OMG the same CTA bus logo on this bus in the video you’re narrating mind you I got hired with the authority July of this year 2024 and I saw a woman who cleans the trains when they come in and before they go out for the route she had the same Cta logo on her hoodie so I was like wondering what year was this CTA logo from and here we go it’s from 1970 I am honored to work for Cta so much history a lot of things have changed like these buses thanks for the video I have to work Sunday😂😂😂😂 also I want to add this is way before my time I was born May of 1987 and in the early 90’s I would take Cta to grade school by myself I loved going all the way in the front of the train watching the train go and just watching the view I think I was five years old taking Cta to elementary school in Chicago never thought that I would be working for Cta in 2024 small world and I live only an hour away from Chicago I’m thinking about moving back but it’s too much going on right now in the city of Chicago right now

If any of you fellow history buffs are cleaning out an attic or inherit a pile of old film, please donate them to a historical society or hobby group that can get them online for everybody to enjoy.

Thank you for preserving this history for us.

Well thanks for putting these videos up. I'm a little too young to remember some of the stuff. I was born in like 1970 but I didn't move to Chicago till about 20 years later. I've seen pictures of these. And I'm glad you put these up. They're a great historical reference

My dad was working there that day. He started at North Ave Garage in Sept 1972.

My dad worked at North Ave Garage when this was filmed. I wish he was around to see this. I remember when my dad would let me ride with him to the garage. Seeing all the buses parked and driving around the facility was a treat. By then it was 1976. The trolleys were gone. North ave garage was all GMCs and Flxibles by then

There's still plenty of Trolley Buses in San Francisco CA and in Philadelphia PA.

I HOPE THERE'S MORE!!! 👍

These are amazing and terrific. I'm an expat Chicagoan, living now in Dallas Texas. I rode many of these lines as a kid on the northwest side of our great hometown, Chicago!

I drove those routes in 1967. The Marmon-Harrington buses were fast and smooth - really great.

7:01 - The wye is Belmont and Nagle. The Calkins & Co. building is still there.

I was employed with cta at this exact time. As a repair man. It brought back memories. I worked at Cicero and Forrest Glenn. Due to hiring I left in 1974

As a college kid in the mid 1960s, I drove these same CTA trolleys during two summers in Chicago's oppressive heat and high humidity. (No air conditioning back then on any city busses in the Windy City. No wonder the 'old timers' wanted to take summers off.) Oddly, trolley memories show up sometimes in my dreams to this day. Later in my military flying career, I flew large Boeing-built helicopters. Looking back into the cabin of a 33-seat chopper was not unlike looking back into the CTA bus I used to drive on city streets like Irving Park, Lawrence, Montrose and Central. Thanks for posting this remarkable video. Marmon made a good machine!

What a wonderful video! Thumbs up 👍

Some great shots here; thanks for posting. In the mid-1960s I drove CTA trolleys during summers on some of these same streets. One March 31, 1973 I was a USMC pilot stationed in Japan flying Boeing-built helicopters just slightly smaller than these trolleys. So one could say that in addition to my brief CTA career paying for part of my college, navigating the streets of Chicago in a trolley helped prepare me to fly cargo choppers through the atmosphere. These trolleys had NO air conditioning; same-same for Marine Corps helicopters!

As a college kid on summer break in the mid-1960s, I drove trolleys on Irving Park, Lawrence, Montrose and Central Avenue. The Marmon was a good bus from a drivers' perspective. (Imagine trusting passengers in a crowded bus to a college kid!) Later as a military flyer I piloted Army Chinook helicopters which could haul 33 passengers. More than once when flying, I remembered my summer days with the CTA. Still remember my CTA badge number too. Thanks for posting this valuable footage.

I lived on North Ave and lawndale I remember as a kid I often would ride these trolleybuses. GREAT VIDEO

Great memories of our mother taking us kids from Galewood down North Ave to North Ave Beach on these trolley buses. I remember the poles losing connection with the electric wire and the bus driver would have to go to the back of the bus with a long wooden pole to reconnect it.

I kept watching then realized where are the wires? I must be missing something here. I’m guessing they were able to work without continuous connection? I never knew that.

At 7:00 the bus is crossing the short turn at Cicero and Waveland. Many times I would look east down Waveland (one way eastbound) and see headlights. It meant a trolley bus was short turning. I would run the block and a half from my house to watch the trolley bus exit the short turn wye. Upon closer inspection, it is coach #9631 which is preserved (and I've operated) at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL. What are the odds?

Two of Chicago's Marmon-Herrington trolley buses are preserved, and occasionally operate, at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL.

Kedzie Avenue at Archer Avenue had the trolley buses.

At 1:10 I was like shocked that they just pulled out the terminal in front of that car, then I had noticed the traffic signal

The last trolley bus i was on was Roosevelt road in 1970. Those were the only viable EVs I can imagine but they complained that they were'a hazard to traffic'. They were fast and had no brakes,merely take your foot of the accelerator.

No streets under construction, no bike lanes and no garbage on the streets...what happened ???

wow.. and today... they think EV;s are all the rage...Probably about 10 cents at that time...

There's an A.I video tool that can turn your video into HD quality but it's nothing like the original one.

I have to make a comment this date is 1-30-24 last century in '96 i drove for the CTA and i drove the 54 Cicero and 72 North Ave outta Chicago Ave Garage. I still work there, i'm a Clerk now with 28 years with the Company. ❤ I do miss driving the bus 🚎 my favorite will always be the 27 South Deering and 30 South Chicago. Hey I live out there come onnnnn 😅😊 🏡

I have hundreds of feet of color movie film of the CTA Marmon-Herrington trolley coaches in their last days of operation. I worked long and hard to try to convince the CTA to retain the trolley coaches, but my efforts failed. But my efforts were successful in Dayton, Ohio, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Seattle. For my efforts and hard work in Chicago, a local group back then presented me with a gorgeous, framed water-color painting of a CTA Marmon. That painting hangs proudly on the wall of my computer room 51 years later here in New Jersey where I live. Speaking of Marmon trolley coaches, I have three of them from Philadelphia {called trackless trolleys there} in my vintage transit vehicle collection. Also in my vehicle collection is a Philly 1947 Brill, a 1947 Dayton Pullman and a 1939 Mack from Wilmington, Delaware.

Stephens restaraunt at Fullerton.. ate there as a child. The Bresler ice cream plant at the S curve at Belden..Good stuff. I remember riding these as a child. Good times. Grew up at Springfield and Fullerton.

In winter the best seat was in the back over the resistor bank, it was always warm. It was entertaining when a driver would forget he was driving an electric, and attempted to pass a bus at a stop. Then he would have to get out and reset the trolley poles. During ice storms the trolleys could not get good contact with the wire, and would lurch along with lots of sparks. CTA had its own DC 600V power stations. Massive cables along streets with electric busses. Expensive.

I only ever rode the trolley busses once or twice; there were street cars on the Cottage Grove line when I was a kid. This vid brings back memories. Thanks.

I remember these when I was very little. Every now and then the bus would lose connection with the overhead wires. Driver had a big pole he’d use to get it back on track. Can’t believe they ran till ‘73 my high school graduation year. Great video!

Thank you for posting this vintage video. Grew up near the 81 Lawrence Ave. which had the Trolleys.

Excellent video. Thanks for the memories.

What always amazed me was how the operators knew how to make turns and never lose power connections?

What are those 2 hooks on the top Of the bus??

It's interesting to see the gigantic chrome cars jockeying for driving space with the trolley buses and each other. Everyone drove too fast and tailgated like lunatics.

Time to bring back the trolley buses

Chicago should have kept them .

I remember those trolleybuses on California st. Must have been late 60s or early 70s.

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En Valparaíso Chile todavía funcionan esto trolley bus,,,,, desde 1948 que arribaron primero a Santiago y en 1952 en Valparaiso

What’s the deal with all that overhead wire?

Fond memories, they should have kept them. But that's not the loop.

The last time I remember seeing the trolly buses was in 1975 they ran on the 126 Jackson line back then

How do they keep from accidentally pulling off of the wires?

That's Belden not Milwaukee and belmont

What city is this? Chicago? And do they still have trolley bus lines? Love the video. For the true transit nerds.