Chicago Transit Authority 3142




Facts and Figures


Current Number3142
Railway RepresentedChicago Transit Authority
BuilderJ.G. Brill Company
Built In1923
Builder's order id21686
Currently in (State)Illinois
--(Locality)Union
Totally out of svc date1958
(Initial retirement date)
Car Typestreetcar
-subtypeclosed
-designation
Statusoperated often
More infohttp://www.irm.org/player/cta3142
Gauge4'8.5"
Constructionsteel
Roof typeAR
EndedDE
Length48'11"
Width8'8"
Height12'0"
Weight46850
#Seats48
#Wheels/Conf.8
Total HP240
TrucksBrill 51E2
BrakesStraight Air
CompressorGE CP127
ControlK-35KK
MotorsGE 275A (4)
Voltage (if not 600DC)

Car 3142 in operation at IRM in 2023
Flickr
photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bryanburtonphotography/53203453049/

Car 3142 in operation at IRM in 2023
Flickr
photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/14581588@N05/53280045033/

Car History by Frank Hicks


Chicago Transit Authority 3142
This car is the only survivor of around 1,000 steel streetcars that once plied the streets of Chicago. It was built as part of a series of 169 cars designed to haul trailers, but 3142 was never actually fitted with couplers. It operated as a single-unit car its entire life. Around 1948, it was rebuilt as a one-man car by CTA, but it only operated in that configuration a few years. After a minor traffic accident in 1951, CTA made 3142 into a storage shed in one of its yards. This saved the car from the mass scrappings that consumed its sister cars, and it survived until acquired by the Electric Railway Historical Society in 1958. The car was stored at ERHS's facility in Downers Grove, Illinois until 1973, when ERHS dissolved and its collection was transferred to IRM. Major restoration work on 3142 began around 1986 and was completed in 2001, when the car entered regular service.


Ownership History


OwnerCar NumFromToPreservation?Loan?
Chicago Surface Lines (Illinois, Chicago)31421923 1947 NO NO
Chicago Transit Authority (Illinois, Chicago)31421947 1958 NO NO
Electric Railway Historical Society (Illinois, Downers Grove)31421958 1973 YES NO
Illinois Railway Museum (Illinois, Union)31421973 present YES NO


Additional Media

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Car 3142 in operation at IRM in 2021
YouTube
video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=useOEL3slU4