Dispatch Series Publications — Available to Shore Line Members and Non-Members

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Available as Single Copies and Bundle Sets

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Shore Line produces special publications through its Dispatch Series.

Publications in the Dispatch Series are topics that are too large for an article, but not necessarily large enough to be a book. Dispatch Series publications will appear at irregular intervals; however, our intention is to issue one annually if resources are available to Shore Line.

You may now purchase special publications online and pay by credit card. Prefer to pay by check? See the instructions at the bottom of this page.

All shipping prices listed are for U.S. addresses. Please contact us if you are interested in any Dispatch orders for delivery outside of the United States to get pricing on the international shipping cost.

Shore Line's Dispatch 15, Then and Now on the Chicago Surface System

Shore Line is pleased to present Dispatch 15, Then and Now on the Chicago Surface System.

All of us who have an interest in and appreciation of transportation, transit and railroads have a fondness for Chicago. Chicago's variety of modes and carriers, as well as the sheer size of the operations, offers something of interest to everyone.

Through 170 photographs and accompanying narrative, Dispatch 15 covers over a century of Chicago's surface transit systems (including streetcar, motor bus, trolley bus, work equipment and facilities coverage). Dispatch 15 continues the tour and descriptions of Chicago's neighborhoods that have been included in Shore Line's four prior CSL Dispatches. Chicago's 77 neighborhoods with their individual cultural and ethnic backgrounds have always made and continue to make Chicago a very vibrant city.

Art Peterson grew up with an inside view of transit in Chicago. His uncle, George Krambles, a career Chicago transit system employee, retired in 1980 as CTA's Executive Director. With his own career focused on transit and transportation, Art shares his knowledge and experience with us.

In 1919 Chicago Surface Lines, the world's largest streetcar systems, carried 744 million passengers. Fast forward to 2022 (most-recent complete year data available), CTA provided 243.5 million passenger trips, only 32% of a century ago. This clearly defines the challenges of providing urban transportation in the current automobile-centric, city-suburban environment.

Dispatch 15 is a must-read to understand what has happened to urban mass transit over the past century. It includes not only actions that the transit system took over that period, but also economic and social considerations that impacted key transit lines/corridors in Chicago.

Dispatch 15 is available for the regular price of $40.00 plus $10.00 postage, when sent to U.S. mailing addresses. Shore Line members pay only $24.00 plus $10.00 postage, when sent to U.S. mailing addresses.

This offer applies only to U.S. mailing addresses.

Delivery in August 2024.

Note: Due to high demand, we have paused online sales for Dispatch 15. We hope to reopen online ordering later this summer.

Shore Line's Dispatch 14, The Most Competitive Passenger Corridor: CHICAGO-TWIN CITIES

"Dispatch 14 is a substantial, well researched and impressive publication."
–Jim Lewnard, History Teacher and Archivist, C&NWHS

"A thorough history, and enjoyable read, of the Twin Cities and the competing railroads that went to Chicago."
–Bob Storozuk, Museum Curator, MRHA

"Aaron Isaacs' concise review of the Chicago-Twin Cities passenger market analyzes the fierce competitive environment with ample documentation and memorable photographic evidence."
–Jim Singer, Archivist, BRHS

Shore Line is pleased to present Dispatch 14, The Most Competitive Passenger Corridor: CHICAGO-TWIN CITIES.

Passenger rail competition in the Chicago-Twin Cities Corridor was absolutely FIERCE. Seven railroads over nine routes battled in this war for passengers. Speed, frequency of service, state-of-the-art trains with posh accommodations, impeccable service, quality of food and ticket prices formed the basis of competition. 132 pages with more than 180 modern color and historic black and white photos, images and maps.

Dispatch 14 is available for the regular price of $40.00 plus $10.00 postage, when sent to U.S. mailing addresses. Shore Line members pay only $24.00 plus $10.00 postage, when sent to U.S. mailing addresses.

This offer applies only to U.S. mailing addresses.

Shore Line's Dispatch 13, A Celebration of Chicagoland Railroads: 1935-1971

A Publication Unlike Any Others from Shore Line!
Steam, Diesel and Electric Interurban Railroads Featuring the Photography of Bill Raia, Paul Stringham and Others

Shore Line is pleased to present Dispatch 13, A Celebration of Chicagoland Railroads: 1935-1971.

1935 was the beginning of a railroad industry revolution. Gleaming stainless steel and colorful lightweight passenger trains replaced heavyweight dark painted cars. Diesel-electric locomotives totally revolutionized the industry. Documented by almost 300 photos of historic significance, many unpublished, this revolution is vividly portrayed in images and words. All major railroads serving Chicago and Peoria are included. A must addition to your library.

Dispatch 13 is available for the regular price of $40.00 plus $10.00 postage, when sent to U.S. mailing addresses. Shore Line members pay only $24.00 plus $10.00 postage, when sent to U.S. mailing addresses.

This offer applies only to U.S. mailing addresses.

Shore Line's Dispatch 12, Chicago Surface Lines: Linking Chicago's Neighborhoods III

Shore Line is pleased to present Dispatch 12, Chicago Surface Lines: Linking Chicago's Neighborhoods III, edited by Richard F. Begley with George E. Kanary and Walter R. Keevil. Coverage of 20 streetcar lines in multiple neighborhoods in many parts of the city in post-WW II period. Lines covered include: Roosevelt, Cermak, Fullerton, Fulton-21st Street, Stony Island and 87th Street. 100 pages. 145 photos (25 in color). 3 color maps. Popular Then/Now photos. Great for your library and as gifts for other railfans and "Chicago Buffs."

Dispatch 12 is available for the regular price of $25.00 plus $10.00 postage. Shore Line members pay only $15.00 plus $10.00 postage.

Shore Line's Dispatch 11 and a Reprint of Dispatch 1!

Shore Line presents over 125 years of history and the development of the first multimodal transportation corridor—rail freight, rapid transit and a limited-access highway connecting downtown Chicago with suburbia. Combined, Dispatch No. 1 Cooperation Moves the Public and Dispatch No. 11 From Garfield 'L' to Blue Line Rapid Transit recall the railroads' history and how decades of urban planning resulted in efficient land use. It was a prototype for other transportation corridors in Chicago and other cities in the U.S. and Canada.

A bundle with Dispatches 1 and 11 is available for the regular price of $50.00 plus $10.00 postage. Shore Line members pay only $30.00 plus $10.00 postage.

Dispatch No. 1 is available individually for the regular price of $25.00 plus $10.00 postage. Shore Line members pay only $15.00 plus $10.00 postage.

Dispatch No. 11 is available individually for the regular price of $25.00 plus $10.00 postage. Shore Line members pay only $15.00 plus $10.00 postage.

Shore Line's Dispatch Number 10!

Dispatch No. 10 is Chicago's Railroads in Transition: The Photography of Lou Gerard. Six decades of Lou Gerard's noted photography documenting the transformation of Metra and its predecessors, South Shore, CTA, Amtrak, Freight Movements, Steam Specials and Great Lakes Boats with over 200 photographs, mostly in vivid color, in 100 pages.

Buy Dispatch No. 10 at the regular price of $25.00 plus $10.00 postage, or the Shore Line member price of $15.00 plus $10.00 postage.

Save money on the following bundles. See descriptions of each Dispatch by scrolling down this page.

Bundle 3CSL: One copy each of Dispatches 8, 9 and 12
$60.00 Non-Member, $36.00 Member

Bundle NSL Plus: One copy each of Dispatches 2, 4 and 7
$40.00 Non-Member, $24.00 Member

Bundle SS/NS Plus: One copy each of Dispatches 3, 4 and 7
$40.00 Non-Member, $24.00 Member

Add $10.00 for postage to a U.S. address for each bundle.

Single Dispatch Copies

Dispatch No. 9 is Chicago Surface Lines: Linking Chicago's Neighborhoods II, edited by Richard F. Begley, with George E. Kanary and Walter R. Keevil. This 100-page publication includes 20 color pages, 149 photos (28 in color), and two maps (both in color), as well as detailed narratives of 26 streetcar routes.

Chicago is a city where the everyday events of life occurred in its 77 semiofficial neighborhoods. Education, entertainment, shopping happened in "the neighborhood" — be it South Chicago, North Park, Garfield Park or elsewhere. The common denominator: the streetcars of the Chicago Surface Lines and later the Chicago Transit Authority. The streetcars provided transportation within the neighborhood and linked the neighborhood with other neighborhoods, both like and unlike, both near and far.

Building upon the success of Dispatch 8, Chicago Surface Lines: Linking Chicago's Neighborhoods, Shore Line announces the availability of Dispatch 9, Chicago Surface Lines: Linking Chicago's Neighborhoods II. Dispatch 9 covers 26 streetcar lines in the 1945-1958 period. The Dispatch includes a section on Eight Distinctive Lines of Southeast Chicago (including "the Hegewisch line" and South Deering); coverage of Diagonal Lines in a Grid City (including Elston, Archer and Lincoln); as well as information on such routes as Kedzie, Cicero, 18th Street and Chicago Avenue. The routes used about 630 streetcars daily and carried 162 million originating revenue passengers in 1945.

Dispatch 9 includes detailed narratives on each route and a wonderful article by George Kanary on his recollections of life on Division Street in Wicker Park.

Dispatch No. 9 is available from Shore Line for $20.00. Add $10.00 for postage to a U.S. destination. Shore Line members pay $12.00 plus $10.00 postage to a U.S. destination.

Dispatch No. 8 is Chicago Surface Lines: Linking Chicago's Neighborhoods, edited by Richard F. Begley, with George E. Kanary and Walter R. Keevil. This 100-page publication includes 132 photos (24 of them in color) and 3 color maps.

Chicago is a city of neighborhoods, with residents self-identifying as being from, for example, Hyde Park or Albany Park or Beverly or Uptown. The neighborhoods are where things happened: education, entertainment, shopping—the everyday things of life. The neighborhoods in the 1940s and 1950s were like villages where “everybody knew your name.”  The common denominator? The streetcars of the Chicago Surface Lines which, while serving the individual neighborhoods, also linked them to other neighborhoods, near and far.

Dispatch 8 covers 12 of CSL’s streetcar lines from January 1, 1945 until the end of streetcar service. These 12 routes (including Broadway-State, Western, 63rd Street and Lawrence) carried about 20% of CSL’s total originating revenue passengers with an average of 521 streetcars daily. Eight of the 12 routes covered served only outlying neighborhoods and did not even enter the Central Business District.

The Dispatch includes detailed narratives on the routes and George Kanary takes us for a long ride on the Cottage Grove line, reliving his experiences on the route.

A Great Gift for “Chicago” Buffs, Railfans and Otherwise.

Dispatch No. 8 is available from Shore Line for $18.00. Add $10.00 for postage to a U.S. destination. Shore Line members pay only $10.00 plus $10.00 postage to a U.S. destination.

Dispatch Number Seven is A Transportation Miracle, a 100-page publication covering the transportation side of the 28th International Eucharistic Congress that was held in Chicago on June 20-24, 1926. There has never been anything like the 28th International Eucharistic Congress. Steam railroads from across the U.S. and Canada carried 600,000 people to Chicago, and more than 1 million people participated in the events.

A Transportation Miracle, available in July 2016, tells this incredible story. Topics include background information, day-by-day details, the role that the rail lines played, and information on Cardinal Mundelein, who envisioned this Eucharistic Congress. Streetcars provided 15 million passenger trips. Interurbans, rapid transit and suburban trains carried people throughout Chicago. Five railroads combined to provide more than 300,000 passenger trips for the closing ceremonies — a triumph of logistics and coordination! During Chicago’s first 100 years, this Eucharistic Congress and the World’s Fairs of 1893 and 1933-34 established Chicago as an international city.

Enhancing the value of this publication, acclaimed railroad artist Mitch Markovitz has created six original colorful pieces of artwork portraying the North Shore Line’s “Cardinals’ Special.”

Dispatch Number Seven is available from Shore Line in a softbound (perfect bound) version for $15.00. Add $10.00 for postage to a U.S. destination. Shore Line members pay only $10.00 for the softbound version plus $10.00 for postage to a U.S. destination.

Not a Shore Line member? Join today and receive discounted member pricing on Dispatch publications as well as all four issues of our premier quarterly publication First & Fastest for the calendar year in which you join.

Dispatch No. 6 is Chicago Surface Lines: The Big 5 Routes and 5 Others by Richard F. Begley, George E. Kanary, and Walter R. Keevil. This 100-page publication was published in December 2015.

This is the perfect gift for family and friends as it is as much a history of Chicago itself as it is of Chicago’s street railway system.

CSL was the world's largest street railway
In 1931, the five largest Chicago Surface Lines routes, in terms of originating revenue passengers, were Ashland, Clark-Wentworth, Halsted, Madison and Milwaukee. The combined riding on these routes was greater than the total riding in many medium-sized American cities. CSL also had some very small routes in terms of ridership and they demonstrate the diversity of CSL’s operations.

George Kanary vividly relives the sights, sounds and aroma of the countless neighborhoods that the Halsted cars traversed from the north to the far southwest side including passing by Chicago’s famous Stock Yards. George rode this line from end-to-end many times as a kid and as an adult for the thrill of a ride on a CSL streetcar soaking in the neighborhood scenes.

Chicago Surface Lines: The Big 5 Routes and 5 Others explores in depth ten fascinating routes, the principal streetcar types used and a chronology of significant events from 1945 to 1958 with detailed text and over 110 thoroughly captioned photographs in 100 pages including then/now photo comparisons in black & white and color showing the changes in some of the neighborhoods where the cars ran.

Dispatch No. 6 is available from Shore Line for $15.00. Add $10.00 for postage to a U.S. destination. Shore Line members pay only $10.00 plus $10.00 postage to a U.S. destination.

Dispatch No. 5 is The Chicago "L’s” Great Steel Fleet - The Baldies by Bruce G. Moffat. This 64-page publication was published in November 2014.

In the early 20th Century, overwhelmed with riders, managers of Chicago’s elevated railways were faced with two huge challenges, an insufficient car fleet and tremendous congestion on the Loop. Through routing of trains and terminals short of the Loop eased the congestion. Providing sufficient rolling stock resulted in ordering the famous fleet of 4000s, 250 of which were called “Baldies” due to their bare steel arched roofs. These Baldies were delivered during 1914 and 1915.

Now, 100 years after the delivery of the first cars, Bruce Moffat discusses in Dispatch 5 what was then a revolutionary car design with rolled steel components. Their 50-year service life testifies to the durability of these cars.

"This is a fantastic book"
Praise for The Chicago "L's" Great Steel Fleet - The Baldies
Dispatch No. 5 recently received enthusiastic praise from a Chicago blogger who posted an unsolicited review. He said, "I have to honestly say that this is a fantastic book. It is a must have for any Chicago elevated fan. ... For the amount of information contained within, this is the bargain of the year. Bruce (Moffat) again shows why he is the preeminent expert on all things Chicago transit related." Read the complete review.

Dispatch No. 5 is available from Shore Line for $10.00. Add $5.00 for postage to a U.S. address. Shore Line members pay only $6.00 plus $5.00 for postage to a U.S. address.

Dispatch No. 3, published in 2008, is One Hundred Years of Enduring Tradition — South Shore Line by Norman Carlson, Stefan Loeb, and Dr. George M. Smerk. Very different from all other railroad publications, Dispatch No. 3 covers the history of the South Shore Line as told by the people who were involved since 1926. We reflect on the first 100 years of the South Shore Line.

• Discover fascinating new information
• Enjoy in-depth discussions of why "The Last Interurban" survived
• Understand how a successful public-private partnership was created
• Many previously unpublished photos
• 84 pages in color and duotone
• Cover illustration by Mitch Markovitz
• A must addition to your library

Dispatch No. 3 is available from Shore Line for $15.00. Add $5.00 for postage to a U.S. address. Shore Line members pay only $10.00 plus $5.00 for postage to a U.S. address.

Dispatch No. 2, published in February 2011, is Competing Rails: The Milwaukee Road's Legacy in Evanston and Wilmette.

Learn all the details about early rail competition on Chicago's North Shore, steam vs. electricity, and connecting Evanston and Chicago by rail

What is Competing Rails all about? John Evans, one of the founders of Northwestern University, desired rail competition. He did not want the Chicago & North Western to be the exclusive railroad in Evanston, Illinois. He obtained a horse-car franchise that ended up as a steam railroad commuter service, the Chicago Evanston & Lake Superior, a subsidiary of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, operating between Chicago Union Depot and Evanston. (In those days The Milwaukee Road was referred to as the “St. Paul.”) The St. Paul’s plans to expand beyond Evanston never materialized. Instead from the north came the Chicago & Milwaukee Electric, predecessor of the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee.

Read more about Competing Rails: The Milwaukee Road's Legacy in Evanston and Wilmette.

This is a complex story full of business, political and financial intrigue covering the early days of the railroads serving Evanston. A subsequent edition of the Dispatch series, Surviving Rails, will cover the rapid transit, interurban and suburban rail operations that have served Evanston and Wilmette over the past 100 years.

Dispatch No. 2, Competing Rails, is available from Shore Line for $15.00. Add $5.00 for postage to a U.S. address. Shore Line members pay only $10.00 plus $5.00 for postage to a U.S. address.

Dispatch No. 1, reprinted in 2021, is Cooperation Moves the Public. In this publication, Shore Line presents the history of the first multimodal transportation corridor—rail freight, rapid transit and a limited-access highway connecting downtown Chicago with suburbia.

Dispatch No. 1 is available individually for the regular price of $25.00 plus $10.00 postage. Shore Line members pay only $15.00 plus $10.00 postage.

Note: Dispatch No. 1 is also available in a bundle with Dispatch No. 11, From Garfield 'L' to Blue Line Rapid Transit. Please see above for more details and order information.