This railroad was controlled by the South Side Elevated, and would have to connect to the mainline at 59th Street.
The first section opened to State Street in November 1905, and by July of 1907, the line was completed to Loomis Boulevard, its terminus.
The line provided a direct connection between the growing neighborhood of Englewood and the Chicago Loop.
The line also provided an access point for the Normal Park Branch, a short lived branch of the system.
In 1913, the Chicago Elevated Railways Collateral Trust was created to bring together the four companies, and create a unified system.
By 1947, the Chicago Transit Authority took over the system. In the later half of the 20th Century, the ridership began to fall as Englewood deteriorated and others began using the Interstate Highway System.
However, this line still exists as the Ashland Branch. It serves a pair of stations.
12/23/21
View an article regarding the construction of this line.
This beautiful Pratt through truss is part of an elevated viaduct on the CTA Ashland Branch.
The bridge was built in 1906 to cross over the Chicago & Western Indiana/Wabash Tracks. The bridge is a riveted, 7 panel Pratt Through Truss.
While in the future, a page will be created for the Green Line through Englewood, this page is only focusing on this truss; as if it were an individual bridge.
Due to the alarming rate at which CTA has demolished these types of grade separated crossings and replaced them, extra attention must be payed if there is to be a chance at preservation for this structure.
The bridge is supported by steel towers at either end. Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition.
The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the truss design.
The photo above is an obscured overview.