{"product_id":"original-oversized-antique-american-c-1910-unadorned-cast-bronze-salvaged-chicago-elevated-passenger-car-handle-with-nicely-weathered-patina","title":"original oversized antique american c. 1910 unadorned cast bronze salvaged chicago elevated passenger car handle with nicely weathered patina","description":"single early 20th century antique american unadorned heavy cast bronze salvaged chicago \"l\" or elevated passenger car handle. the exact fabricator is not known. the nicely aged handle was acquired from a local historian. dates to around 1910. great overall condition. the chicago \"l\" dates back to the late 19th century, when the privately owned south side elevated railroad company was incorporated in 1888. the first four miles - much of which is still used in chicago's modern day \"loop,\" opened in 1892 and ran from the congress terminal (near the present day site of the harold washington library) to state and pershing. by the mid-1890's, the elevated railroad continued to expand outward from the city center, when the lake street elevated railroad, northwestern elevated railroad company) and the metropolitan west side elevated were established in 1895 (parts now forming the green, brown, and blue lines). tycoon and entrepreneur charles tyson yerkes pursued the unification of chicago’s trolley cars - and later, the railways - resulting in several more miles of new track that integrated the existing lines with downtown's loop and it's many stations. the majority of the towering, riveted and welded joint steel and iron elevated infrastructure was constructed during this expansion. these new lines were impressive feats of engineering, in both the political and mechanical arenas, as yerkes was known for his heavy-handed diplomacy, often bribing or bullying his way into construction permits. the newly-built tracks were exceptionally well-built, with heavily riveted steel beams used in the formation and reinforcement of the colossal columns and cross beams designed to support hundreds of tons of train and foot traffic every day. the \"l\" underwent further changes well into the 20th century when samuel insull managed to consolidate the numerous disparate rail lines into the chicago rapid transit company in 1924. by 1947, the city of chicago took control and since then it has been known as the chicago transit authority or simply \"cta.\"","brand":"vendor-unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50672129212714,"sku":"UR-28928-18","price":495.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0959\/7075\/4858\/files\/20180504-4v0a0320n_2.jpg?v=1760468691","url":"https:\/\/urbanremainschicago.com\/products\/original-oversized-antique-american-c-1910-unadorned-cast-bronze-salvaged-chicago-elevated-passenger-car-handle-with-nicely-weathered-patina","provider":"Urban Remains Chicago","version":"1.0","type":"link"}