Overview
Combining nostalgia and historical detail, David Young tells the colorful story of transportation in Chicago, from the plank roads of the 1850s to the streetcar straphangers of the 1920s to the articulated buses of the 1990s. Illustrated with more than 90 photographs and maps, Chicago Transit reveals the political shenanigans, business deals, and technological changes behind the transportation system that made Chicago "the city that works."
Synopsis
Telling the story of every major transit innovation in Chicago's history, Young reveals a broad panorama of the city's growth. Beginning with the evolution of the horse-drawn omnibus - Chicago's first mass-transit system - Young explores the competition for passengers and space by the growing proliferation of streetcar lines, railroads, and automobiles. These modes of transportation, often existing for a time side by side, prospered or faltered according to various technological advances. Young also looks at what is uniquely Chicago: the Loop, the construction of the L, and the ever-present problem of congestion in the Windy City. He highlights the development of the Chicago Transit Authority and the Regional Transportation Authority and the growth of the Illinois Central and the Chicago North Western Railroads.
Booknews
A writer and editor for the Tribune who specializes in transportation traces the evolution of moving around in the Windy City. Beginning with the horse-drawn omnibuses that formed the first mass-transit system, he explores the competition for space and passengers by the various modes, including streetcar lines, railroads, and automobiles. The photographs are monochrome. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.