Lots of historical questions -- 4 tracks south of Armitage.

Historical questions based on observations of what is there now.

Where the center tracks go into the subway, the elevated structure has space for four tracks around the ramp (not just the remnant south of it). So it wasn't just a case of the middle two being redirected downward.

This implies that there could have been 4 track service south of Armitage even after the subway was in use.

So the questions are:

1) Was there?
2) If not, was there some plan for it that didn't get implemented?
3) Or just a provision for continuing service while the subway was under construction?
4) Something else?

Thank you.

Four tracks ran south to just north of Chicago Ave. Originally used for Northwestern Elevated expresses, thy were used mostly by CNS&M until 1963, retired and removed in stages after that.

Before the State Street subway was built the Northwestern elevated was 4 tracks until Chicago Ave. There was express as well as local L and North Shore train service on the route now used by the Brown and Purple lines. There were also several L stations which have since been torn down, e.g. Halsted St., Division Ave.