Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad
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| Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad | |
|---|---|
| Name | Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad |
| Locale | Chicago, Illinois |
| Open | 1892 |
| Close | 1958 (reconfiguration) |
| Gauge | Standard gauge |
| Electrification | Third rail |
| Operator | Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad Company |
Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad was a pioneering rapid transit company in Chicago that constructed a multi-branch elevated network serving the West Side and connecting to downtown the Loop. Founded in the late 19th century during an era of rapid urban growth that included figures from World's Columbian Exposition planning and rival projects by the South Side Elevated Railroad and Chicago Surface Lines, the company played a major role in shaping transit patterns later inherited by the Chicago Transit Authority and influencing designs used by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company and other North American systems.
History
The Metropolitan charter emerged amid political contests involving the Chicago City Council, Mayoral administrations of Carter Harrison, Sr. and Hugh J. Grant-era debates over urban transit concessions. Investors tied to firms such as the Pullman Company and financiers connected to J. P. Morgan and Marshall Field organized the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad Company to build lines under franchises granted by the Illinois General Assembly and municipal ordinances negotiated with the Chicago Traction Company and opponents including the Northwestern Elevated Railroad. Construction contractors previously involved with the Chicago and North Western Railway and designers influenced by the Edison General Electric Company and the Westinghouse Electric Company erected structures between 1892 and 1901, contemporaneous with labor disputes involving unions like the American Federation of Labor and incidents linked to the Pullman Strike. Legal battles referencing decisions in the Supreme Court of Illinois and interactions with the Interstate Commerce Commission shaped franchise terms and rate structures.
Financially, the Metropolitan's capital structure reflected investments similar to those used by the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company and corporate reorganizations comparable to the later consolidation that formed the Chicago Rapid Transit Company. Executives negotiated with engineers trained at institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology and linked to firms like Burnham and Root and Daniel Burnham. The line's opening stimulated real estate development in neighborhoods served by the branches, interacting with landowners associated with the Chicago Real Estate Board.
Route and Infrastructure
The Metropolitan established a trunk from the downtown Loop westward along an elevated structure to a junction near Hoyne Avenue serving multiple branches: a western branch to Logan Square, a northwestern branch to Niles Center, a branch to Garfield Park, and a branch to Douglas Park and Cicero. Elevated viaducts and steel structures designed by engineers influenced by S. S. Beman and contractors from Chicago Bridge & Iron Company crossed the Chicago River and paralleled rights-of-way owned by the Chicago and North Western Railway and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad.
Stations featured canopies and platforms reflecting prefabricated elements similar to those used by the New York Central Railroad and incorporated signaling from suppliers like Union Switch and Signal and power components from Westinghouse Electric Company. Interchanges with companies such as the Aurora, Elgin and Chicago Railway and connections to Chicago & Pacific Railroad freight corridors required coordination with agencies including the Illinois Commerce Commission. The Metropolitan's right-of-way included movable bridges like those near Harrison Street and complex trackwork at the junctions comparable to interlockings used by the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Operations and Rolling Stock
Service patterns mimicked multi-branch operations used by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company with through and shuttle trains serving branches to Logan Square, Garfield Park, Douglas Park, and the Niles Center. Rolling stock procurement involved motor cars and trailers built by manufacturers such as Pullman Company, St. Louis Car Company, and American Car and Foundry Company, with control systems influenced by standards promoted by the Electro-Motive Division (EMD) predecessors and operational practices similar to those documented by the National Association of Railroad Passengers.
Crew labor and operating rules were negotiated with unions like the Order of Railway Conductors and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, while dispatch methods paralleled those of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and timetable practices reflected influences from the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. Ridership patterns tied to events at venues such as the Chicago Coliseum and the Columbian Exposition produced peak flows necessitating multiple-unit operations and terminal management comparable to strategies used at Grand Central Terminal.
Electrification and Technology
The Metropolitan adopted a third-rail electrification system supplied by companies like Westinghouse Electric Company and part of the same technological milieu as the New York City Subway and the Boston Elevated Railway. Power generation and distribution involved substations and rotary converters similar to equipment used by the Edison Illuminating Company and coordination with municipal utilities exemplified by the Commonwealth Edison infrastructure. Signaling innovations included automatic block systems influenced by Union Switch and Signal designs and interlocking towers resembling those at Union Station.
Technological experimentation occasionally referenced patents held by inventors associated with Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse, and maintenance practices for steel structure preservation paralleled methods used by the Pennsylvania Railroad and maintenance-of-way techniques practiced by firms such as American Bridge Company.
Decline, Reconfiguration, and Legacy
By the mid-20th century, competition from Chicago Surface Lines and motor buses, regulatory changes influenced by the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, and municipal consolidation trends that culminated in the creation of the Chicago Transit Authority prompted reorganizations similar to those experienced by the New York City Transit Authority and regional railroads during the Great Depression. Portions of the Metropolitan network were reconfigured into the Congress Line and integrated with rapid transit planning associated with the Chicago Midway Airport access schemes and the Kennedy Expressway corridor projects influenced by planners from Mies van der Rohe-era commissions and consultants like Harold M. Mayer.
Physical remnants influenced later transit design, with preserved stations and sections inspiring historic preservationists affiliated with the Chicago History Museum and advocacy by groups similar to the Metropolitan Transit Authority (New York) Citizens' Advisory Committee. The Metropolitan's corporate lineage and infrastructure elements contributed to the development of the modern Chicago "L", and its history remains studied by scholars from institutions such as University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and DePaul University; its influence is cited in comparative studies of rapid transit systems alongside networks like the London Underground, Paris Métro, and the Boston transit system.