Car 2790 performs the duties of the single-car shuttle approaching the Westchester (Canterbury) station. Such limited service was not only typical on the single-track portion of the Westchester branch, but more than adequate. By the time of this 1940s photo, however, some buildings had begun to spring up along the line. For a larger view, click here. (George Krambles photo, courtesy of the Krambles-Peterson Archive)

Canterbury (10200W/1600S)
Canterbury Street near Westchester Boulevard, Village of Westchester

Service Notes:

Metropolitan Division: Westchester branch

Quick Facts:

Address: TBD
Established: December 1, 1930
Original Line: Metropolitan West Side Elevated, Westchester branch
Previous Names: none
Skip-Stop Type: n/a
Rebuilt: n/a
Status: Demolished

History:

This small station was built on the rural Westchester branch of the Metropolitan "L", a line constructed primarily to help sell real estate that belonged to associates of CA&E president Thomas Conway. Canterbury was built as part of a single-track two-mile extension of the Westchester Branch from Roosevelt Road to Mannheim/22nd.

The station consisted of a small Tutor Revival-influenced wooden station house, with half-timbered wall surfaces and a steep, front-facing peaked gable extending over the entrance, exiting onto a small platform. It was served by a one-car shuttle that made connections with Loop-bound trains as Roosevelt. This was more than ample service for the undeveloped area. In 1933 the shuttle was replaced with a through car that was uncoupled from a train at Roosevelt.

There were no service changes until December 8, 1951 when the CTA discontinued service west of Des Plaines. No sooner had the tracks been removed than Westchester experienced an enormous postwar development boom, missing the line's service by mere months.

The interior of the Canterbury station in 1930. The arched windows and half-timbered walls give the interior a Tudor Revival feel. (Photo from the Krambles-Peterson Collection)

canterbury01.jpg (116k)
Car 4352 is on the solitary duty of providing shuttle service between the Roosevelt and Mannheim/22nd stations on the Westchester branch on November 20, 1941. It was not uncommon that the motorman and conductor were the sole occupants of the car. (Photo from the Collection of Gordon E. Lloyd)