About this Guide
This guide represents a selection of resources available through Northwestern University's Transportation Library. It is not intended to be all-inclusive, but a starting point in helping to guide your research. Please contact a librarian for additional assistance or inquiries about collections, items, or subjects.
Search Our Collections
Search for maps
In addition to the archival collections listed above, users can search for transit maps in the library's catalog:
Select Advanced Search, then under Material Type, choose Maps. If there is a particular city, region, or country that you want to search for, enter that in the search boxes at the left of the page.
Digital Collections at the Transportation Library
- Chicago Region Digital Transportation Collection
The major transportation agencies of the Chicago region: Pace, RTA, and CTA are represented through annual reports, planning documents, surveys, and other studies in this collection of digitized materials, dating back to 1945.
Chicago Public Transit
- Chicago Surface LinesSearch the Transportation Library's catalog for information published by, and about, the Chicago Surface Lines.
- Chicago Rapid Transit CompanySearch the library's catalog for information on the Chicago Rapid Transit Company, a predecessor to the Chicago 'L.'
- CTA Historical Information 1859-1965 byCall Number: HE4491 .C4 C532hPublication Date: 1966Transit Equipment listed by type and dates first and last used. Rapid Transit and Surface System routes including history, former routes, and service changes.
- Chronological Order of Service Changes of Chicago Transit Authority and Predecessor Companies byCall Number: HE4491 .C4 C557Publication Date: 1972Operating stations, street car routes, bus routes, off-street car/bus turnarounds, rapid transit, rapid transit stations, and park'n'ride facilities
- Chicago Transit AuthorityThe library holds nearly 500 reports, papers, and other documents produced by the CTA. Dates range from the 1940s to the present day.
Periodicals
- CTA Transit NewsCTA Transit News was published quarterly by the Chicago Transit Authority. The library holds v.26 no.4-5 (1973) to v.43 (1990).
- CTA Quarterlythe library holds v.1 (1974) to v.3 no.1 (1977) of the CTA Quarterly, published by the Transit Authority's Public Affairs Department. One issue each year contains the narrative section of the Chicago Transit Authority annual report.
Archival Collections - Buses and Transit
- David V. Woolf Bus and Train CollectionThe David V. Woolf Bus and Train Collection consists of 154 transportation-related postcards primarily related to buses and bus lines. The collection ranges in publication date from the 1950s to the early 200s. Text on the postcards is primarily in English; Dutch, French, and German are also representated. The collection measures .5 linear feet in one box.
- John A. Swider Timetable CollectionThis collection consists of 919 rail and bus timetables from the United States and Canada collected by Mr. John A. Swider, of Mount Prospect, Illinois. The collection comprises timetables issued 1880 through 2006, with the majority dating from the 1930s through the 1990s. It includes timetables focused on the Chicago metropolitan area, and on travel to the San Francisco, Chicago, and New York World’s Fairs.
- William Luke Photograph CollectionThe William Luke Photograph Collection is a collection of photographs of buses from at least 60 countries. Each photograph is annotated by William Luke. The dates of publication of the photographs range from 1880 to 2010, and the majority of the photographs were published between 1980 and 1999.
- William Luke Transportation CollectionThe William Luke Transportation Collection consists of 6,252 local transit maps, time tables, transit tickets, postcards and other materials from 98 countries and 38 US states. The maps and timetables were produced primarily for use by tourists. The collection is in 34 languages; many have captions and other text in multiple languages. Materials in the collection range in publication date from 1935 to 2012, with the majority of the collection dating from the late 20th century. Additionally, the collection contains one file of correspondence from the donor.