Chicago Surface Lines

The north and west side cable car systems were constructed by an investment syndicate under the direction of Charles Yerkes.

The Chicago companies hesitated at first to install these faster and more efficient systems because of their heavy investment in cable cars.

But the smaller Illinois cities and the Calumet Electric Street Railway of the South Side built successful systems, causing the Chicago companies to feel themselves dropping behind.

[3] A political conflict dubbed the Chicago Traction Wars arose concerning the franchise and ownership of the city's streetcars.

In 1907 to 1909, the companies were granted franchises pursuant to various ordinances, under which the city reserved the right to purchase the systems.

The 1920s saw continued growth despite the increasing competition from the automobile, and while the 1933-1934 World's Fair and wartime demand supported ridership,[12] the underlying companies were bankrupt.

[15] The Chicago Surface Lines was primarily a trolley operation, with approximately 3100 streetcars on the roster at the time of the CTA takeover.

[16] It purchased small lots of motor buses,[17] totaling 693 at the time of the CTA takeover, mostly consisting of smaller buses used on extension routes or to replace two-man streetcars on routes such as Hegewisch and 111th Street, because conductors were required to flag streetcars across mainline railroads where there was not a watchman at the crossing.

The primary remnants of the CSL system are the 77th Street & Vincennes car barns, the Ardmore temporary bus garage, and buildings that were electricity substations.

Cable-car survivors include powerhouses at LaSalle and Illinois (NCSR), Washington and Jefferson (WCSR), a small barn on Blue Island east of Western (WCSR), and other structures on Armitage west of Campbell, and Lake Park south of 55th street.