User:414foamer/NSL
Former interurban railroad line between the Chicago Loop and downtown Milwaukee / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad (reporting mark CNSM), also known as the North Shore Line, was an interurban railroad that operated between Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, serving the North Shore suburbs and the intermediate cities of Waukegan, Kenosha and Racine. The North Shore Line provided passenger and freight service, as well as streetcar, city bus and motor coach services.
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![]() Cincinnati car 700 in Lake Bluff circa 1958. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Headquarters | Highwood, Illinois | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reporting mark | CNSM | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Locale | Illinois and Wisconsin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dates of operation | 1916–1963 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Electrification |
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Length | In 1954:[1]
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Described by author and railroad historian William D. Middleton as a "super interurban", the North Shore Line was notable for the high standards employed in its construction and the record-setting speeds at which its trains operated. Among the railroad's innovations were its pioneering trailer-on-flatcar service and twin Electroliner trainsets.
The North Shore Line originated in 1895 as a streetcar line in Waukegan, and by 1908 had expanded into an interurban line linking Evanston and Milwaukee. Under the management of Samuel Insull from 1916 to 1932, the railroad gained access into downtown Chicago over the "L" system and undertook a series of large-scale capital improvements. After weathering the Great Depression, the railroad saw a peak in ridership during World War II, but the postwar years brought significant declines in revenue. Reductions in service followed, and despite a campaign to prevent its abandonment, the railroad ceased all operations in 1963.
In the present day, the Yellow Line of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) operates over a segment of the former North Shore Line between Chicago and Skokie, while much of the right-of-way elsewhere has been converted to rail trails. Several examples of preserved rolling stock currently operate in railroad museums, and the former Dempster Street Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.