More images from the collection of Bill Friedrich depicting a fire at an ‘EL’ station in 1962.

In October of 1962, a large fire consumed a CTA station and damaged several cars. Photographer unknown

October 17, 1962: A fire at the Tech-35th station on the North-South Route traps a train at the station, which also becomes damaged by the fire. The lead car is 6453; it was so badly damaged by the fire that it was retired on April 5, 1963 as a result of the incident. Its mate, 6454, was used by itself in tests of the Automatic Train Control system, then renumbered 6721 and mated to 6722 (former 6310).   This new facility saw very little service, as in October 1962 the Tech-35th station caught fire, nearly destroying the entire platform level and damaging other parts of the station. The new island platform built only a year before and the old northbound platform were almost completely destroyed, and parts of the station house were damaged. The fire also trapped a train at the station, of which cars 6453-54 were severely damaged by the fire. (Car 6453 was so badly damaged by the fire that it was retired on April 5, 1963.) Service between Cermak and Indiana was suspended for four days as a result of what was the most serious rapid transit fire in Chicago history to that date. Service was resumed through Tech-35th five days later and, in the short term, the station was reopened using the old, closed southbound platform and new, temporary northbound side platform. The mezzanine was repaired and reopened. The next year, the station was changed from an “A” station to an “AB” (all-stop) station on April 8. Three weeks later, a new, temporary island platform reopened on the south side of 35th Street, allowing the closure of the old southbound and temporary northbound side platforms, while a new permanent station was built on the north side of 35th.

On June 21, 1965, a new $500,000 station opened, replacing facilities that were destroyed by fire in 1962 and the temporary structures built thereafter. The station consisted of a tan brick station house on the north side of 35th Street with a signature series of curved canopies over the front entrance. From the rear of

Excerpt from www.chicago-l.org

Fire consumes a CTA station and train car in 1962 at 35th Street. Photographer unknown

A view down the tracks after the fire was knocked down shows SS1 working. Photographer unknown

Tags: Bill Friedrich, Chicago SS1 working in 1962, CTA station fire at 35th Street in 1962, CTA train car burns up, vintage fire photos from Chicago