Rollsigns from East Chicago, IN
This mylar front destination sign
is from ECT's 2007 built Gillig
Advantage Low Floor bus
#2007A. The bus is privately
owned, and its owner, Will
Hazen, loaned me the sign to
repair and then recreate for
Rollsign Gallery. It is dated
April 2006 and has 7 exposures.

Its sign tag reads as follows:

GILLIG CORP.-EAST CHICAGO
  PO   P223622
D951-100-MA  16-49612N000
             4/06  TRANSIGN LLC
East Chicago Transit 2006 built
Gillig Advantage (low floor)
#2006B, the bus the side sign
on this page came from, is seen
northwestbound on Summer St.
at the East Chicago South Shore
Station (east of Indianapolis
Blvd.) on March 4, 2009.
This bus has since been retired
and is in private ownership.
This mylar side destination
sign is from ECT's 2006 built
Gillig Advantage Low Floor
bus #2006B. It is also dated
April 2006 but unlike the
front sign, has 10 exposures

Its sign tag reads as follows,
including the spelling mistake:
Public transit in the area of East Chicago (and Hammond) began with a two mile long streetcar line on Hohman Avenue introduced by the Hammond Electric
Railway Co. in 1892. In 1893, the line was extended from Hammond into East Chicago then north into Whiting. That same year the HERCo. was acquired by
the Hammond, Whiting & East Chicago Electric Railway Co. In 1894, the line was extended again northwest of Whiting to the Illinois state line, to connect
with streetcars operated by South Chicago City Railway Co. in 1895 a new line from Hammond to Whiting was introduced along Sheffield Avenue providing
a connection with the line from East Chicago. In 1896, The Hammond, Whiting & East Chicago acquired a subsidiary of the South Chicago Railway Co. and
in doing so, was able to introduce joint through streetcar service to 63rd Street in south Chicago from both Hammond (identified as Route 11) and East
Chicago (identified as Route 12). In 1899, the streetcar route was extended south of Hammond on Conkey Street to serve the new Conkey Co. factory. In
1903, the Chicago & Indiana Air Line Railway between East Chicago to Indiana Harbor. The company would be renamed the Chicago Lake Shore & South
Bend Railway the following year. (This was the predecessor to the Chicago, South Shore & South Bend Railroad interurban line, and the NICTD "South
Shore" line that exists today.) In 1909, the Gary & Interurban Railway commenced service in Hammond on Sibley. It took about a year for the line to be
completed from Gary. This line would eventually become part Gary Railways, and was operated separately from the other lines. Meanwhile in 1910, the
Hammond, Whiting & East Chicago Electric Railway CO. was sold to the Hammond, Whiting and East Chicago Railway Co. By 1913, the HW&ECRCo.'s
streetcar line from Hammond to Indiana Harbor was completed, and identified as Route 10. This line was paralleled by the line operated by the Gary &
Interurban Railroad from Gary to Indiana Harbor as joint double track. After World War 1, jitneys started competing with the line to 63rd Street, and in 1921,
Midwest Motor Coach Co. started a competing bus  service as well. By 1925, Midwest was the only competitor over the route, and several other bus
companies introduced local service in East Chicago as well as Hammond and Whiting. In 1926, Samuel Insull's public utilities holding company Midland
Utilities, forms Shore Line Motor Coach Co. providing more competing service from Gary to Chicago's 63rd Street and into Michigan. Eventually, Shore Line
would also acquire all East Chicago, Hammond and Whiting bus routes, and in 1929, would also acquire Midwest Motor Coach Co. and its services. Also in
1929, the Hammond, Whiting & East Chicago Railway Co. was sold to Calumet Railways, Inc., which had minority control over Midland Utilities. In 1931, the
Chicago & Calumet Transit District was formed, and acquired Calumet Railways, Shore Line Motor Coach and Midwest Motor Coach, and in 1932, acquired
control of Gary Railways, but ran it separately from other operations. Also that year, streetcar service south of downtown Hammond to Conkey Street was
discontinued. This started the decline of streetcar service. In 1934, Chicago & Calumet discontinues streetcar service to Indiana Harbor, followed by Gary
Railways in 1939, and in 1940, the last two Chicago & Calumet District Transit streetcar routes were eliminated, however bus service to 63rd Street still
remained, with express bus service to downtown Chicago introduced in 1941. In 1946, the last area streetcar route operated by Gary Railways into
Hammond was discontinued, and replaced with buses. In 1956, the Chicago, South Shore & South Bend Railroad ("South Shore Line") opens its new
bypass route paralleling the newly constructed Indiana Toll Road through East Chicago and Hammond. In 1971, Chicago & Calumet District Transit
discontinued local service in East Chicago and Hammond. Both cities had no transit service for a while. In 1972, the Shore Line Bus Co. tried to restore
local service in East Chicago and Hammond, but it was again discontinued after only a few months. Finally, in 1973, East Chicago Transit began
operations and continues to this date, offering free bus service to the city partially funded by revenue generated from the local casino, and supplemental
connecting service through East Chicago to Hammond and Calumet City provided by Gary Public Transportation Corporation.
GILLIG CORP.-EAST CHICAHO
    PO   8089671
D8233-MA SIDE
        4/06  TRANSIGN
16-47368N000