Begun in 1899 by the Illinois Telephone and Telegraph Company as a way to run cables in the downtown Chicago area, the 'Chicago freight tunnels' of the Illinois Tunnel Company was a two-foot narrow gauge electric railroad that operated forty feet below the streets delivering freight, materials, and packages to buildings along its sixty miles of tunnels. It was finally abandoned in 1959. In this circa 1908 postcard, we can see the original electrical power slot between the rails.
In this card, we can see the overhead trolley wire that replaced the track-level power supply. The locomotive shown was manufactured by Jeffrey Manufacturing Company of Columbus, Ohio, a builder of electric mining locomotives and equipment.
Lastly, here is one of the interesting tunnel junctions with a passing freight load of barrels.
For more information on the Chicago freight tunnels, click here:
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