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January 1943. "Freight operations on the Chicago & North Western R.R. between Chicago and Clinton, Iowa. The train crosses a long steel bridge." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Terrific photo of the RR bridge, shows the structural massiveness required to get trains over rivers. I've done the same shooting from the rear on Amtrak trains, with video, especially going to St Louis, that's a really cool bridge to ride over.
While almost every railroad in America ran or still runs on the right hand side, like driving a car, the C&NW ran on the left like the British do. I agree that this was taken from the back of another train running on the left main line. You can see the smoke from the steam engine as well as a head end car, a baggage car and then the passenger cars.
The cars in front of the passenger car don't seem to be freight cars either. Wonder if the "freight" being hauled was troops.
[The freight train is what the camera is on. -Dave]
The bridge casts a terrific shadow in Google's satellite view.
Isn't that a passenger car? I guess the C&NW might have been deadheading it somewhere on a freight train?
I hope someone familiar with this route can comment on where this might be, and if it's still in service.
It looks like it was taken from the rear platform of the caboose. Also it looks like the Mississippi river bridge.
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