May 12, 1941 – A two-car “L” train slams into a bumper on the dead-end tracks of the Market stub at the Madison Street-Wacker Drive station. It runs over a platform, and finally comes to a stop with its front end dangling precariously over the street 50 feet below.
Fortunately, there are NO passengers on board the train. The motorman says the brakes didn’t hold as he tried to stop at the station. When this portion of the elevated opened in 1893, Market Street, like much of the West Loop was primarily made up of light industry, warehouses, and small businesses. It was in this area that the Lake Street elevated ended its run before the Loop elevated system was completed.
As early as 1897, when the Loop began operation, the stub was slated for demolition, but kept operating, primarily as an overflow route, when the Loop reached capacity. In the late 1940’s it was demolished, making way for today’s double-decked Wacker Drive…..
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