How did the trains get into building basements?
There were basically two ways: via direct access if the basement was deep enough, or via elevator if the basement was at a higher level. The latter method brought one car up at a time. The elevators were owned and operated by the Chicago Tunnel Company. Sometimes, the elevators didn’t stop at the basement level. Warehouse buildings and railroad freight houses had tracks in the floor at ground level, and in some cases, on the floors above. Tunnel cars were moved around in these facilities with rubber tired electric tractors. This photo was taken on one of the upper floors of a warehouse in 1928. The rubber tired electric tractor is hooked up to a train of flat cars loaded with packages. These tractors were battery operated and operated much like modern fork lift trucks but without the forks. The tractor does not have a coupler, and it may have pulled the cars with a chain.
