The following are less serious incidents that have occasionally occurred on the "L" between the beginning of rapid transit service in 1892 and the merging of the "L" companies into the CRT in 1924. These may include situations in which there was very little damage or injury and incidents that caused little or no disruption of service. Also included here are those incidents which may indeed be of a serious nature, but of which we have too little specific information to create an individual page for that particular incident.

This is not an exhaustive list of accidents and mishaps that have occurred on the "L" over the last hundred years. There are, indeed, a good handful of incidents that are not listed on the site. Mostly, incidents that are omitted aren't listed because we do not know about them or have too little information to discuss them accurately and authoritatively, and in the interest of fairness we will not list incidents for which there is not corroborated information. At a later date this page will be updated as more research can be undertaken on additional incidents. If you believe you know of an incident that is not listed below, feel free to contact us and we will add it to our roster of information to be investigated at a later date.

• November 9, 1893: What is believed to be the first significant "L" accident occurred on the South Side Rapid Transit (today's Green Line South Side main line) just seventeen months after the line opened. A thick fog that rolled in early in the morning reduced visibility to only twenty paces or so. At 22nd Street (Cermak Road), steam locomotive No. 40 smashed into the rear of a train stopped at the station. Though the locomotive tore through the rear wooden car, no serious injuries were reported.
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• December 23, 1895: A sleeping motorman drove his single-car train off the end of the 48th Avenue stub-end terminal on the Garfield Park Line. For more information, click here.
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• June 20, 1896: A motorcar on the Lake Street Elevated derailed near Rockwell Street. For more information, click here.
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• May 30, 1899: The beginning of Lake Street express service to the Harlem Race Track in Proviso Township had an ominous start when, on the first day of service, a racing special rammed the rear of a local train at the Oakley Avenue station. Several persons were injured (but the racing specials were well-patronized regardless of the incident!).

• January 29, 1901: In late January 1901, the Lake Street Elevated began service on South Boulevard between Lombard and Wisconsin (Marion) Avenues. The new service received little press, but gained some additional (if unwanted) notice about a week later when two trains collided at the Wisconsin Avenue terminal. The accident damaged four cars and disrupted services for over an hour.
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• May 15, 1902: The motorman of an eastbound Met rush hour train disregarded a stop signal and proceeded onto the Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge, which traversed the South Branch of the Chicago River, as it was being raised. The lead car almost reached the end of the bridge, but was prevented from going over the edge by the incline the bridge had already achieved. The car rolled back down. Damage was limited to the roof of the second car, which had been crushed by the back of the first car.
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• 1905*: In 1903, the Lake Street Elevated starting running through trains to Oak Park from the Market Street Stub again, followed in 1905 by additional express trains. That year (exact date unknown), an inbound Market Street train split the switch at the junction between the stub tracks and the main line at Market/Lake and derailed. One car fell onto its side, blocking both tracks of the Market Street branch. It is not believed that any of the passengers suffered serious injuries.
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• April 7, 1908: A motor cover came loose on S.S.R.T. car 93, falling to the track and causing the train to derail just north of 43rd Street. Car 93 fell from the structure, its front on the ground and its rear propped up against the elevated structure. It remained in that position for a half an hour before completely falling into the alley. Although the car was never repaired, it remained on the car roster until 1915, when it was finally retired as a result of its damages. ..

  Car 93 fell from the structure and remained in this position for about a half an hour, then fell into the alley on April 7, 1908. For a larger view, click here. (Photo from the Steven Hyett Collection)

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January 8, 1913: At 6:50am, the motorman of a three-car train took the curve at Tower 8 (Franklin Street & Fifth [Wells] Avenue) too fast. The unoccupied rear car, trailer #5, derailed and plunged to the street, landing in front of the Metropolitan's Fifth Avenue Terminal. The wooden car shattered when it it the street: the roof broke off on three sides, all the windows shattered, and the sides collapsed. Luckily, no one was hurt in the incident. Car 5 was retired after the accident. ..

The unoccupied rear car of this C&OP train, trailer #5, plunged to the street and landed in from of the Met's Fifth Avenue Terminal. For a larger view, click here. (Chicago Daily News photo, from the Chicago Historical Society Collection)

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* = Ed.: Further details are not known or exact date unknown.

Sources:

Campbell, George V., North Shore Line Memories, Northbrook, IL: Domus Books, 1980.

Cudahy, Brian J. , Destination Loop, Brattleboro, VR: The Stephan Greene Press, 1982.

Hanzell, Wesley. "Loop tragedy was second major crash in 13 months". Chicago Tribune 5 February 1977

Keevil, Walter R. and Norman Carlson (editors), Chicago's Rapid Transit Volume I: Rolling Stock/1892-1947 (CERA Bulletin 113), Chicago: Central Electric Railfans' Association, 1974.

Keevil, Walter R. and Norman Carlson (editors), Chicago's Rapid Transit Volume II: Rolling Stock/1947-1976 (CERA Bulletin 115), Chicago: Central Electric Railfans' Association, 1976.

Moffat, Bruce, The "L": The Development of Chicago's Rapid Transit System, 1888-1932 (CERA Bulletin 131), Chicago: Central Electric Railfans' Association, 1995.

Various interviews