Chicago, North Shore, and Milwaukee interurban (the North Shore Line)
Journey through the captivating history of the Chicago, North Shore, and Milwaukee interurban, also known as the North Shore Line. Explore its beginnings, growth, and the pivotal role it played in connecting these vibrant regions. Discover the enduring legacy of this interurban line and its impact on regional transportation.
The futuristic Electroliner trains began running through Racine in 1941. A southbound Electroliner crosses Linderman Avenue as it rolls to a stop at the Racine depot in the summer of 1958. Richard Wagner photo.
A northbound Electroliner pauses at the Racine depot on West Boulevard on January 21, 1963. A driver for Flash Cab waits in the taxi stand alongside the platform. The train conductor is about to give the “highball” hand sign to the motorman, and the train will soon be traveling at a comfortable 60 m.p.h toward Milwaukee.
Until the year 1963, passengers could board a high speed electric train every hour to either Milwaukee or Chicago from the train station on Washington Avenue in Racine. Today this location is the site of a CVS Pharmacy..
A southbound North Shore Silverliner train accelerates away from the depot and across Washington Avenue in Racine on a winter day in 1958. John D. Horachek photo.
A southbound “all stops” local car slows for a stop at Taylor Avenue in Racine in 1959. Passengers could access North Shore trains from platforms located at major street crossings. They could transfer to a high speed train at Racine or Kenosha if traveling longer distances. The large substation in the background provided electricity to the overhead trolley wires that powered the trains. Jack Gervais photo.
The Electroliner pauses at the Racine depot on a humid summer evening in 1956. North Shore trains operating between Chicago’s Loop and downtown Milwaukee provided reliable, high-speed service to passengers at Racine from 1908 to 1963. Ernie Maragos photo.
A railfan special stops at Racine to give photographers a chance to take pictures of this magnificent high-speed train in 1960. Many North Shore passenger cars have been restored. Today the historic cars can still be photographed and ridden at the Illinois Railway Museum or the East Troy Trolley Museum.
