CTA Surface System History presented by the Illinois Railway Museum

Thanks to the hard work of Andre Kristopans and Bruce Moffat, we have been able to do a much more accurate accounting of Rapid Transit transfers. They are now in the best chronological order based on their research. Intercompany rapid transit transfers follow a different timeline, so they are now broken out and numbered separately at the bottom of this page.

Click on the links for hi-res versions of transfers. PLEASE use your browser's back button to return.

Rapid Transit Transfers

Style RT-01 - First CRT to CSL Transfer - Buff (Brownish Yellow) paper - 09/1935

Style RT-02 - Same as RT-01 with serial number typeface changes - Date Unknown

Style RT-03 - CRT - TK-36 at Bottom, Buff - 1937

Style RT-04 - CRT - Same as RT-03 with changed date typeface - cLate 1930s

Style RT-04a - CRT - Same as RT-04 with State St Subway added to map on "Subway" and "Emergency" transfers only - 10/1943

Style RT-05 - CRT - Same as RT-04/RT-04a on blue paper (All routes except "Subway" and "Emergency") - 01/01/1944

Style RT-05a - CRT - Same as 05 but with subway routing on map ("Subway" and "Emergency" routes only) - 01/01/1944

Style RT-06 - Date & Serial Number Changed to Red (All routes except "Subway" and "Emergency") - Date Unknown

Style RT-06a - CRT - Same as 06 but with subway routing on map ("Subway" and "Emergency" routes only) - Date Unknown

Style RT-07 - All other routes ("Subway" and "Emergency" which already reflected this change in RT-06a) now have State St. Subway routing reflected on the map - c1944-1945

Style RT-08 - Same as RT-07 with footer in all caps - 05/24/1946

Style RT-09 - CTA - "E", "ND", "1/2" Boxes Reoriented - 1947

Style RT-10 - CTA 'L' to Surface Transfer - Milwaukee Subway Added, Humboldt Park Branch Removed, Date Typeface Changed, Blue paper - 1952

Style RT-11 - CTA - Serial Number Typeface Changed - Date Unknown

Style RT-12 - CTA - Good to transfer to all surface routes, Lake Calument removed - 08/17/1953

Style RT-13 - CTA - Date and serial number typeface changed - Date Unknown

Style RT-14 - CTA - Green paper, Blue date and serial numbers, Lake Calumet restored, "Surface Routes" changed to "Surface Division" - 11/08/1955

Style RT-15 - CTA - Same as RT-14 with Red Date and Serial Numebrs - cMid 1950s

Style RT-16 - CTA - Same as RT-18 with Green Date and Serial Numbers - c1959

Style RT-17 - CTA - Kenwood, Stock Yards and Pulina Connector removed, Milwaukee extended into downtown, "Chicago Transit Authoity" printed under serial number - c1960

Style RT-18 - CTA - Same as RT-17 with Blue Date and Serial Numbers - 12/03/1960

Style RT-19 - CTA - Reworded Footer - 11/26/1963

Style RT-20 - CTA - "T" and "C" Boxes Removed, Red date and serial numbers - Date Unknown

Style RT-21 - CTA - First longer transfer using bus base plate (Corresponds with regular issue style #20a) - 12/27/1962

Style RT-22 - CTA - Same as RT-21 with Blue Date and Serial Numbers (Corresponds with regular issue transfer style #20b) - c1968

Style RT-23 - CTA - Kennedy, Dan Ryan, Extensions added, lettering on bottom in helvetica/upper and lower case (Corresponds with regular issue transfer style #21a) - 1969

Style RT-24 - CTA - Same as RT-23 with Red Date and Serial Number and rules on back (Corresponds with regular issue transfer style #21b) - Date Unknown

Style RT-25 - CTA - Same as RT-24 with Blue Date and Serial Number (Corresponds with regular issue transfer style #21c) - c1971

Style RT-26 - CTA - Ogden and South Chicago Shortened (Corresponds with regular issue transfer style #22a) - 02/03/1972

Style RT-27 - CTA - Same as RT-26 with Rede Date and Serial Number (Corresponds with regular issue transfer style #22b) - 04/24/1972-01/06/1973

Intercompany Rapid Transit Transfers

Style RT-CMC01 - First CRT to CMC transfer - Green - 01/19/1936

Style RT-CMC02 - Same as RT-CMC01 with serial number typeface changes, TK-37 at bottom - Date Unknown

Style RT-CMC03 - CRT to CMC - Date and serial number typeface changed - cLate 1930s

Style RT-CMC03a - CRT to CMC - Subway routing added to map on "Subway" and "Emergency" routes only - Date Unknown

Style RT-CMC04 - Subway added, Footer in all caps - Red Routes - 05/24/1946-c08/01/1951

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