Description: North Line 1988 is a vintage VHS recording. It captures many sights and sounds from Chicago's past. Watch the movie and share your own recollections.
history (7595) chicago (6216) north (1867) railroads (264) suburbs (158) rta (141) northwestern (76) metra (18) cnw (6) c&nw (1)
In 1988 I was attending Haven Middle School in Evanston, Illinois. At the time our school had a yearly event called "Exploration". The whole point was to encourage learning about the world, and development of interests through asking questions. I have always been interested in business. So the railroad that ran through town caught my attention. I had taken it south into the city. But I had never been north and wondered, "what is up there? Where does the railroad go and what sort of customers does it serve t
After Exploration night the tape went into storage and stayed there for close to twenty-five years. After all: we had answered our question and not many people in 1988 would've been interested in footage of a present-day two-hour train trip.
When moving in 2011 the tape came back to light. I watched it and discovered that it has become an interesting document of Chicago history. So much has changed since the tape was made: from buildings to cars to the railroad itself. I have thoroughly enjoyed taking this trip back in time and hope that you will too.