The Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad (reporting mark CNSM), also known as the North Shore Line, was an interurban railroad that operated passenger and freight service over an route between the Chicago Loop and downtown Milwaukee, as well as an branch line between the villages of Lake Bluff and Mundelein, Illinois. The North Shore Line also provided streetcar, city bus and motor coach services along its interurban route.
Extensively improved under the one-time ownership of Samuel Insull, the North Shore Line was notable for its high operating speeds and substantial physical plant, as well as innovative services, such as its pioneering "ferry truck" operations and its streamlined Electroliner trainsets. Author and railroad historian William D. Middleton described the North Shore Line as a "super interurban" and opined that its cessation of rail service marked the end of the "interurban era" in the United States.
Since 1964 the Yellow Line of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has operated over a short segment of the former main line from Chicago to Skokie, Illinois as a rapid transit line of the Chicago "L". Operating examples of North Shore Line rolling stock have been preserved in railroad museums, and the former Dempster Street Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Route Interurban lines Chicago Division (Shore Line Route) The Shore Line Route was a main line which ran through the North Shore region from Linden Avenue in Wilmette to North Chicago Junction, parallel to Sheridan Road and the Old Line subdivision of the Chicago and North Western Railway (C&NW). A freight interchange connection was made with the C&NW at North Chicago, though freight service was not permitted to operate on the line south of Highland Park. The Shore Line Route was almost entirely double-tracked, aside from a short segment of gauntlet track in Glencoe, and included several segments of street running.
Power was supplied by overhead trolley wire. Between 1938 and 1941, of the line through Glencoe and Winnetka were rebuilt as part of a Public Works Administration grade separation project which included the installation of automatic block signaling and overhead catenary along the improved section. Passenger service on the Shore Line Route was discontinued in 1955, after which it was abandoned south of Elm Place in Highland Park, reduced to a single-track line, and utilized for exclusively for freight service, as well as non-revenue access to the company facilities at Highwood.
Skokie Division (Skokie Valley Route) The Skokie Valley Route was a main line cutoff which ran through the Skokie River valley from Howard Street in Chicago to North Chicago Junction, parallel to U.S. Route 41. A freight interchange connection was made with the C&NW at Oakton Street in Skokie. The Skokie Valley Route was entirely double-tracked, located on private right-of-way, and utilized an automatic block signaling system. Power was supplied by a combination of third rail and overhead catenary, with the transition made between East Prairie Road and Crawford Avenue in Skokie.
The Skokie Valley Route was constructed between 1923 and 1926, with the purpose of enabling high-speed limited-stop trains to bypass the increasingly congested Shore Line Route. From 1925 to 1948, the Chicago Rapid Transit Company (and later the CTA) operated local rapid transit service over the Skokie Valley Route between Howard Street and Dempster Street in Skokie. The Skokie Shops were also constructed along the Skokie Valley Route, and the CTA continued to utilize the line to access these facilities from Howard Street after local rapid transit service had been discontinued.
Milwaukee Division
The Milwaukee Division was a main line which ran from North Chicago Junction to Harrison Avenue in Milwaukee, and served the intermediate cities of Waukegan, Zion, Kenosha and Racine. A freight interchange connection was made with the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) at Racine. The Milwaukee Division was almost entirely double-tracked, aside from of single-track operation between Austin Avenue and Oklahoma Avenue on the south side of Milwaukee, and was located entirely on private right-of-way.
The Milwaukee Division utilized block signaling, with automatic systems in place between North Chicago and Kenosha, as well as between Ryan Road in Oak Creek and Harrison Avenue, while a manual system was in place over the segment between Kenosha and Ryan Road. Power was supplied by a combination of overhead catenary and overhead trolley wire, with the transition made on the north end of Waukegan.
Libertyville Division The Libertyville Division was a branch line which ran from Lake Bluff to Mundelein, parallel to Illinois Route 176. Connections were made with the Shore Line Route at Lake Bluff, and with the Skokie Valley Route at Green Bay Junction as well as at South Upton Junction. Freight interchange connections were made with the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway (EJ&E) and the Milwaukee Road at Rondout, and with the Wisconsin Central Railway at Mundelein. The Libertyville Division was almost entirely double-tracked, aside from a short segment of single-track operation east of Green Bay Junction. Power was supplied primarily by overhead trolley wire, though sections of overhead catenary were utilized along the connections with the Skokie Valley Route between Lake Bluff and South Upton.
City lines Waukegan–North Chicago The North Shore Line operated an electric street railway in the cities of Waukegan and North Chicago which consisted of two lines: The North Avenue Line ran from North Chicago Junction to Greenwood Avenue on the north side of Waukegan, with additional branches to Western Avenue and Sheridan Road along Glen Flora Avenue. A connection to the Milwaukee Division was made at the intersection of Glen Flora and Western Avenues. The North Avenue Line was double-tracked between North Chicago Junction and Water Street, while North of Water Street, the line was single-tracked, and made use of passing sidings protected by Nachod signals. The North Avenue Line was primarily located in city streets, though private right-of-way was utilized between North Chicago Junction and 10th Street in Waukegan. The Washington Street line ran from Sheridan Road to Lewis Avenue along Washington Street in Waukegan. A connection to the Milwaukee Division was made at Edison Court. The Washington Street line was entirely single-tracked, and utilized unprotected passing sidings. Power to the Waukegan city lines was supplied by overhead trolley wire. Shore Line Route trains operated over of the North Avenue Line between North Chicago Junction and downtown Waukegan, where an interurban terminal was located at the intersection of County and Washington Streets after 1929. Freight service was provided to a number of industries between North Chicago Junction and 10th Street, and deliveries of coal were transported from the Milwaukee Division to the Victory Memorial Hospital via the Glen Flora Avenue lines. After the end of street railway service in 1947, the North Avenue Line was truncated at 10th Street in Waukegan and incorporated into the Shore Line Route until 1955.
Milwaukee The Chicago and Milwaukee Electric Railway Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the North Shore Line, operated a single street railway line in the city of Milwaukee. The Milwaukee city line ran from Harrison Avenue to the intersection of 2nd Street and Wisconsin Avenue in the Westown neighborhood. Connections existed with the city service of The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company (TMER&L), which utilized the tracks on Wells Street between 2nd and 5th Avenues until it was discontinued in 1958. The Milwaukee city line was entirely double-tracked and located in city streets.
Power was supplied by overhead trolley wire. Milwaukee Division trains initially operated over the entire length of the line and terminated on 2nd Street. In 1920 a dedicated passenger terminal was constructed near the intersection of 6th and Michigan Streets, reducing interurban operations over the city line to 2.8 miles. After the subsidiary company ceased its street railway operations in 1951, the North Shore Line assumed its franchise and continued to operate interurban service to the 6th Street terminal until 1963.
Chicago "L"
Evanston Line Shore Line Route trains operated over the entire Evanston Line of the Chicago "L" from Linden Avenue in Wilmette to Howard Street in Chicago. Power was supplied by overhead trolley wire. When the North Shore Line assumed operations of the Chicago and Milwaukee Electric Railroad in 1916, trains only traveled as far south as Church Street in Evanston, where a passenger terminal and stub tracks had been constructed. After direct service into Chicago began in 1919, the Church Street station was reconfigured for through service, and retained as a terminal for local trains. Intermediate stops between Linden Avenue and Church Street included Isabella Street in Wilmette, as well as Central Street, Noyes Street and Foster Street in Evanston. Operation over the Evanston Line ceased when passenger service on the Shore Line Route was discontinued in 1955.
Howard Street–Roosevelt Road In 1919, the North Shore Line negotiated a trackage rights agreement which permitted its trains to operate directly into Chicago over of the "L" from Howard Street to Roosevelt Road on the Near South Side. On the quadruple-track portion of the North Side Main Line from Howard Street to Chicago Avenue, North Shore Line trains typically utilized the express tracks to avoid interference from local "L" trains, though the exact routing varied over the years. After its completion in 1943, trains were occasionally diverted through the State Street Subway if the North Side Main Line was obstructed. Power was supplied primarily by third rail, though overhead trolley wire was utilized on the outermost southbound track between Howard Street and Granville Avenue.
North Shore Line trains made limited stops at Wilson Avenue, Belmont Avenue, Chicago Avenue, Grand Avenue and the Merchandise Mart. South of Merchandise Mart, trains operated counter-clockwise over the Loop, with southbound trains making stops at the Randolph/Wells, Madison/Wells, Quincy/Wells, LaSalle/Van Buren and State/Van Buren stations, while northbound trains made stops at the Adams/Wabash, Madison/Wabash, Randolph/Wabash and Clark/Lake stations. Between the Loop and Roosevelt Road, trains made an intermediate stop at the Congress/Wabash station, and the North Shore Line utilized the Congress Terminal as its downtown baggage station, an arrangement which continued after the CTA vacated the terminal in 1949. Operation into Chicago over the "L" was maintained until the end of rail service in 1963.
South Side extension In 1922, another trackage rights agreement was negotiated which permitted certain North Shore Line trains to operate over the South Side Elevated from Roosevelt Road to the 63rd/Dorchester station in the Woodlawn neighborhood. Trains made intermediate stops at 43rd Street, 61st Street, South Park Avenue, Cottage Grove Avenue and University Avenue. Operation over the South Side Elevated provided the North Shore Line with access to the Chicago "L" yards at 61st and 63rd Streets. Service south of Roosevelt Road was discontinued in 1938.
History Early history