Nostalgia & History > Opening Day of the Skokie Swift -- Rick Burn

The Chicago Transit Authority's uses the southern most 5.1-mile segment of the former Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee's Skokie Valley Route between the CTA's Howard St. Terminal in Chicago and the North Shore's Dempster St. Station in Skokie for what is called the Skokie Swift or Yellow Line..  Both Roger Puta and Rick Burn showed up to photograph the Swift's opening day in April 1964.  I have shown you many of Roger's photos from that day.  Here are six of Rick's.

1. Two cars of the CTA's Skokie Swift meeting over the North Shore Channel on the Evanston/Skokie boarder on Day 1.

2. East of the North Shore Channel, Evanston, IL.

3. CTA Skokie Swift Terminal, Dempster St.., Skokie, IL.


Continued  ....



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/27/18 23:02 by MartyBernard.

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4. Near Crawford, Ave., Skokie, IL.

5. Near the North Shore Channel, Evanston, IL

6. And the best for last.  A Skokie Police Officer watching for trouble on the first day.  The police car is on the median of a divided street and that's why you see no gates.  At the right edge of Rick's photo is some of Roger Puta.  Neat shot Rick!


Enjoy,
Marty Bernard



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/27/18 22:57 by MartyBernard.

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I was always overjoyed that the CTA retained the first part of the North Shore 'Skokie Route'.  It only took me 5-6 years after it opened to 'get down there' and ride it.  I recall there being talk of extending it further north, but that fell through for reasons unknown to me. 

Perhaps the wierdest thing about the Skokie Swift was their unusual pantographs.  I think they predate the use of "V" shape (Faively) pantographs first evidenced in the USA on the PRR Metroliners.  Obviously a 'kit bash' of sorts, they used two standard trolley poles (still in use Howard St to Evanston) with the usual springs to make them reach skyward, and a motorized 'retriever'/'winder' to bring it back down.  That allowed them to change from 3rd rail to overhead 'on the fly', just like the North Shore did, except they did it with a conductor hanging out the back door to pull down each pole or release it and 'hit' the single overhead wire above...even in the dark!  Picture #4 shows the pantograph as it is being raised up (released) on the fly.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/28/18 13:45 by BRAtkinson.

I've put up trolley poles but never while moving.  Even standing still you often miss on the first try.  But in the dark while moving at maybe 45 mph -- impossible.

Marty

I always wondered how CNS&M crews managed that pole deployment in the dark, throw in rain or snow and the fact that you often need both hands to guide the retriever cable.
Moreso with the Electroliners which had these small waist high doors on the articulated car ends speciifcally for that very purpose.  Crazy.

As an aside I think Faivelys were employed in the US prior to the Metroliners on the E-44's and the Muskingum motors and by New Haven on one of their second hand EF-4's (#301) ex Virginian bricks.

Great photos! I remember that first day, it got a lot of coverage on all the local TV news as well as the newspapers (four then as I recall; Tribune, Sun Times, American and Daily News)  
My mom treated us to a ride on it a few weeks later. It wasn't the North Shore (I was still pretty sore about the abandonment) but it was pretty cool.