The CTA's Old 50th Av. "L" Station, Illinois Railway Museum

This grade-level station, formerly located on the present Douglas Blue/Pink Line, closed in 1995 and was reassembled at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union. The silver "L" cars are from the 2000 series, which ran from 1964 until 1993.

Perhaps because of news reports that the Museum's grounds had flooded from the previous week's storms, or maybe because potential patrons were still cleaning up their homes and businesses from those same storms, the Museum's crowds on Labor Day Sunday were less than usual. Worked perfectly for me shooting video, but please, folks. As you can see, everything's dry as a bone. Visit the Museum at least once before winter comes. It's a Chicago-area treasure, and it deserves our support. Only here could you be walking through an old reconstructed rapid transit train station and see the last surviving CTA Green Hornet in action. It was a good day.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Chicago
• Union
• Illinois
• Railway
• Museum
• CTA
• Transit
• Authority
• 50th
• Av
• Avenue
• station
• Green
• Hornet
• train
• cars

[mansonrkmc]

Was this a Cicero stop? Coming out of Chicago I remember Cicero, Laramie then the end of the line at Central. The Laramie stop was just like this one. Used it many times.

[artistmac]

@mansonrkmc 50 Av. station was between Cicero and Laramie. 

[vidular]

Did not know about this museum, looked it up on Google maps and it is not too far and looks to be huge! Thanks for sharing this.

[artistmac]

The largest railway museum in the country. We're #1!

Antique Vehicle Day is the best; it's the first Sunday in August. Antique cars, semi-trailers and buses, both city and interstate, from as far away as California. AND, the trains are running. Heaven.

[djskilz]

Nice video. I am really into transit for some reason, I like the history of it all. Check out chicago-l(dot)org for some great resources. They used to do a really nice chartered train tour, too bad I heard about it after they stopped organizing them.

BTW, are those flames on your shoes? ;)

[artistmac]

Yep, they are. Got three pairs of 'em. These are the good, Sunday-go-to-meetin' pair;-)

[mansonrkmc]

I rememebr the L train that the drivers door closed in on the controls and you could ride in there when it wasnt the driver car. It had the biggest window you could open and hang out and see the city.

[BishopTJH]

Hadn't been there since 2002. I wish I had a video camera at that time. At least I took some flattering pics, though. BTW, those silver L Cars are actually from the 2000 Series. Too bad I was stationed in Germany when they were retired.

[artistmac]

It's an amazing place. I went there in the fall of 2004, and to see one of the old Rock Island Aerotrains in the flesh was awesome. It looks like a cross between a railroad locomotive and a '57 Corvette.

[wolfsnigs]

Green Bay believe it or not has one of the more famous railroad museum holding the fastest and arguably largest locomotive ever built 4884 union pacific big boy 4017 and other locomotives - over 50+ trains and locomotives - the national railroad museum. I been there quite a few times - love it when they hold the haunted railroad every halloween there - alice cooper was there one year.