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Sep 12, 2020 · During the 1950s, the Congress L was replaced by the route in the median of the I-290/ Eisenhower/Congress Expressway, and the Dearborn Street Subway was extended by 1958 to connect the new median route with the Milwaukee Line. This gets us to the system configuration shown in the 1965 map at the top of these notes. [Chicago-L-modernization]
- Dennis Debruler
Nov 12, 2014 · Located at nexus connecting the Great Lakes with rail lines snaking across the country, Chicago has always been a hub, since the Pioneer steamed into the city in 1848 and gave the city it's first ...
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Those of you that live in large metropolitan areas know that there are places that are not as safe as others. If you live in Chicago, you have an understanding of when and where you should not be in a certain place. There will always be a risk taken when you are in a city that millions of people live and work in. For those not from the area that co...
Photography is permitted for personal use on the ‘L’. You should be respectful, stay out of the way, and do not loiter. Take your photos and move on to the next location. I have been approached numerous times by CTA personal and told I could not take pictures. My advice to you is to let them know who you are and what you are doing. Let them know yo...
With an abundance of trains to shoot, this will give you a real opportunity to be creative. Try to use different angles and elevations around the line. One angle that is often not taken advantage of, but is the easiest to achieve, is getting down low. We are all use to seeing images taken at eye level so going low will be a great way to show a uniq...
The ‘L’ is a people mover so why not show the people? Including people you don’t know into your photos can be uncomfortable, yet the human interest can greatly add interest to your images. I make a conscious effort to include people as part of the scene I am photographing while staying cautious at the same time. Not everyone wants to be in your ima...
This is Chicago. You must find ways to incorporate the city in your images. Include the towering skyscrapers the transit line runs through. You can make it look like the ‘L’ is running through a glass side canyon in many places around the loop. You should use the buildings to show the scale between these enamoring skyscrapers and the passenger cars...
Everything you see will be history at some point. The ‘L’ is old and much of the system is being replaced or upgraded constantly. Photograph the infrastructure details while you can. Search out interesting compositions and fine details. I find myself using parts of the platform structure in my composition as the train comes into view. I look for na...
We all know photography is all about light. One big difference with light when you are in downtown Chicago is that all of the glass buildings are giant reflectors. You can capture some very interesting lighting as the sunlight bounces around inside the city. Sometimes your photos even have an unnatural appearance to them created from these giant li...
I know I referenced being out on the ‘L’ at night above, as night time is byfar my favorite opportunity to railfan the ‘L’. I love the mood that the cover of darkness brings with it along with the characters that flood the system in the late hours. Then there is the amazing array of city lights that surround the tracks; from colorful neon’s of busi...
I try to add motion to create interest and increase variety to my images. As I mentioned above, there is a never ending supply of trains here so why not try dragging the shutter to cause motion blur of the trains. I recommend starting at 1/10 of a second and adjusting to the look and lighting you are in. You can swing your camera with the train as ...
The best part of photographing the ‘L’ isbeing able to hop on and experience it. Take it all in, the sites, smells, and people. This is what builds memories. If you feel comfortable enough, try to take a few images from inside the passenger car. I enjoy shooting out of the rear facing window back at the city. The steel rails create great leading li...
View of the Chicago Theatre from State and Lake L station looking southeast along State Street in Chicago, Illinois, January 1951. Chicago Theatre St Scene 1950s: Chicago skyscrapers and Michigan Boulevard skyline.
CNW, Chicago, Illinois, 1950s. Chicago & North Western commuter trains led by 4-6-2 steam locomotives on the big curve just north of the the North Western Terminal in Chicago in the 1950s. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-070-02
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Jul 26, 2022 · From the 1920s and into the 1950s, the seven-mile long area from 22nd to 63rd streets between State Street and Cottage Grove Avenue, known as Bronzeville, was the center of Black life in Chicago ...
33. After World War II, Chicago was a booming city, surrounded by small, quiet suburbs, many dating back to the 1870s. These suburbs, largely separate and distinct from one another, flourished along the railroad lines that carried commuters to their jobs in the city. Now the Chicago metropolitan area is a sprawling megalopolis combining many ...
