Chicago used to be served by three heavy-duty interurban lines: the Chicago, Aurora & Elgin, the Chicago, North Shore and Milwaukee, and the Chicago, South Shore and South Bend. The "Roarin' Elgin" fell victim to highway construction (a major part of its entrance into Chicago was obliterated by superhighway construction, leaving it with no real destination), and the North Shore quit operations in 1963 when competition from a new six-lane superhighway and the Chicago & North Western's parallel commuter service proved too much. The South Shore, on the other hand, is still in operation today. More a heavy-duty electrified railway than a traditional interurban, it provides both passenger and freight service between downtown Chicago (via trackage rights over the Illinois Central from Kensington to Randolph Street Station) to South Bend, Indiana. This view from the rear car near Gary, Indiana says it all.
