You're right, Tom. "Plugging the switch", as it was called, was common practice among flaggers. It saved them the time of bending over and pulling up on the switch handle every time a streetcar approached a turnaround. It was also officially frowned upon by the CTA. As you imply, if the motorman wasn't paying attention and went through a switch at full tilt, bad things could -- and d
Forum: General Discussion

Yet another casualty of the accident. Things happened so fast that car owners who had parked their cars on the east side of State didn't have time to move them. The gasoline flowing from the damaged tank followed the path of least resistance, pooled in the gutters, and began to flow south toward the viaduct. At least a half dozen cars caught fire quickly, and their gas tanks blew. The book &qu
Forum: General Discussion

I wonder if your dad was the guy who hauled the streetcar to the carbarn at 77th and Vincennes? Or maybe he pulled the gasoline out of the street and into the turnaround?
Forum: General Discussion

Thanks for the tip, rustymuscle. I've added four photos related to the accident to the Forgotten Chicago FB group.
Forum: General Discussion

I had the great privilege of being interviewed earlier this year by the Tribune's Rick Kogan on his The Sunday Papers program on WGN Radio. A podcast of the interview from May 20th is available here: http://www.wgnradio.com/shows/sundaypapers/wgnam-kogan-120520-craig-cleve-green-hornet-streetcar-disaster,0,6263315.mp3file Enjoy, Craig
Forum: General Discussion

Thanks for the post, rustymuscle. Unfortunately, most of the sites out there contain badly flawed information, photos notwithstanding. You can view more photos of the accident at my website: http://www.craigallencleve.com, which also contains more factual information not included in my original post. I've heard a lot of myths about the accident while doing my research. Some of the
Forum: General Discussion

I downloaded Cushman's photos a few years ago while I was doing my research. They are the only color photos of the accident site I have ever seen. Makes me wonder if there's some amateur 8mm film out there? Cushman had a good eye. The photos of the gas truck, the crowd scenes, and the buildings, really speak to the devastation of the accident and how more than the streetcar was involved.
Forum: General Discussion

I'm new to the forum, and I'm enjoying my exploration of the stories. At cursory glance, I was surprised that there was no posting for "The Green Hornet Streetcar Disaster" of May 25, 1950. Here goes: The accident occurred near the end of rush hour. It had rained hard earlier in the day, and several viaducts around the city were flooded. Southbound streetcar traffic along State
Forum: General Discussion