Streetcars
West Chicago Street Railroad 4
Description: | Double-end single-truck deck-roof car |
Equipment Information
West Chicago Street Railroad 4 is the oldest electric car at IRM. Its early history is obscure but it was built in 1895, when many streetcar lines in Chicago were still operated by cable cars, and remained in service into the mid-1910s, after which it was stored for potential emergency use. In the early 1930s the Chicago Surface Lines removed it from storage and restored it for use in parades and other public events. At that time the CSL painted it in West Chicago Street Railroad colors, which is thought to be historically inaccurate. The car came to IRM in 1985 and is in complete but unrestored condition, still wearing its 1930s/1940s paint job.
COMPARE ME WITH: CTA 4391, which is the newest Chicago streetcar preserved and is about 50 years newer than car 4. The two cars can run on the same tracks and use the same 600 volt power supply but have virtually nothing else in common, so rapid was the pace of technological advancement during the early 20th century.
West Chicago Street Railroad 4 Details
Builder: Pullman
Year Built: 1895
Seats: 30
Length: 30ft
Width: 7ft 9in
Height: 11ft 1in
Weight: 18000 lbs
Brakes: Hand
Motors: 2 GE 800
Control: K10
Trucks: Brill 21E
Description: Double End / Single Truck / Deck Roof / Closed
Arrived: 1985
Condition: Complete / unrestored / not operational
WCSR 4 Ownership History
1895-1899 – history uncertain, possibly North Chicago Street Railroad #922
1899-1908 – Chicago Union Traction #4022
1908-1914 – Chicago Railways #4022
1914-1933 – Chicago Surface Lines #4022
1933-1947 – Chicago Surface Lines (painted as West Chicago Street Railroad #4)
1947-1985 – Chicago Transit Authority (painted as West Chicago Street Railroad #4)
1985-present – Illinois Railway Museum, Union, IL (painted as West Chicago Street Railroad #4)
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