General
This car was ordered in late December 1913 by the Chicago Elevated Railways, a consortium of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway Company, the Northwestern Elevated Railroad Company, and the South Side Elevated Railroad Company. It is of all steel construction, including the roof, and seated 52 passengers on longitudinal seating along the walls. It was powered by two GE- 243 traction motors with Westinghouse ABLFM control.
History
4103 and its 61 motorized sisters were ordered at the same time as 66 non-motored trailer cars of the same general design. All these cars had two large sliding doors at each vestibule and a pair of center sliding doors, all of which were pneumatically operated. With the longitudinal bench seats all these cars were referred to as “bowling allies”. The center doors, which had fold-up seating, were seldom used and in later years were sealed up. Since they had all steel roofs, and no trolley poles the cars were also referred to as “baldies” and served on lines that did not require overhead trolley operation for power collection. They cars could also operate in trains which had older wooden elevated cars. The reason for purchasing these all-steel cars was the City of Chicago’s desire to have underground subways, which precluded the use of wooden cars due to fire, a dream which was finally realized in 1943 with the opening of the State Street Subway. After World War Two, as more 6000 series all-electric cars came online, they too were also retired with a few units going into work train service. 4103 became a parts storage car at the upper Howard Street yard and was painted white, thus earning the moniker “the ghost”. It arrived at the museum on its own wheels but without functioning air brakes, a feat that would be considered impossible in the 21st century! It has a Van Dorn coupler on one end and a Sterns and Ward on the other, which suggests that it may have been an adaptor car before becoming movable parts shed. (Depending on the L line, one type or the other coupler was used and the 4000’s would be equipped with the type that could couple to the earlier wood cars that also served that route.)
Narrative
Restoring 4103 will be a challenge but after the museum’s experience with the later model 4288 and 4451 cars, the Car Department is confident that the structural repairs and rebuilding necessary is doable. We have enough spare components on hand and there are enough seat frame parts still in place the highly modified “store house” interior to serve as samples to recreate the “bowling alley” seating so unique to this car. We have the rattan on hand to cover replica seat backs and cushions. Replacing the concrete floor will be another unique challenge. Operation would be with car 4451 which can supply power to the “baldie”. This kind of pairing was actually done on the CTA Evanston line’s shuttle from Howard Street to Linden Avenue in Wilmette before the 39-50 series all-electric cars took their place in the early 1960’s.
Author: Joseph Hazinski, Curator