CHICAGO HEAVY RAIL
Artifacts

The January rain is over, and the sun is out early on a Monday morning in this view.  As the Brown and peak-hour Purple Line trains twist through the near North Side they pass along what was once a four-track right of way.  The State St. subway, which opened in 1943, and the demise of the North Shore interurban two decades or so later, reduced traffic to the point where only two tracks were needed.  This stretch remains full of artifacts and is replete with residue from the past. 

North of here the Red Line joins from its subway, and four active tracks continue for miles up to Howard St.

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