The following movie reel was filmed by the late Ben Young, and was transferred from his 16mm Kodachrome camera original. Shots include:

00:00 Start at the Chicago loop, 1.79 miles in length, and forms the hub of the Chicago Transit Authority’s electric elevated rail service, TITLE card is the CNS&M logo.

01:29 Passing rail tower on the loop

02:21 Passing CTA train, going north

03:00 Skokie

03:15 Full speed north to Milwaukee

03:50 Passing Electroliner train, and some freight action

04:15 Grade crossing with sign FAST TRAIN APPROACHING, DO NOT STOP ON TRACKS

04:20 runby

05:00 Electroliner

5:50 passing Harrison Avenue

06:05 Homewood shops

06:30 Crossing into Milwaukee

06:42 Milwaukee Station

07:14 Milwaukee Road Railroad Station with Hiawatha Diesel train leaving station

08:17 Milwaukee Trolleys, downtown area of town to end of reel.

Milwaukee streetcar service began May 30, 1860 with horse drawn cars. Electrified April 3, 1890, the last streetcar operated until May 2, 1958. The service was provided by the Milwaukee Electric railroad and Light Company. After a survey was made, residents preferred trackless trolleys of buses.

11:54 End of Milwaukee film

The next part of the film shows operations on the “Third Avenue Elevated” and Brooklyn trolley lines. The Third Avenue El was the last full remnant of an operated elevated railway running through the length of Manhattan. It operated between 1878 and closed in 1955. It was an icon to New York City, becoming famous like the Empire State Building and the Automat. The rail line, part of the IRT, operated with ancient wooden, electrically powered cars. The following reel was filmed by the late Ben Young, and is transferred from his original 16mm film.

The trip starts northbound from the Chatham Square station. Operations to South Ferry was discontinued in 1950 but is covered in a short film The Vanishing El.

12:20 James Street near China Town

12:40 Canal Street Station, looking south to Chatham Square where branches went to City Hall and South Ferry

13:07 Bowery, seen from entrance to Williamsburg Bridge

13:49 Lower east side area

14:12 From street level, 3rd Avenue was known for Pawn shops

14:43 Canal Street station

15:18 Cooper Square with red GMC bus

15:52 Riding El uptown

16:05 23rd Street Station, multi level

16:46 34th Street, had an overhead pedestrian bridge. A branch extended to the east side but was closed in 1930

20:23 47th Street area

20:50 129th Street area

21:03 near Harlem River

21:20 Harlem River crossing and passing near railroad freight yards

21:50 Black and white footage of Bronx area

22:39 END

The Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad was an all electrically operated rail system that connected the Chicago Inner Loop, to center city Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The railroad operated with multiple unit, electric cars, powered from either a third rail, or overhead trolley wire. The Electroliner was a 1941 built train, and offered fast and comfortable service between the two cities. The rail road served several military installations including the Great Lakes naval training center near North Chicago and Fort Sheridan.The railroad operated between the 1920s and ended service in January 1963. The rail cars were sold off to museums or scrapped, as were the motor locomotives used for freight. The two Electroliner sets were sold to Philadelphia Transit, and upon retirement, were sold to the Rails to Yesterday Trolley Museum at Rockhill Furness, Pa., and to the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Ill., where their train set has been cosmetically restored and operates.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com