| 1-50 series | |
|---|---|
Car 48 at the Halton County Radial Railway after retirement |
|
| Manufacturer | St. Louis Car Company |
| Constructed | 1959–1960 |
| Entered service | 1961 |
| Scrapped | 2000 |
| Number built | 50 |
| Number in service | 50 |
| Number scrapped | 46 |
| Formation | Double-ended operation |
| Fleet numbers | 1–50, 61–65 |
| Capacity | 46 seated |
| Operator | Chicago Transit Authority |
| Depot(s) | Harlem, 61st, Howard; Skokie Shops |
| Line(s) served | Evanston (Purple), Skokie Swift (Yellow), Ravenswood, West-Northwest |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Aluminum |
| Car length | 48 feet (15 m) |
| Width | 9 feet 4 inches (2.84 m) |
| Height | 11 feet 10 inches (3.61 m) |
| Doors | 4 per car |
| Maximum speed | 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) |
| Weight | 49,825 pounds (22,600 kg) |
| Engine(s) | 4 WH1432LK per car |
| Power output | 55 horsepower (41 kW) each motor |
| Power supply | third rail or catenary (trolley pole) |
| Electric system(s) | 600 V DC |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Standard gauge |
The 1-50 series was a series of Chicago 'L' car built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1959 and 1960. Unlike cars in the previous series (which were designed for married pair operation) the 1-50 series cars were double-ended to facilitate single car operation. All fifty cars in the series were constructed from recycled PCC streetcars which the Chicago Transit Authority no longer needed. Cars 61 to 65 were rebuilt from cars 5, 7, 9, 11, 15, 19, 21, 23, 24, 31; these became married units and were renumbered 61-65.[1]
A design similar to the 1-50 series cars was considered when the Toronto Transit Commission's subway was being planned in the 1940s, but wartime conditions made the cars far too costly, so Toronto opted instead for London Underground-influenced G-series trains.
The 1-50 and 6000-series were the last of the CTA cars built from passenger car specifications. The succeeding 2000-series and all other cars thereafter resemble current mass transit car designs.
Most of the 1-50 cars and all of the 61-65 cars were scrapped by the CTA. Only a handful of 1-50 cars survives today in museums throughout the United States and one in Canada.[1]
Over the years, there have been a few mergers and name changes among these museums. Trolley Car '86 and the Wisconsin Trolley Museum merged to become the East Troy Electric Railroad in 2003. The three 1-50 cars held by the East Troy Electric Railroad were removed from the collection in 2009 after a fire in one of the cars, and car 45 (which was repainted back into a 1960's green and white livery while in the possession of the East Troy Electric Railroad) ended up being sold to the Fox River Trolley Museum. Cars 28 and 35 were stripped for parts.
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