CTA Surface System History presented by the Illinois Railway Museum

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The numbering system was devised by the late Don Liberko, who worked extensively on cataloging the different styles. It has been enhanced to include new versions.

We are currently working with transfer experts to verify/correct/populate transfer style dates. Currently they are our best estimates. Once solid dates are established (and new styles discovered), the style numbers may change to reflect the correct chronology.

Click on the desired route below to see the hi-res transfer image. PLEASE USE YOUR BROWSER'S "BACK" BUTTON TO RETURN TO THIS PAGE. Routes in parenthesis are on the transfer, but not the main route listed.

Style 20a - c1962

"T", "C" and "S" removed, directions in circles, red date and serial number.

  • Addison (Limited) (Depot Shuttle)
  • Archer (Express) (Depot Shuttle) [Plate 02]
  • Archer (Express) (Depot Shuttle) [Plate 02B - 06/21/1964]
  • Archer (Express) (via Expressway) (Depot Shuttle) - [Plate 02C - 09/12/1966]
  • Armitage

  • Ashland (Downtown) (35th)
  • Austin (Southport) [Plate 05] - Image courtesy Andre Kristopans
  • Austin (Southport) [Plate 05 - 02/08/1965 Armitage leg removed from Southport](a)
  • Belmont (Fullerton, West)
  • Blue Island-26th

  • Broadway
  • California, South (Harlem)
  • Canal-Wacker (Devon-Cicero) - Plate 10 - Image courtesy Andre Kristopans
  • Canal-Wacker (Devon-Cicero) - Plate 10(a)
  • Central (Limited)

  • Cermak
  • Cermak (Central-Laramie)
  • Chicago
  • Cicero (Pulaski, South) [Plate 14]
  • Cicero (Pulaski, South) [Plate 14B - 09/12/1966 S. Pulaski extended to 104th]

  • Clark
  • Cottage Grove (Depot Shuttle)
  • Damen, North (Damen, South)
  • Devon-Sheridan (26th-31st) - Plate 18
  • Devon-Sheridan (26th-31st) - Plate 18B

  • Diversey (Depot Shuttle) (Logan Square)
  • Division - Plate 20
  • Division - Plate 20B
  • Douglas (Depot Shuttle) (Ohio-Depots) - Plate 21
  • Douglas (Depot Shuttle) (Ohio-Depots) - Plate 21B

  • Douglas (Depot Shuttle) (Ohio-Depots) - Plate 21C (low-res) - Image courtesy Andre Kristopans
  • Douglas (Depot Shuttle) (Ohio-Union Station) - Plate 21D
  • Douglas Ext (Roscoe)
  • Elston-Clybourn (Elston)
  • Emergency RT

  • Evanston RT (Skokie Swift)
  • Foster-Central (Yates-95th) - Plate 24
  • Foster-Central (Yates-95th) - Plate 24B
  • Foster-Northwest Hwy (Bell & Howell)
  • Fullerton (Belmont, East) - Plate 26

  • Fullerton (Belmont, East) - Plate 26B
  • Garfield (Limited) (Depot Shuttle) - Plate 27
  • Garfield (Limited) (Express) (Depot Shuttle) - Plate 27B (low res) - Image courtesy Andre Kristopans
  • Garfield (Limited) (Express) (Depot Shuttle) - Plate 27C
  • Grand

  • Halsted (Downtown)
  • Harrison (Adams)
  • Higgins
  • Indiana (Halsted, South)
  • Irving Park

  • Jackson (Express) (Independence) (Depot Shuttle)
  • Jeffery (Limited) (Depot Shuttle) (Drexel-Hyde Park) (Hyde Park) - Plate 35
  • Jeffery (Limited) (Depot Shuttle) (Drexel-Hyde Park) (Hyde Park) - Plate 35B
  • Kedzie-California
  • Kedzie-Homan

  • Kimball (Kedzie, South)
  • Lake (Pershing)
  • Lake RT
  • Laramie (Morgan-Racine)
  • Lawrence

  • Lincoln-Larrabee (Lincoln-Wabash)
  • Loop RT
  • Madison
  • Michigan-State-Wacker
  • Milwaukee (Limited) (Devon-Northwest Exp)

  • Monroe Parking
  • Montrose (Marquette)
  • North (Limited)
  • North-Narragansett-Irving Park (Montrose-Lawrence)
  • North-South RT

  • Ogden DT (Ogden)
  • Peterson (Bell & Howell) - Plate 51
  • Peterson (Bell & Howell) - Plate 51B
  • Pulaski (Cicero, South)
  • Ravenswood RT

  • Roosevelt
  • Sheridan (Limited) (Depot Shuttle) - Plate 54
  • Sheridan (Limited) (Depot Shuttle) - Plate 54B
  • Skokie-Howard (71st)
  • South Chicago-Ewing (Express)

  • South Chicago Exp
  • South Deering (Windsor Park) - Plate 57
  • South Deering - Plate 57B - Image courtesy Andre Kristopans
  • South Deering - Plate 57C
  • South Park (Limited) (Depot Shuttle) - Plate 58

  • South Park (Limited) (Depot Shuttle) - Plate 58B
  • State (Depot Shuttle) - Plate 59
  • State (Limited) (Depot Shuttle)- Plate 59B
  • Stony Island (Riverdale) - Plate 60
  • Stony Island (Riverdale) - Plate 60B

  • Stony Island - Plate 60D
  • Stony Island (Riverdale-111th) - Plate 60D - Image courtesy Andre Kristopans
  • Taylor-Sheffield (Lunt-Touhy) (Bell & Howell)
  • Vincennes-111th - Plate 62
  • Vincennes-111th (Express) (Wentworth) - Plate 62B

  • Wallace-Racine
  • Washington Exp (Depot Shuttle) - Plate 65
  • Washington Exp (Depot Shuttle) - Plate 65B
  • Washington Exp (Depot Shuttle) - Plate 65C
  • Wentworth (Depot Shuttle)

  • Westchester (Skokie)
  • Western
  • Western, North (Western, South)
  • West-Northwest RT
  • Wilson (Express) (Depot Shuttle) (LaSalle) (LaSalle-Sheridan Exp) - Plate 70

  • Wilson (Express) (Depot Shuttle) (LaSalle) (LaSalle-Sheridan Exp) - Plate 70B
  • 16th-18th (Vincennes-119th) - Plate 63
  • 16th-18th (111th-115th) - Plate 63B
  • 35th (111th, East) - Plate 71
  • 35th (83rd) - Plate 71B

  • 35th (16th-18th) - Plate 71C
  • 43rd-Root
  • 47th (47th, West)
  • 51st
  • 55th (31st, West)

  • 59th-61st
  • 63rd (Limited) - Plate 77
  • 63rd (Limited) - Plate 77B
  • 67th-69th
  • 74th-75th (63rd-65th) - Plate 79

  • 74th-75th (63rd, West) - Plate 79B
  • 79th (79th, West) - Plate 80
  • 79th - Plate 80B (Low Res) - Image courtesy Andre Kristopans
  • 83rd-95th
  • 87th - Plate 81

  • 87th - Plate 81B
  • 93rd-95th
  • 103rd-106th
  • 111th-115th (Riverdale-111th)
  • 115th (83rd)



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