
label: Names
content: North Chicago Street Railroad Company.
label: Names
content: United States Construction Company.
place: label: Place
content: Chicago (Ill.)
topic: label: Topic
content: Railroads -- Equipment and facilities
label: Topic
content: Railroads -- Rolling-stock
label: Topic
content: Railroad engineers
label: Topic
content: Civil engineers
label: Topic
content: Civil engineering
label: Topic
content: Railroads
label: Topic
content: Railroads -- Buildings and structures
label: Topic
content: Engineering and technology
label: Topic
content: railroads, cable
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Gift of the Chicago Transit Authority.
creator: label: Creator
content: Chicago City Railway Company.
label: Creator
content: West Chicago Street Railroad Company.
label: Creator
content: Pennsylvania & West Virginia Railway.
label: Creator
content: Chicago Transit Authority.
label: Creator
content: Chicago Surface Lines.
setName: label: See more items in
content: Chicago Surface Lines Drawings
abstract: label: Summary
content: The collection documents the Chicago Surface Railway System.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: The first street cars in Chicago were horse cars run by the Chicago City railway Company and the North Chicago City railway Company around 1858-1861.  This method, however, was slow and expensive, and the companies began substituting cable cars in the 1880s.  Chicago City was the first railway company in 1881, with the addition of the Chicago Passenger Railway in 1883, and the West Chicago Street Railroad Company in 1887.  Chicago had the largest cable railway system in the world.

In the 1880s, electric powered trolleys first became practical.  The Chicago companies hesitated at first to install these faster and more efficient systems because of their heavy investment in cable cars.  Smaller Illinois cities and the Calumet Electric Street Railway of the South Side of the city built successful systems, causing the Chicago companies to feel themselves dropping behind.  By the mid 1890s most companies began the conversion to electricity.

The 1890s saw the consolidation of many of the Chicago companies and through this reorganization continued into the next century.  In 1905 the city voted that the surface railways should come under municipal ownership but not operation, provided the companies rehabilitate their systems, and give the city the right to buy the property at a fixed value.  In addition, new construction was to be approved by a new bureau, the Board of Traction Supervising Engineers.

The continuous reorganization was finally completed by the Unification Ordinance of 1913 which stipulated that all lines would come under the management of a single operating company called the Chicago Surface Lines (CSL).  Four companies made up the CSL-the Chicago Railways Company, Chicago City Railway, Calumet and South Chicago Railway, and Southern Street Railway.  At this time Chicago had the largest street railway system, the longest one-fare ride, the longest average ride, and the most liberal transfer privileges in the world.  

The 1920s saw continued growth despite the increasing competition from the automobile, but the Depression dealt a heavy blow to traffic.  By 1948 the Chicago Transit Authority, which took over the Chicago Surface Lines in 1927, had abandoned all but four lines in favor of buses. By 1958 the remaining lines were "bustituted."
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 4.6 Cubic feet (13 oversized folders)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1880-1948
custodhist: label: Custodial History
content: Collection transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Transportation (now Division of Work and Industry) on July 2, 1996.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0212
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Tracings
label: Type
content: Drawings
label: Type
content: Blueprints
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is divided into seven series:

Series 1: West Chicago Street Railroad Company

Series 2: Chicago Board of Traction Supervising Engineers/Chicago Railway Company

Series 3: Chicago Traction System (Car Drawings)

Series 4: Chicago Cable Blueprints

Series 5: Chicago Union Traction Company

Series 6: Pennsylvania & West Virginia Railway

Series 7: Miscellaneous
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Collection processed by David Stevens and Robert Harding, August 1986
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Tracings
label: Genre/Form
content: Drawings
label: Genre/Form
content: Blueprints
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The collection consists of blueprints, working drawings, line drawings, tracings, and plans of the Chicago Surface Railway system from 1896-1926; 1948.  The majority of the drawings are on linen and are 24" x 36" or larger. Some of the drawings are annotated. The drawing number, title of drawing and the date are provided for each sheet.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Materials at Other Organizations

The Chicago Historical Society

Holds approximately 13 cubic feet of materials documenting the Chicago Surface Lines, 1857-1951.  The materials include minute books, corporate records, account books, agreements, correspondence, contracts, ordinances, patents, memoranda, stock certificates, bank statements, and blueprints.