North Shore Line Faded Glory Shirt
North Shore Line Faded Glory Shirt
- Printed on Front
- 100% Cotton
- Shirt Color - Cypress Green Comfort Wash Hanes 100% Cotton
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"[1]:30-31[2]:227, 402[3]:56. 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. After the Second World War, declines in ridership led to increasing financial losses, and despite protracted legal opposition from the remaining riders, the North Shore Line ceased all rail operations in 1963. Middleton would subsequently opine that this abandonment marked the end of the "interurban era" in the United States.[1]:37[3]:79
Several examples of North Shore Line rolling stock are preserved in railroad museums or private collections, and the former Dempster Street Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Since 1964, the Chicago Transit Authority has operated the Yellow Line service over a short segment of the former main line
