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We invite you to join the Shore Line Interurban Historical Society and explore First & Fastest, the premier quarterly publication on urban, suburban, interurban and regional intercity passenger service in what is now known as the Chicago Hub Network of Amtrak, and our special publications.

Announcing Shore Line's Dispatch No. 11 and a Reprint of Dispatch No. 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. Available Spring 2021.

Special Bundle Offer!
Order a bundle with Dispatch 1 and Dispatch 11 for $50 plus $8 postage. Shore Line members pay only $30 plus $8 postage. Individual copies of Dispatch 1 or 11 are also available.

Read more about Dispatch No. 1 and Dispatch No. 11, and order online from our Dispatch Series page.

Announcing Shore Line's Dispatch No. 10!

Shore Line is pleased to announce the upcoming publication of Dispatch No. 10, 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. Available October 2020.

Dispatch No. 10 is available from Shore Line for $25 plus $8 postage. Shore Line members pay $15 plus $8 postage.

Read more about Dispatch No. 10 and order online from our Dispatch Series page.

Shore Line Dispatch No. 9 - Chicago Surface Lines: Linking Chicago's Neighborhoods II

Available Now!

Shore Line is pleased to announce the publication of Dispatch No. 9, 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.

Building upon the success of Dispatch 8, Chicago Surface Lines: Linking Chicago's Neighborhoods, 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.

Read more about Dispatch 9 and order online from our Dispatch Series page.

Download Our First & Fastest Master Index and Our Chicago Streetcar Photos Index

A master index to our First & Fastest quarterly magazine has been updated and is now available for issues from 1984 through 2019. Read more and download the index as an Excel spreadsheet or PDF file ...

The complete index to Chicago streetcar photos which have appeared in First & Fastest also is available and includes all photos published from 1984 through Summer 2020 as well as in Dispatches 6, 8 and 9. Read more and download the index as an Excel spreadsheet or PDF file ...

Shore Line Dispatch No. 8 - Chicago Surface Lines: Linking Chicago's Neighborhoods

Now Available!

Shore Line is pleased to announce the publication of Dispatch No. 8, Chicago Surface Lines: Linking Chicago's Neighborhoods, edited by Richard F. Begley, with George E. Kanary and Walter R. Keevil. This 100-page publication, issued in August 2017, includes 132 photos (24 of them in color) and three 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.

Read more about Dispatch 8 and order online from our Special Publications page.

Shore Line Dispatch Number Seven –
A Transportation Miracle

Available Now!

Shore Line is pleased to announce the publication of Dispatch Number Seven, 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.

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."

Unlike our usual publications that are staple bound, Dispatch Number Seven will be offered in both a softbound (perfect bound) and a limited edition hardbound version.

Read more about Dispatch Number Seven and order online from our Special Publications page.

Shore Line Dispatch No. 6 –
Chicago Surface Lines: The Big 5 Routes and 5 Others

Available Now!

We are excited to announce the publication of Dispatch 6, 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 is a perfect gift for family and friends. It is as much a history of Chicago itself as it is of Chicago's street railway system.

Read more about Dispatch 6 and order online from our Special Publications page.

In the News ...

Lake States Railway Historical Association Introduces Online Photo Archive
Lake States Railway Historical Association has unveiled a new online Photo Archive and redesigned website. Read more.

NICTD Releases Performance Report
Read NICTD's 2020 year-end ridership and performance report.

Metra Board Approves Purchase of Up to 500 Modern Railcars
The Metra Board of Directors approved the purchase of up to 500 state-of-the-art railcars from Alstom Transportation Inc., opting for new multilevel cars that will be more comfortable, accessible, reliable and safe than the outdated gallery cars they will replace. Read more.

The Message of 'My Metra' Is Spreading
Metra is working hard to bring riders back to its trains through its new "My Metra" campaign. Watch a video update.

Join Shore Line!
Our 2021 membership application is now available online. Join Shore Line today!

Read Our October 2020 Member Letter
Read our October 2020 letter to members that reviews the past year's activities and looks forward to plans for 2021.

Read The Loop
Chicago journalist Patrick T. Reardon's new book tells the story of The Loop: The "L" Tracks That Shaped and Saved Chicago. Learn more.

Share Your Photos on Flickr
Shore Line has created a Flickr account for sharing photos of passenger trains past and present in the Chicago area. Visit the Flickr page to view posted photos, and join the group to share your own images or comments.

Shore Line Offers Online Ordering
You can now pay for memberships and order special publications securely online with a credit card.