INSULL’S INTERURBAN LEGACY: 1
Last Days of the NORTH SHORE
BY JOHN GRUBER/PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR
WHEN I STARTED MAKING PHOTOGRAPHS of the North Shore Line in 1960, I sim- ply wanted to preserve on film the last days of the historic electric interurban railway, known for its dependable every-hour-on-the-hour trains on its 88.9-miles of track between Chicago and Milwaukee and frequent local serv- ice to Mundelein. Both the railroad and my photography of it ended 50 years ago in January 1963. Now, another tra- dition has come to an end — the 50th and final employee reunion on Novem- ber 4, 2012.
Photographing the North Shore was an interesting and unusual experience — my first to document railroaders at work. It was not until years later that I learned about the company’s remark- able accomplishments in Illinois and Wisconsin in speed, streamlining, ad- vertising, poster making, and station design, among others. My new knowl- edge inspired me to delve into the his- tory of the company and to preserve
more of its record in print and on the Internet.
I never got acquainted with the orig-
inal Shore Line, which opened from Waukegan to Evanston in 1899. The Shore Line served a string of communi- ties close to Lake Michigan, running on city streets in downtown areas. This congested line was abandoned in 1955. The original route was extended north from Waukegan to Milwaukee in 1908, and the newer Skokie Valley bypass route opened in 1926. This line, well maintained for high speeds and fre- quent service, brought much recogni- tion to the company (and many places for photography for me).
My first and last trips were with the Illini Railroad Club. I sold my 32-page North Shore booklet (future RAILFAN & RAILROAD editor Jim Boyd told me he admired the photography) on the last day of operation. In between I roamed the property freely, observing employ- ees and passengers going about their
OPPOSITE: In 1963, an Electroliner negotiates the curve from Harrison St. to Wabash St. just south of the Chicago Loop. ABOVE: This brochure was distributed to customers in 1958 outlining the reasons why North Shore was seeking to end all operations. COLLECTION J.J. SEDELMAIER
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