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Night Train: 1943
... hold reeealllly still. It was available, as noted, in 4x5, truly awesome, up to 8x10, and in 35mm and 828. 828 was a paper-backed ... so a larger picture area than a 35mm frame. Thus Kodachromes from the 40s are true treasures - it took lots of light and that ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/01/2017 - 9:24am -

        One of our first posts 10 years ago, enlarged and re-restored.
April 1943. "Illinois Central R.R. freight cars in South Water Street terminal, Chicago." Judging by the clock, this was a five-minute time exposure. Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Beautiful :^)
A 5 minuteBeautiful :^)
A 5 minute exposure and this was taken in 1943. Maybe ISO 25 film or lower?
KodachromeAlthough standards for film speed varied [no ASA, no ISO but Kodak, Weston, etc] Kodachrome was what we'd think of as 8 to 10. By the sunny 16 rule that's 1/10 second at f16, so hold really still, and if it's not sunny, hold reeealllly still. It was available, as noted, in 4x5, truly awesome, up to 8x10, and in 35mm and 828. 828 was a paper-backed roll film that was 35mm wide but unperforated, so a larger picture area than a 35mm frame.  Thus Kodachromes from the 40s are true treasures - it took lots of light and that meant big multiple flashes [bulbs] or long exposures. The permanence of Kodachrome is why we can see these images now, when other pre-E-6 process images have faded away. Now Kodachrome's time seems to be up, and too bad.  When the CDs with digital pics have faded or no machines exist to translate them, Kodachrome images will be good enough to toss on the light table or hold up to the window and enjoy.
Pabst SignPabst beer was the king on the East Coast back then, before Bud's big adverts.
Jack Delano photosThis entire series of photos, including the non-rail, is one of the best things I've ever seen on the internet.  Thankyou -all, for posting them!!
Being thereI have never seen so many beautiful photographs from the 1940s that are on your site, thank you. The clarity and colour of the images is remarkable it is just like you are standing there in person it's very surreal. 
World's largest sign?Wasn't this the world's largest neon sign at the time?  I think my father said it was.
Silly QCan you do long exposures with digital? Is it necessary? Will you get better/higher definition like what we see here?
["Definition" doesn't have anything to do with exposure time. Resolution depends on the number of elements (pixels) in the image sensor. To shoot digital images with resolution comparable to the large-format Kodachromes and glass negatives seen here you could use a studio back like the Sinar 75H (33 megapixel sensor, image size 68 to 260 mb). Which, not coincidentally, is also the equipment used to image these very same Kodachromes and glass negatives.  - Dave]
KodachromeThis is the original Kodachrome (the only one made in 4x5 and sheet film sizes) which would be ISO 10 although it was not labeled as such because they didn't have the ISO system then. Kodachrome II was ASA 25 and was released in 1961.
I love these images. I show them to people and when I say it's from 1942 their jaws drop. It just shows you how much we have regressed since then. The fact that no mass produced digital technology can come close to replicating a 79 year old technology is just sad. I'm going to try out 4x5 color printing and I honestly can't wait.
Millennium ParkToday the yard is long gone and this area is now part of Grant Park, with this northwest corner specifically called Millennium Park.  Most people have seen photos of the primary exhibit in this part of the park known as Cloud Gate.  It is made up of very smooth rounded art shapes with a mirrored surface, and is quite popular not only with kids but also with photographers. 
Bit late for the response but...You very much can do long exposures with digital.  I'm a photographer myself, and thats one of my favorite 'things' to do.
The reason you'd want a long exposure usually is because high ISO ratings introduce grain and generally degrade in quality.  With newer cameras, this is becoming less and less of an issue.  The brand I shoot with recently introduced a camera capable of ISO 819,200 which in layman's terms is 'pretty freakin' insane.'
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)

Mustang in Flight: 1942
... Inglewood, California, plant of North American Aviation. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. View full size. Paint? ... America Concourse Gallery. The first exhibition included World War II photographs taken when he worked for the Office of War ... on the constantly improving Spitfire. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/29/2022 - 12:08pm -

October 1942. P-51 "Mustang" fighter in flight near the Inglewood, California, plant of North American Aviation.  4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. View full size.
Paint?Did planes like these leave the plant unpainted?
[It is painted. Compare with unpainted. - Dave]
Alfred Palmer: 1906-1993Alfred Palmer's obituary from Feb. 2, 1993:
(San Francisco Chronicle)
Alfred Palmer, a career photographer who got his first camera from Ansel Adams and who had his first public show at the age of 84, died Sunday. Mr. Palmer, a longtime Bay Area resident who most recently lived in Larkspur, died in San Rafael after a long illness. He was 86.
A staff photographer and film maker for such shipping companies as Dollar, Matson and American President Lines, Mr. Palmer had his debut exhibition in 1990.
"It's about time," he said during the two-part show at the Bank of America Concourse Gallery. The first exhibition included World War II photographs taken when he worked for the Office of War Information.
The second included pictures from his travels during the 1920s and 1930s and featured such photographs as an untouchable in Bombay, an old man in Beijing and temple dancers in Bali.
Mr. Palmer estimated that he traveled half a million miles at sea during his career and circumnavigated the globe "more times than I can remember."
In 1917, he helped a young Ansel Adams carry his heavy tripod and camera around the Yosemite Valley, where Adams took some of his most famous and striking photographs. At the end of the expedition, Adams presented Mr. Palmer with a $1 Box Brownie camera. "He made me a photographer," Mr. Palmer later told an interviewer.
A former merchant seaman, Mr. Palmer also produced films about the American Merchant Marine.
Mr. Palmer is survived by his wife, Alexa, of San Rafael; three children, Julia Gennert of Bolinas, Donald Palmer of Stinson Beach and David Palmer of Los Altos; and nine grandchildren.
Memorial services are pending.
Beautiful aircraft!Looks to be a P-51B IIRC, which was made specifically for ground attack. This was with the Allison engines, and was considered underpowered until incorporation with the Merlin engine that enabled it to (later) establish itself as one of the top fighters of WWII.
Thanks for sharing this :)
Also known as the ApacheThis model was also known by the name "Apache."
MustangMy records show this aircraft as being built for the RAF, but retained by the USAAC for testing.  Serial number of the aircraft is 41-37416. Aircraft was destroyed during shipment to Europe in 1943.
Early vs. Late P-51 MustangsThe Brits were not impressed with the first P51s we sent them, but some bright fellow thought to put an engine from the Spitfire in one.
We started making that Rolls-Royce Merlin engine over here (in a Packard plant?) to put in the later Mustang, turning it into a world-beater.
"Mustang I"This is a Mustang I, the original version built for the Brits before the US put in their order. The primary clue is in the guns -- all US versions were armed with Browning 50 caliber machine guns, which have barrels short enough to almost fit in the wings. Only stubs will show for 50 calibers. On the other hand, the Mustang I was ordered with four Hispano 20 mm cannons instead of machine guns. The long gun fairings conclusively identify this as an Allison engined, 20mm cannon armed, Mustang I.
(The British gave their aircraft a snappy name, like "Spitfire" or "mustang", and identified models by roman numerals. On the other hand, the US relied on familiar type and model numbers, like "P" (for Pursuit)- 51. In the US system, versions were identified by letters, and minor modifications by "block numbers." For example, "P-47D-25")
Apache? Not.While basically the same airframe it's not an Apache. A-36's had dive brakes on the wings. 
MustangThis is a P-51 (no suffix), RAF equivalent is Mustang IA. Only this version had the four 20mm Hispano guns. Mustang Mk. I's had two chin-mounted .50 caliber machine guns and one .50 caliber and two .303's in each wing for a total of eight. The Mk. I's were exported for use by the RAF and RCAF.
A-36 was the Invader, not ApacheIf the the P-51A (cannon armed) also was in the AAF Apache era I can't say for certain, but the reply below restricting the Apache appellation to the A-36 is in error. Later the A-26 assumed the Invader name, but that p[lane did not reach operational combat units until months after Overlord.
Philip C. Marchese, Jr.
P-51It did have an unique official designation of P-51-1 for 57 planes for AAF use withdrawn from an RAF Defense Aid (Lend-Lease) contract for 150 as their Mustang 1A. Serials for that contract were 41-11981 to -11980, but there is no found record of exactly which ones went to AAF. Confusion arises in that all were similar to Mustang I but for wing cannon; however, Mustang 1 was factory Model 83, and Mustang 1A in this contract was Model 91 with no new model number assigned. To muddy the waters moreso, AAF first applied a designation of F-6A—as a photo ship—but that idea was tossed out. There is some thought that it was to be Model 92, but that had already been assigned to a Boeing B-29 contract which was canceled, so cooler minds took the easy way out by simply adding a dash 1 and moved on to other things.
This is either an I/P-51 or a P-51AThe inlet scoop over the engine behind the prop is indicative of the Allison powered versions of the Mustang.  These were the very first models produced and saw limited service as attack aircraft due to their poor performance  above 20,000 feet.   The big change for the Mustang came with the addition of the British Merlin engine..... the rest is history.
Hello, www.shorpy.comHello, I can't understand how to add your blog ( www.shorpy.com ) in my rss reader
[Click the "Shorpy RSS" link at the top of the homepage. - Dave]
Apache!When North American designed the NA73-X, the factory named the entire project "Apache." The P51/Mustang IA was designed without British involvement and still had the original factory label. The P51, after production, was slated for half USAAF training units and half British deployment. The British commonly renamed American aircraft but in the case of the P51 (no A,B,C or D/K) the Americans had always referred to the planes as Apache. The Army echelon did not like the name and they were more than happy to change it to Mustang later.
"Invader" is what US Army theater personnel called the A36 Apache, but it was never an official designation.
Packard MerlinsAt the beginning of the war, 1939, the British air ministry sent a buying team to the USA to source a fighter superior to the british spitfire and a supply of Merlin engines. It appears that Rolls-Royce feared they would not be able to supply Merlins in sufficient quantity for the number of aircraft projected to use them, among them Spitfire, Hurricane, Lancaster bomber and others, so they contracted Packard to produce Merlins under licence.
When the US found itself at war after Pearl Harbour, it checked around it's its armament inventory and found Mustangs awaiting shipment to us British, these were immediately impounded, re-gunned and and impressed into USAAF service. They also discovered a ready supply of Merlin engines being built in their own backyard. The aircraft proved to be a disappointment in British service and was relegated to ground attack. It was only when a Merlin was fitted that it's its laminar flow wing came into it's its own. By the way it's its bubble canopy and drop tanks were also fitted by us first. The US never managed to fit a cannon of US design in it's its fighters and even in Korea the North American Sabre still had to rely on 0.5 machine guns against the Russian Mig-15 cannons. Mustangs were not much used by us British after that, we preferred to rely on the constantly improving Spitfire. 
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2)

B-25 Over California: 1942
... 41-12823 over the mountains near Inglewood, California. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Mark Sherwood for the Office of War Information. ... aviation companies with facilities in Inglewood during World War II, probably because of its proximity to Los Angeles Airport. ... and jbauger's list of serials.) (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Aviation, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/29/2022 - 11:58am -

October 1942. North American Aviation B-25 medium bomber 41-12823 over the mountains near Inglewood, California. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Mark Sherwood for the Office of War Information. View full size.
B-25 Over California: 1942I think it's highly unlikely that this photograph was made over Inglewood, California. Inglewood would have already been a large and populous suburban city in 1942. In fact, any photograph taken from the air over the Los Angeles basin in that year would have shown major signs of civilization.
It's possible, however, that North American Aviation was based in Inglewood in 1942. There were other aviation companies with facilities in Inglewood during World War II, probably because of its proximity to Los Angeles Airport.
[There are thousands of undeveloped acres near Inglewood even today. Below is a 21st-century aerial shot of the terrain just north of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, around Topanga, five miles from downtown Inglewood. North American Aviation's B-25 assembly plant being in Inglewood isn't a possibility, it's a matter of historical record. - Dave]

B-25 CApparently this B-25C survived the war and was sent to reclamation at La Junta Jul 21,1945. The airport was opened in April 1940 as La Junta Army Air Field and was used by the United States Army Air Forces as an advanced flying school operating B-25 Mitchell two engine bombers and Cessna AT-17 twin-engined advanced trainers. It was operated by the 402nd Army Air Force Base Unit, as part of the Army Air Forces West Coast Training Center. At the end of World War II the airfield was determined to be excess by the military and turned over to the local government for civil use.[(thanks to Wikipedia and jbauger's list of serials.)
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Aviation, WW2)

Stings Like a B: 1942
... inside an elevator, which still stands as the Guinness World Record for the longest survived elevator fall. Despite the damage and ... at how well the colors are retained. - Nick [Yes,a 4x5 Kodachrome transparency. - Dave] This is definitely a B-25 This is ... to the NW corner of the airport. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/04/2017 - 2:28pm -

        Time flies like B-25's. Another Kodachrome from the Early Days of Shorpy, enlarged and re-restored.
October 1942. "B-25 bomber assembly hall, North American Aviation, Kansas City." Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the OWI. View full size.
I never realized how small aI never realized how small a B-25 was. That thing's tiny.
Also, where are all the people? 
Bright yellow!Not exactly a stealth bomber, eh?
Where are all the peopleMight be that a security guard on night duty took the picture.
Where the people areThey are mostly hidden by the planes. I see at least 19 people. The photographer was Alfred Palmer, who took hundreds of pictures like this for the Office of War Information.
BombersNot many of you know about WW II planes, first the rest of the outboard wings haven't bee assembled and put on yet, next the yellow color is the primer paint, the finished coat would be olive drab, camouflage or desert colors light & dark sand depending what theater of war the plane would be sent to.
North American AviationThat was not a B25 (a  four engine heavy bomber) The plane in the photo appears to be the twin engined B26, a much faster, lighter "attack bomber" for lower level pin-point missions rather than the carpet bombing that actually the larger B-17's and B25's were best suited for.
B25 bomberThe B25 was a twin-engine medium bomber. I have some more pictures of the assembly line to post later in the week.
B25 bomberGood plane; wasn't it a B-25 that hit the Empire State building late in the war years??
Harry
B25 BomberYes, that was a B25. From Wikipedia:
At 9:49 a.m. on Saturday July 28, 1945, a B-25 Mitchell bomber flying in a thick fog accidentally crashed into the north side of the Empire State Building between the 79th and 80th floors, where the offices of the National Catholic Welfare Council were located. One engine shot through the side opposite the impact and another plummeted down an elevator shaft. The fire was extinguished in 40 minutes. Fourteen people were killed. Elevator operator Betty Lou Oliver survived a plunge of 75 stories inside an elevator, which still stands as the Guinness World Record for the longest survived elevator fall. Despite the damage and loss of life, the building was open for business on many floors on the following Monday.
B-25 or B24?You're thinking of the B-24 4 engine "Liberator" bomber which was cousin to the B-17 "Flying Fortress" that did carpet bombing before the advent of the B-29 "Super Fortress".  The B-26 was a twin engine light bomber made by Martin Aircraft Co, and in the same category with the B-25 "Mitchell".
This is definitely a pictureThis is definitely a picture of a B-25, also known as a Billy Mitchell.  I flew as a passenger in one of them in 1948 on my way to an Air Force tech school to become a radio operator. It had to be the noisiest ride ever in a medium bomber, but it was fast.
Kodachrome?Was this taken on Kodachrome? Look at how well the colors are retained. - Nick
[Yes,a 4x5 Kodachrome transparency. - Dave]
This is definitely a B-25This is definitely a B-25 Mitchell, not a B-24 Liberator, and not a B-26 Marauder.  I have shot B-25s in the past, so I have personal experience with this plane.  This is the same type of plane that Jimmy Doolittle flew off of the deck of the USS Hornet in 1942 to bomb Tokyo during WWII.
Above comments very interesting Some knowlegable,some not.I flew this plane (B-25) in the South Pacific.  What a beauty it was.  It was a medium bomber that was turned into a strafer with 12 50's firing forward, very lethal.  We flew tree top missions on land and mast top missions when hitting ships.
B-26 and A-26Just to confuse the issue there were A-26s too. Twin engine ship built by Douglas.
B-25The plane is a B-25...the b26 has a different tail configuration and the b-24 looks similar but has 4 engines.
B-25This is an early model B-25, probably a D model due to the aft location of the upper gun turret and the lack of a tail gunner position.  
B-25 D'sThose are B-25 d's at the Faifax assembly plant. My dad built em there. He's still kickin and saw the photo. Brought back a lot of memories. He says thanks for the great pic.
Nacelle Tips?I spent a lot of years in aviation, working on everything from light aircraft to WWII war birds. I even worked in a factory for a while on Swearingen's final assembly line in San Antonio. Later, I went on to fly professionally ending my career with about about 2700 hours, many of them in various types of WWII vintage aircraft. I was wondering if anybody knows what the red covers are on the ends of the nacelles [below]. I have never seen anything like this before.

Nacelle CapsInteresting. The appear to be temporary rather than permanent, held on by bungees attached to the incomplete wing assemblies. Interestingly they are only found on two of the aircraft; the plane nearest to us where the worker is at the tail assembly, and the plane ahead of it to the right. Neither of these aircraft has wheels or propellers. Most of the other aircraft in the assembly area do. Trouble is that the plane to the right of the second plane with the caps doesn't have a cap but also doesn't seem to have either props or wheels. 
I'm just guessing here but I think my reasoning is good. It seems obvious that these nacelle caps are used to indicate that some step in the assembly process, probably related to the engines or the hydraulics of the landing gear, hasn't been completed and tested yet and so long as the red cap is remains on the nacelle the aircraft can't go further in the assembly process. But as I say this is just a guess.
Nacelle capsThese appear to be in place to protect the metal while the wing root and nacelle are lifted into place or while the a/c is being pushed about, at least until the wheels are installed. Perhaps a tow bar is attached to the nose gear strut at that point. Then again, they may be giant hickies.
Fairfax B-25 PlantThe Fairfax B-25 plant was NW of the tee intersection of Fairfax Trafficway and what's now Kindleberger Road in Kansas City, KS.  The photo is in what was the final assembly high bay near that intersection and facing north.
The plant was bought by GM after the war and used for auto production until it closed for good in the mid 80s and then torn down.  The old Fairfax Airport next door was bought out about that time, closed and a new GM-Fairfax plant built on the airport site to replace the old auto plant.
Here's a nice KSHS pdf history of the B-25 plant:
http://www.kshs.org/publicat/history/2005winter_macias.pdf
The B-25 plant site is now a fenced off, vacant, scrubby field.  The only facility remains are the parking lot with what's left of the main entrance drive.
You've got a great photo blog.  This photo is my new wallpaper, I hope that's okay.
Mellow YellowI had no idea that planes would have been painted yellow at this stage! You always see B&W photos so I just assumed they were still just bare metal.
B-25 Fairfax plantI'm pretty sure that Fairfax plant was in Kansas City, Missouri, not Kansas. I live withing walking distance of the plant and I'm on my side of the state line.  Those B-25 bombers were always Bushwhackers, built by the ancestors of Captain Quantrill.  The B-25 Bomber ain't no jayhawker.
george.todd
[The B-25 plant next to the old Fairfax Airport is now part of the General Motors Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas City, Kansas. - Dave]
Mickey the B-25My mother-in-law worked at the Fairfax plant installing bombsights in B-25's. She would taxi the aircraft out herself once the bombsight was installed for the ferry pilots to deliver them. She often talked about one that had the name "Mickey" painted on it. I was wondering if anyone knew anything about this aircraft. Any news would be appreciated. Thanks.
B-25 Bomber Plant  locationJust to clarify, the plant that produced the B-25 bombers in Fairfax was located on the north side of Kindleberger Road, east of  Brinkerhoff Road.  It was west of the old Fairfax Airport and has since been torn down, however the parking areas from the old plant are still in place.  The new GM Fairfax assembly plant was built on the east side of Fairfax Trafficway, right in the middle of the old Fairfax airport. [aerial photo]
That yellow paint is a primerIt was a nasty zinc chromate concoction meant to prevent corrosion and also allow the top coat of paint to adhere better.  Worn paint revealed the primer underneath in contemporary pictures.
Eventually it was realised the average wartime airframe didn't last long enough in service to allow corrosion to begin and the primer was dropped, a cost and weight saving.
B-25 plant LocationHere there is an aerial photo showing the plant and airport. The plant was immediately adjacent to the NW corner of the airport.
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2)

Super Chief: 1943
... Servicing these Diesel streamliners takes five minutes." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the OWI. View full size. ... need the scarce water. Wartime Trivia During the World War II years, some train headlamp openings were reduced in size to ... Very clever. Keep up the good work ! (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/03/2017 - 9:32am -

March 1943. "Santa Fe streamliner Super Chief being serviced at the depot in Albuquerque. Servicing these Diesel streamliners takes five minutes." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the OWI. View full size.
WowThis is EXACTLY how I want my model railroad to look like!
yepI toatally agree execept mine will be built using lego bricks!
Super ChiefI rode the El Capitan and the Super Chief back in 1967 it was a wonderful trip and a great way to really see the country. I rode Amtrak's Southwest Chief in 1999 to and from Calif on my honeymoon, my wife enjoyed it too.
FuelingThe fact that they're fueling from two tank cars on a siding shows how relatively new this technology was in the area - there wasn't a permanent facility available as there would be for coal fired locomotives. And yet in the Southwest in particular diesels were the perfect engines since they didn't need the scarce water.
Wartime TriviaDuring the World War II years, some train headlamp openings were reduced in size to prevent Axis spies from seeing them traveling through the night. The E6 model pictured, built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in May 1941, has the shroud covering the larger headlamp opening. The number board above the cab and on either sides of the nose appear to be dimmed as well. This AT&SF E6 No. 15 was paired with a matching cabless booster unit E6A, and both were retired in June 1968 after several million miles of travel (and no doubt washed many, many times) since this great photograph was taken. 
Longest stop on a long rideI rode the Super Chief from Chicago to Los Angeles and back in 1970.  I remember that, at least westbound, the stop at Albuquerque was long enough that passengers were allowed to get off the train to stretch their legs on the platform, and was the only such stop on the whole trip -- which may explain that large gaggle back by the station.  And I remember being impressed, as a youngster, by the Old Spanish architecture of that station, which was like nothing we had in the Midwest.
AlbuquerqueGee whiz, I remember getting arrested on the exact spot right below the camera by the AT&SF "Dick" one fine overcast day in July 1970.  This was while we were moving out to California when I was 16. "Trespassing" was the charge.  Just wanted to see some Warbonnets before returning to the motel and my folks then back out West on to THAT road, Route 66 the next a.m.  Somewhat different world these days, huh?
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa FeWhat a great photo. Even though I (like most I suspect) have gone all digital, I still believe that the pinnacle of color photography was Kodachrome transparencies. I remember when they doubled the ASA rating to 64, woo-hoo, great color and fast film! Unfortunately, there is little still in existence from this photo. Passenger rail travel is close to extinct, the Santa Fe is now part of a conglomeration that includes at least 3 grand old railroad lines, the Harvey House hotel (upper left behind the station) was torn down, and the beautiful Mission Style station burned in 1993.
Ready to JumpPrep the Atavachron, I've decided where I want to go.
AlbuquerqueFrom Fritz Lang's "Human Desire" (1954).

Oh the Fabulous Memories!When I was 12 years old I got to be the baggage guys' "helper" at the Hutchison, Kansas, stop. The biggest thrill was the night, like every other night, the Santa Fe Chief pulled into the station, and as always I got far enough down the tracks to be where the ABBA units would stop. This one night the engineer, I assume, recognized me as being a "regular" at that spot, opened the cab door, and let me climb up in the EMD F3 engine.
He then opened the rear door, and I was looking down the long cabin, at the biggest engines I had ever imagined existed, in the middle, with walkways down both sides. I will never forget the deafening roar the second the engineer opened that door.
Every time I see pictures of these EMD F3 setups, I get chills. Beyond a doubt, works of timeless rolling art. Now I am the proud owner of a G scale model RR set, ABA units, that are so realistic, you could almost climb aboard!
Texas 1947Look out, here she comes, she's comin',
Look out, there she goes, she's gone--
Screamin' straight through Texas
like a mad dog cyclone.
"Big and red and silver,
she don't make no smoke,
she's a fast-rollin' streamline
come to show the folks.
-- Guy Clark, "Texas 1947"
Santa Fe / AlbuquerqueYou the Ron Beck I was in the AF with?  Don't think so, but it'd sure be wackily weird if you were! My dad worked at a baker at the Harvey House Restaurant in Albuquerque in 1944-45.  We lived directly across the street from the Harvey House in some old, cheap hotel.
You can get back to me, if you wish, at majskyking@gmail.com
Enjoyed your comments.  Railroad days were phenomenal!! Let's share some RR stories.
LogoThey've chosed the American Flyer over the Lionel paint job for the Santa Fe logo.
SquintyNote the wartime shroud on the headlight.
Service StopThe four hoses feeding the locomotives are not only providing fuel but also water for the diesel-fired steam heat boilers.  See the wisp of steam at the rear of the lead unit.  The water fill was located in the side of the carbody forward of the cab ladder.
Albuquerque is located on a secondary route mostly used by passenger trains that is no longer owned by Santa Fe successor, BNSF.  That railroads still fuels its transcontinental trains in nearby Belen, NM.
Harvey HouseYou can still stay at a Harvey House hotel: La Posada, in Winslow, Arizona.
My daughter and I did just that, as we drove from LA to Massachusetts a few years back.  It was a wonderful stay, we ate at the restaurant and there were complimentary earplugs on our pillows.  Necessary, because of the train yard immediately behind the hotel. 
The hotel was almost torn down, and the story of how it was saved and restored is worth reading.  Winslow is an interesting town, and not to be missed if you're out that way.
http://www.laposada.org
Not the only Harvey House leftThere are still a few of the former Harvey House hotels in operation, one not that far from this photo. The La Fonda in Santa Fe was acquired by the AT&SF in 1925 and promptly leased back to Fred Harvey to run. It operated as a Harvey property until 1968, when changing conditions led to a forced sale, though it remains a locally-owned property to the present day.
Where's Shorpy ?Ah, I see what you did there, Dave.  
Very clever.
Keep up the good work !
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads)

Shulman's Market: 1942
... N and Union Street S.W., Washington." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Louise Rosskam. Alternate view. In one of ... tipped in favor of oil (kerosene) heating sometime after World War II. Although I am not sure where people are seeing dirt here. The ... his horse cart through the alley. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, D.C., Louise Rosskam, Stores & Markets) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/27/2017 - 4:25pm -

        This large-format Kodachrome by Louise Rosskam from 1942 first appeared on Shorpy some 20,000 posts ago, back in 2007.
1942. "Shulman's Market at N and Union Street S.W., Washington." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Louise Rosskam. Alternate view. In one of the many comments for this post, an alert FOS (Friend of Shorpy) points out the posters of Axis leaders Mussolini, Hitler and Admiral Yamamoto in the window. Along the bottom of each it says What do YOU say America?
The smiling windowLook closely at the window and you'll see two swirls at the top that appear to be eyes and grinning mouth at the bottom. It's a happy store.
WowI am really loving these pictures, especially the color ones... Its amazing how dirty things were back then. Do you think it was just the subjects the photographer was capturing, or was there less focus on public works back then?
Same Store?I was hoping I had a newer photo of that same store, but it appears the one I took--though similar and also on N St--is not the same one. Here they are compared.
Same Store?Thanks for the detective work! Here is another view of the store. One thing that puzzles me (I live just outside of Washington, and work downtown) is there is not, as far as I can tell, a Union Street in the District. The street sign clearly says N and Union (the S or N in SW or NW is broken off). The street number behind the bars above the door is 485½. I notice that the windows on both the store and car have been soaped.
Harry ShulmanThere seem to have been several Shulman's Markets in D.C. An archive search shows there was one at 1349 Sixth St. NW in 1958, in addition to the one in the picture, and one on O Street NW. Harry Shulman died in 1984. From his obituary in the Washington Post: "Harry Shulman, 85, a grocer in the Washington area from the time he moved here in 1928 until he retired in 1971, died of a liver ailment May 15 at the Washington Hospital Center. He lived in Rockville. Mr. Shulman moved to Boston from his native Lithuania in the early 1900s. When he moved here, he opened Shulman's Market,  which he operated at O Street NW for 39 years before closing it in 1967. He worked for several other grocers until he retired four years later."
There are about 250 mentions of addresses on Union Street SW in the Washington Post, with the last one in 1959. The ones I found are in the 1200 block: houses at 1255 and 1271 Union St. SW, the Lincoln Market at 1212, etc. Either it got renamed or disappeared in some kind of redevelopment. (There are 51 hits for Union Street NW, with the last mention in 1990. Those may be mistaken references to Union Court NW.)
In 1908 there are a couple of ads listing merchants who would redeem Sweetheart Soap coupons. One was E. Cockrill, whose store was at 485½ N Street SW at Union.
Re: all the dirt. A coupleRe: all the dirt. A couple ideas: 1) these are pretty rough, poor places. 2) The country was at the end of a very long and difficult depression that made many people poor. Routine maintenance is one of the first things you cut back on when money's tight, and money was very tight.
I sent this site to my grandma, and she told me how they used to love playing with mud during the depression. :)
wonderful siteI am enjoying this site VERY much.
I, too, particularly like the color photographs because they provide a certain immediacy and timelessness. I don't THINK of 1941 as being "in color" (having been born 13 years later).
Anyway, keep up the great work. It's a pleasure to visit here.
More like this one, please!Street scenes like this one are just fascinating to me because the level of detail enables me to imagine that I'm actually walking down the street in 1942. At first glance it doesn't appear all that much different than today, but then you notice all the little details, such as the posters in the window of what I presume to be Hitler, Tojo, and Mussolini!
this siteI've only just found this site and am loving it. thank you for doing this...lisavc (from australia)
Window postersYikes. I figured they were baseball players, but you are right. They are Mussolini, Hitler and Admiral Yamamoto (see comment with poster links below). I added your observation to the caption along with a blowup of the posters. Thanks! And thank you, too, lisavc in Australia!
dirt or soot?Did US homes use coal for heating in the 40s? Britain used to be black with soot.
CoalYes, lots of buildings and homes had coal furnaces in the 1940s. I would say the balance tipped in favor of oil (kerosene) heating sometime after World War II. Although I am not sure where people are seeing dirt here. The yellow paint is soiled from where people have been leaning against or touching the wall. You can see the same thing on either side of the doors in this picture.
Window Posters... where Hitler Says:
"We shall soon have our Storm Troopers in America!"
And Yamamoto:
"I am looking forward to dictating peace to the United States in the White House at Washington."
And Mussolini:
"We consider peace a catastrophe for human civilization."
Great site!
Poster LinksAmazing. I am shocked and awed! Thank you, Anonymous Tipster!
AmazingI love the site, especially pictures like this. The colors are so vivid, the image so clear, that it almost takes away the time barriers. I could imagine myself walking right up to those people as if they were still alive today, looking now as they did then. 
As for this comment...
"Its amazing how dirty things were back then."
Come take a trip to Philadelphia; the level of filth is exactly the same in 2007. 
Re: "Amazing How Dirty Things Were Back Then"Really? That is a very funny statement. When I first saw the photo, I thought it could be from anyhere on the Hill or in Georgetown today. Aside from a few neighborhoods, The city really isn't much cleaner. In fact, the brick sidewalks are actually flat. Now there are so many roots pushing them up that it's difficult to walk at night without tripping.
This 1897 map of DC showsThis 1897 map of DC shows that Union St SW ran from M to O in between 4 1/2 St. (which seems to have been where 4th St. is now) and 6th St.  If you look at a current map of DC, there's no trace of the former Union St. in the midst of a bunch of large buildings.  If you plug in 485 Union St. SW Washington into Google Maps, though, it does show it being about where Union St. was.
1897 MapThank you so much! Click here for a closeup of the map (which is quite beautiful). Union Street is toward the bottom. Another mystery solved thanks to Anonymous Tipster.
Southwest WashingtonSouthwest D.C. was probably the most destitute parts of town at the time this photo was taken. Union Street SW no longer exists because this part of town was almost completely leveled by eminent domain in the 1950s, in one of the country's first urban renewal projects.
Prince AlbertLooks like Shulman's has Prince Albert in a can... ;-)  Seriously, though, it is absolutely amazing how well these Kodachrome images have held up for all these decades. Kodak's scientists came up with a magic emulsion which has never been bettered...
Ninth StreetMy grandparents lived on 9th Street S.E.  There was a corner store with the same yellow paint job just down the street (300 or 400 block.) I'm guessing it was also owned by Shulman. As for the soot I'm sure it was from coal, their house was heated with coal until my grandmother sold the house in 1960.  
Bernard ShulmanAccording to the 1942 Polk Directory, 485½ N Street S.W. was Schulman's Grocery. That's how it was spelled in the directory. Bernard was listed as the owner. He lived at 1412 K Street S.E. His wife's name was Clara.
Across from Shulman'sI lived directly across the street from Shulman's Market from 1946 to 1949. We shopped there all the time, and not only were the houses all heated with coal (we had a large shed in the back yard to hold it), but most all of us had ice delivered in huge blocks for our iceboxes. Hardly anyone around there had a refrigerator. My mother, who is now 90, remembers discussing the Old Testament with the owner often. They were both very religious.
Union Street SI live at Union and N Streets, SW. Technically.  After the redevelopment of Southwest DC, Union Street was replaced by apartment/coop buildings. The streets that still remain off M Street are 4th and 6th. I bought the print with the old car in front of the market for nostalgic sake. 
Great PhotosThis series of photos was what first got me looking at Shorpy. Been hooked ever since.
Sad Little GirlThe Commentators so far seem to have skipped over the sad looking little girl sitting under the window. Beautiful child.
The Washington CanalI compared the two maps and managed to trace the route of the Washington Canal.  Looks like the canal came down Independence Ave along the Mall, veered a slight right Down Washington/Canal street, Right on South Capitol, another slight right at the RR tracks onto Canal again perpendicular to Delaware Ave, slight left down Third Street to the river.  The Fort Meyer complex absorbed and changed Third Street to 5th Avenue. If you go down M Street from South Capitol SW (west), take a left on 4th Street SW, go to N Street, the right on N would go to Union and N Street.  Of course the canal was filled in due to outbreaks of disease attributed to the terrible things dumped into it, the likes of which you aint never seen.
[Take a right on what again? -tterrace]
I recall the area vaguelyI was 6 years old, and lived near an old deli (Snyder's?) on the corner. I recall Miss Minnie's candy and variety store I think on the same block. I was able to walk to Bowen school from the "Jefferson Gardens" white 2 story deco building courtyard we lived in. I believe I lived near K and I streets. There were super-old abandoned red brick buildings across from me. Windows removed, and facing the demolitions to come like a tempest. 1953 or so, and then we moved. Later we went back and saw the barrel roofed buildings that emerged. I recall the vegetable man taking his horse cart through the alley. 
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, D.C., Louise Rosskam, Stores & Markets)

Late in the Day: 1942
... 1941-42. View full size. Alternate version here . 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Louise Rosskam, probably taken near the N and ... A. Peterman clothing store. The streets Wow...The world looked so nice before spray paint graffiti. That old devil ... had many haircuts in that barber shop. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Dogs, Louise Rosskam) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:08pm -

Street scene in Washington, D.C., winter of 1941-42. View full size. Alternate version here. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Louise Rosskam, probably taken near the N and Union intersection of her other shots. Clues are the Chung Wah laundry at 1264, the J. Marucci barbershop and the A. Peterman clothing store.
The streetsWow...The world looked so nice before spray paint graffiti.
That old devil nostalgia...Sure makes you long for the days of grafitti-free walls and global armed conflict.
"that old devil"Actually there was a little something called World War II going on in '41-42...probably would qualify as a "global armed conflict"
DSS
[Which was exactly the point of that comment. Hello? - Dave]
beautiful colors!! :^obeautiful colors!! :^o
HopperesqueThis photo looks like an Edward Hopper painting, the only thing is that the person walking their dog throws the whole thing off. Still, a very colorful photo. With the widespread use of cinderblock construction, the warm, welcoming brick textures are rapidly disappearing in American cities large and small.
Fourth and NI'm pretty sure that this is the corner of Fourth and N Streets S.W., with those shops running along Fourth. I lived at Fourth and Union and went past this corner nearly every day for many years. Also had many haircuts in that barber shop.
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Dogs, Louise Rosskam)

The Red Socks: 1942
... pajama party that was the American aircraft industry in World War II: "Women at work on bomber, Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, California." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. ... the others are employee number. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 10:44pm -

October 1942. Yet another still from the Technicolor pajama party that was the American aircraft industry in World War II: "Women at work on bomber, Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, California." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information.
NumbersThat woman is gorgeous! Anyone have any idea what the numbers on their pins signify?
[Employee ID tags. - Dave]
BaggiesIt appears that incredibly wide-legged jeans have been here before! Iimagine that the numbers were some kind of employee ID?
Douglas AircraftNo. 12 is the department; the others are employee number.
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2)

Size Matters: 1943
... husband and daughter are in war work." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Howard Hollem for the Office of War Information. ... I believe the average age of a soldier or Marine in World War II was nineteen. I know of one fellow who joined up at sixteen, ... (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Howard Hollem, Milwaukee, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 1:33pm -

February 1943. "Mrs. Mary Betchner measuring 105mm howitzers at the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, plant of the Chain Belt Company. Her son is in the Army; her husband and daughter are in war work." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Howard Hollem for the Office of War Information.
Uh-oh...I hope she's not wearing purple socks like those other wartime workers and therefore delegitimizing herself.
Big gun go boomYou can have your howitzer any color you want as long as it's olive drab. 
I can't resist..."Feeling inadequate?"
Mary looks so young!How could she possibly be old enough to have a son in the Army? Beautiful!
Re: Young MotherI believe the average age of a soldier or Marine in World War II was nineteen. I know of one fellow who joined up at sixteen, fought in North Africa, transferred to the airborne, fought in the Battle of the Bulge and died in France at twenty, a grizzled veteran of three years hard combat.
Chain Belthttp://www.rexnord.com/corporate_profile/history.asp
Apparently the company is now known as Rexnord, and is still in Wisconsin with facilities in other areas around the country; it does aerospace and industrial manufacturing now.
Service AgeThe average WWII serviceman's age was 26 according to the Westmoreland papers.  The average age of an infantryman (MOS 11B) serving in Vietnam was 22.
http://www.ussboston.org/VietnamMyths.html
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Howard Hollem, Milwaukee, WW2)

Langley Field: 1942
... bomber at Langley Field, Virginia. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. I love this. That's such ... color It's always wonderfully startling for me to see World War II and the 40s in realistic color. Between the black-and-white ... of Dark Green and Dark Earth over Sky. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 12:44pm -

July 1942. Servicing an A-20 bomber at Langley Field, Virginia. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer.
I love this. That's such aI love this. That's such a beautiful plane too. Wonderful picture. God Bless!
I like thisThis picture is a mirror of WW2 
The war was in colorIt's always wonderfully startling for me to see World War II and the 40s in realistic color. Between the black-and-white photos, the antiqued look of cheaper movies, and the aggressively desaturated color of the Spielberg/Hanks epics, I sometimes have trouble picturing the everyday reality of it. Black and white and the other forms aestheticizes and brings out pure forms and content, but there's something to be said for the way a color photo makes what seems remote familiar and contemporaneous.
TechnicolorThat's when Technicolor's original three-strip process was being used for movies, anyway.  Vividly-saturated color images are just as true-to-life to the 1940s as crisp black-and-white.
For an antidote to Spielbergian 1940s color, see Martin Scorsese's The Aviator (excluding the two-color section at the beginning).  Digitally color-adjusted to simulate the Technicolor "look."
The War In ColorI heartily and enthusiastically recommend a mini-series called "The Second World War in Colour" (it's British) which has spawned a variety of successor series for various countries - I think that the most recent one is "Japan's War in Colour." There is a lot of gorgeous colour footage out there, and a lot of it was shot by amateurs of everyday life. Well worth finding.
A-20This recent "Stars and Stripes" article tells the story of three U.S. airmen's remains that had originally been found in the wreckage of their A-20 Havoc (misidentified in the article as an "A-JO"), which had crashed in Nazi Germany in December, 1944.  The airmen were identified using DNA and other means; they will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery on April 18th.  
Denny Gill
Chugiak, Alaska
B-18 back there tooNote the rare Douglas B-18 Bolo just visible far in the distance in the lower right corner of the photo.  The B-18 was a bomber derived from the DC-3 airliner, using the latter's wing and engines with a new fuselage.  Small numbers were bought in the 1930s as a cheaper alternative to the more complex and costly Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.  Surviving examples soldiered on through WW2 mostly in stateside coastal patrol or training roles.  
Based on the camouflage scheme of the aircraft, I would venture a guess that this a "Boston," the RAF version of the A-20. US versions would've been Olive Drab over Neutral Gray; this one is painted in the RAF equivalent colors of Dark Green and Dark Earth over Sky.  
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2)

Chicago: Night: 1943
... Street terminal, Chicago. May 1943. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. Nights were darker back then ... past the tower on the left... [This was during World War II. There were blackout regulations in a lot of big cities, though ... Theta Aurigae). Nerd time over. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 9:28am -

Illinois Central freight cars at the South Water Street terminal, Chicago. May 1943. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano.
Nights were darker back thenIt's interesting to compare this photo with the nighttime scene in any modern city - nowadays there are so many lights in the office buildings, while back then the offices were pitch black at night.
It seems there is a lit plane flying past the tower on the left...
[This was during World War II. There were blackout regulations in a lot of big cities, though mostly on the East Coast. - Dave]
Night photoGreat composition of light & dark, Jack sure knew how to take great photos. It looks like the boxcar is lit up by an auto's headlights.
[Jack used a floodlight. - Dave]
Line in upper left?What is that? Were commercial planes that common in 1943 like tsturm suggested?
[Aircraft running light? Whether military, civilian or interplanetary, it's hard to say. - Dave]
My guessThere are at least two streaks here, in the same trajectory.  This glow is later dusk, nautical twilight, while these streaks are stellar in origin.  The bright object is Venus.
This being shot in May, the zodiac would appear to be dipping to the northwest.  Given that the Chicago skyline was west of the lake, and the railway ran along the Lakeshore back then, this is facing west-northwest.
Kodachrome of that day was either ASA8 or ASA10 speed, which is incredibly slow.  Also, Kodachrome has poor reciprocity failure, meaning that it requires much more time to make very long exposures like this. Even time exposures with Kodachrome 64 in 2010 is pretty slow.
(Just to be sure, I pulled up Astroviewer.com's interactive night sky viewer, plugged in May 15, 1943, 8:50p CST, Chicago, and Venus is indeed in the western sky; the dimmer star is probably Theta Aurigae).
Nerd time over.
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)

Inglewood: 1942
... plant in Inglewood, California. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. ... He worked for North American Aviation at the beginning of World War II. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 11:34am -

October 1942. B-25 bomber nose wheel and landing gear assembly at the North American Aviation plant in Inglewood, California. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information.
DandyThis guy is really gussied up for the picture. Sleeves rolled up to show the biceps, hair done up, and just enough tension in the pose to make the muscles stand out. This is an early Elvis!
Second comment -- wonder what was the fate of the airplane in the war?
Is this Robert Mitchum?He worked for North American Aviation at the beginning of World War II.
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2)

Wright Whirlwind: 1942
... Air Base assembly and repairs shop. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Howard R. Hollem. My God. I'm sitting ... as an engine mechanic and Link trainer instructor during World War II, then joined the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASP), class ... it (or "fixative" in the later years). (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Aviation, Howard Hollem, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 12:34pm -

August 1942. Mechanic Mary Josephine Farley works on a Wright Whirlwind motor in the Corpus Christi, Texas, Naval Air Base assembly and repairs shop. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Howard R. Hollem.
My God.I'm sitting here looking at this beautiful woman, and then I realise ... 65 years ago.
Older than my motherYeah I'm 51 and whenever I look at these beautiful women I have to keep reminding myself that they were all born before my 79-year-old mother. 
There's something about them though that makes them seem more in synch with our times than the women of say a decade later. Don't know what it is.
Mary JosephineThis is Joe Manning, of the Lewis Hine Project. I found this in the Archival Collection at Texas Woman’s University. 
“Mary Josephine Farley Tilton, Letters, 1943-1944, 5 folders. Native of Aransas Pass, Texas. Worked as an engine mechanic and Link trainer instructor during World War II, then joined the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASP), class 43-W-4. Later was commissioned in the Air Force. Served in Germany during the Korean War. Graduated in 1965 from Midwestern University with a B.S. Degree in Elementary Education and became a teacher. Letters (all photocopies), written to her family, document Tilton's experiences as a WASP trainee at Avenger Field Sweetwater, Texas, and a ferry pilot based at Love Field, Dallas, Texas. Also includes news articles and a copy of "The Flying V," newsletter of Love Field's ferrying group and a color copy of photograph [1943 or 1944]. Gift of Mary Josephine Tilton, 1995.
Mary JosephineThis touching photograph is quite similar to a painting by Norman Rockwell. 
“Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.” Dorothea Lange
"65 years ago"Makes you want to go find a DeLorean and a flux capacitor.
Mary Josephine FarleyI am uploading a photo of her in her WASP uniform taken in 1943.
[Thank you, whoever you are! - Dave]
ColourizationInteresting with all the comments on colourization, that here is another colourized shot.
My first job in a photo studio was making prints for the artist downstairs to colourize. We would make a black and white print, and then "sepia tone" it (boy, that smelled). The sepia would add the warm tones to areas not painted. On the back of the print we would write all the colours to be used -- "complexion," "hair colour," "eye colour," "misc." She would then use transparent dyes to add the colour and varnish over it (or "fixative" in the later years).
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Aviation, Howard Hollem, WW2)

The Summer of '42
... on a parking lot from the rear of the Fisher Building." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Arthur Siegel. View full size. Deja View ... Building in Detroit at this very moment! (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Arthur Siegel, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Detroit Photos) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 4:35pm -

Detroit, July 1942. "Looking down on a parking lot from the rear of the Fisher Building." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Arthur Siegel. View full size.
Deja View all over againIt looks like Deitrich Furs has replaced the billboards, and, if you enlarge the Deja Vu picture, you can virtually stroll down the street with the private dwellings and see that they are now condos. Looks like one block to the north still has old single dwelling homes, however
Cars from this eraLooking at older American cars from this era and even into the 50s and 60s reminds me that SUVs aren't really an aberration, they're more of a return to our roots!
Wartime Parking LotOiled gravel striped with chalk. I remember those.
HousesI know the cars are the point, in a way, but those huge old houses among the trees are a wonderful sight. I wonder how many are left? All the ones where I live have either been torn down or turned into apartments. Hard to believe those were single family dwellings. One would love to fly down and walk those streets under the shady trees.
Deja ViewPoint of reference: the square skylight. Click to zoom.

The Time, The Place And The CarsI suppose you can put the relative absence of older cars down to a couple of things. First this is a pretty major office building (headquarters of Fisher Body) so you'd expect that at least some of the people who work here to be above the norm in terms of affluence; that is more likely to buy newer cars. Then too this is three years after the start of World War II (although only a few months after the US got into the war). Even though, and maybe because, the United States wasn't at war until December 1941, the war in Europe had a big impact on companies like General Motors and its subsidiary Fisher Body. Increased wartime production meant greater competition for workers which meant higher wages which meant that more people were likely to consider a new car purchase than they might have been if the photo had been taken in say 1936. And who knows, maybe the fact that Fisher is a subsidiary of GM meant there'd be a discount available for employees. One things likely - you weren't going to see many Fords, Dodges or Hudsons in THAT parking lot!
[This was an office building financed by the Fisher family with proceeds from the sale of Fisher Body to GM. It was not a General Motors building, and not the headquarters of Fisher Body. - Dave]
How bored was heI am so bored that I count 181 cars in the parking lot and 10 among them that are not turret-topped/not whoosh-windowed/not round-rumped, aka pre-1936ish, so other than those 10, everything there is less than five or six years old. About the same as most parking lots that I park in today, well maybe not.  Definitely maybe, almost for sure.
Foy
Las Vegas
Trade-InsInteresting that already in 1942 we see few really old cars in this shot with so many cars captured in it.  I see about three or four obviously mid-'thirties cars, and only two possibly late-'twenties or very early-'thirties examples.
Thanks also for the current comparison shot, those are always interesting!
DiveI'm surprised to see the little dive bar in the back of the lot. Can anyone make out the name?
The Fisher Building is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever been in. Along with the Guardian Building and the Book-Cadillac Hotel, Detroit has such gems more people need to see!

Fisher BuildingI'm sitting at work on the seventh floor of the Fisher Building in Detroit at this very moment!
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Arthur Siegel, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Detroit Photos)

Aerial Amarillo: 1943
... version of a smaller image posted here five years ago. 4x5 Kodachrome by Jack Delano. View full size. Frank's creativity ... urban renewal practices common in the 25 years after World War II. A December 1961 news article from the Amarillo Globe Times ... this shot was likely taken from. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 1:42pm -

March 1943. "Amarillo, Texas, general view, South Tyler at SW 10th Avenue -- Santa Fe R.R. trip." This is the uncropped version of a smaller image posted here five years ago. 4x5 Kodachrome by Jack Delano. View full size.
Frank's creativityHe sure comes up with some imaginative and fascinating window displays.
Academy of Music & Art"Music Dancing Expression"
I thought that was illegal in Texas.
Old Stomping GroundsI spent the first six years of my life exactly here.  Fortunately not quite old enough to be seen running away from home in my pedal car in Jack's picture, but old enough that some places well-depicted in that picture are among my vivid early memories.
No A/C !As a Californian I can't imagine living there in the summer. 
Dear ShorpyAfter googlemapping I found the location, the photo was taken from the Santa Fe building(now the Potter County tax office) and looks S.W. The intersection you can actually see is SW 10th Ave and S. Harrison St. At least two of the buildings are still there.
View Larger Map
Skyspotting AmarilloIt's amazing to see a vibrant mixed 1940's neighborhood and the mostly barren industrial parkingscape of today.
Still in today's picture:
Amarillo Furniture Company now ABC Blueprints
Franks now Randy's Shoes
???R-A-WAY=Blackstone Cafe/Young Sushi
Academy of Music & Art now AKA Gaylynn's Bail Bonds and others?
Texaco Station now Vacant
Blue Bird Station now Qdesignworks
??? now Computer Shop
The older St. Mary's Cathedral School buildings on the far side of Elwood Park
. . . to put up a parking lot. Comparing this photo to the current view, it's striking how completely the homes near the center of the photo have been replaced by parking lots.  And in each of the aerials in Google Earth since 1995, those lots are largely free of cars and people. It would be interesting to know how much of that transformation just happened on its own, and whether it was aided by scorched-earth urban renewal practices common in the 25 years after World War II. A December 1961 news article from the Amarillo Globe Times indicates that urban renewal was hadn't really begun yet.
Two lonely people!I can find a grand total of TWO people in the whole town!  One is standing next to a car at the house with the turret directly above the Conoco gas station, and the other is waiting on the corner to the right of the white building with a dome in the center of the picture.  
Wood Paneled SedanI am puzzled by the wood paneled sedan at the intersection across from the Conoco station. It looks to be a 1942 Buick, but to my knowledge, they did not make a wood paneled sedan.  They did make a station wagon, but no sedan.
[Looks like a taxi - tterrace]
Many buildings still there!A view from the air, today:
http://binged.it/MNr0bT
And of course, the building this shot was likely taken from.
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads)

Alray: 1943
... Fe freight train's journey from Chicago to California. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency. Office of War Information. View full size. ... tours. This photo nicely illustrates the effects of World War II upon deferred maintenance of way. The Santa Fe would never have ... Pacific stayed with steam until 1957-8 (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 1:42pm -

March 1943. "An eastbound Union Pacific freight waiting in a siding at Alray, California. Coming up through Cajon Pass. The Santa Fe tracks are used by the Union Pacific as far east as Daggett, Calif." One of many images taken by Jack Delano documenting a Santa Fe freight train's journey from Chicago to California. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency. Office of War Information. View full size.
Alray todayView Larger Map
ArticulationWow, you can really see the articulation of the boiler in the curve. Delano must have been having a ball on that trip. Great photo in a beautiful place of an impressive machine.
ChallengerThis isn't a Big Boy; it's a UPRR Challenger Class 4-6-6-4 wheel configuration, predecessor to the Big Boys. The Big Boys were 4-8-8-4 engines built primarily to service the steep and heavy Wyoming-Utah routes. Their numbers were 4000-4024. The Challengers did lighter freight and passenger lines across most of the UP routes, including Nevada and California. The later locomotives of this challenger class were numbered 3930 to 3999.  All beautiful engines and this is a great photo!
Flexible Flyer?Well, first off, it is not a UP Big Boy,  which were numbered in the UP 4000 series and had 16 driving wheels to the 12 driving wheels under UP 3931.
Although at home on freight, the UP 3900s were frequently used on passenger trains as capable of higher speed than a Big Boy 4000, the latter primarily a freight locomotive.
Both types of locomotive had two steam engines, the front one hinged so it could take curves, the rear engine fixed parallel with the boiler.
Two steam engines, ONE locomotive.
In these cases the boiler did NOT bend, but the Santa Fe DID have articulated locomotives in which the boilers 'bent' on curves, the front portion solidly fixed to the hinged front engine, the rear portion, with the firebox and the cab, fixed to the rear engine.
A maintenance headache, to say the least.
On the UP 3931 the headlight is mounted on the smoke box door on the front of the boiler, and, in this position will shine way out into nothingness as the locomotive rounds curves.
On many articulated steam locomotives including the Big Boy, the headlight was mounted on the front engine which followed the curves, the light beam then shining more directly down the track ahead of the locomotive.
In the spur to the right are two Maintenance of Way cars probably for the use of track employees. The nearest car is an old locomotive tender, the fuel once going in the opening facing the camera, the rest of the car being for water, in this instance the tender becoming a 'Water Car' which was filled at the same water towers as steam locomotives.
The car behind the old tender is an 'Outfit Car' in which workers would live while on the road. Note sloped steps up to center door, windows in side and a low stove pipe.
The aforementioned Water Car would contain water for their use.
The freight cars behind UP 3931 are refrigerator cars which, in this era, were cooled by blocks of ice put into bunkers at each end of the car.
The hatches at each end, propped open at an angle on some cars in the photo, are where the ice would be dumped in at Ice Houses next to the track.
Lovely Photo!  Thank You!!
Motive powerThe engine looks like a Union Pacific Big Boy one of the most powerful steam engines ever built designed specifically to haul war materials over the Sierras.
Clean Machine !Looks like UP#3931 just got out of the shop.The paint is shiny enough to reflect the trackside off of the tender and boiler.It won't look like that in a month or so.
Old 395ran parallel to the tracks. now it is I15. It was two lanes in 1943, now 6. When i was young in 1943 my parents had a desert shack on the eastern side of the hills near Phelan. I remember well watching the big steam engines on the grade. There were cabooses then, too.
Its twin is still runningAnother UP Challenger, #3985, was rebuilt by the volunteer work of UP employees in 1981 and is still active in public relations tours.  This photo nicely illustrates the effects of World War II upon deferred maintenance of way. The Santa Fe would never have tolerated all those weeds under normal circumstances. 
OK, you get my voteAnytime you publish a photo of a steam locomotive you have my undivided attention. Oh what a thrill the last generation missed of standing beside one of these monsters.
Still alive and very wellOne of the Challenger locomotives, #3985, is still kept in operation by the Union Pacific Railroad, out of Cheyenne, Wyoming.  Those of us fortunate enough to live along the mainline route of the UP have the thrill of seeing this magnificent engine in action when it passes by on its special excursions.  Several years ago, #3985 was taken from being a static display and fully restored to operation by UP employee volunteers.
I love this siteSee, I can look at this pic and register "steam engine" and "boxcars".  Other than that, I'm pretty much a dial-tone.
Then there's a comment, and another, then one disputing and correcting and the next thing you know, it's a Shorpster geek frenzy, and before you know it you've learned something.
Articulated locomotives.  Whoda thought?
A couple of other UP notesAs others have said, this is an engine from the first set of Challengers, built well before the war. The second set, built after the Big Boys, had the same front end arrangement as the latter. UP 3985, the largest operable steam locomotive, came from that set.
If you look at the headlight closely you may notice that its visor is rather oddly shaped. This sort of half-conical shield was applied to a lot of west coast engines early in the war on the theory that it would make them less vulnerable to air attack, since less of the light was visible from the air. Personally I think the pattern of light on the ground would point back at the engine all the same, but at any rate, I don't believe it was ever used elsewhere in the country and it seems to have died out as the war progressed and the possibility of a Japanese attack faded.
Additional data on locomotiveFrom: http://www.steamlocomotive.com/challenger/
"In the 1930s, with freight traffic increasing, the Union Pacific Railroad had to use combinations of its 2-8-8-0 and 2-10-2 locomotives to get trains over the rugged grades of the Wahsatch Mountains. To stay competitive, a more powerful locomotive was needed to speed up the railroad and to reduce the rising cost of helpers and extra trains. The UP simply needed a locomotive that could climb the Wahsatch faster.
Arthur H. Fetter, the General Mechanical Engineer, had been designing locomotives for the Union Pacific since 1918, and had been responsible for the development of its 4-8-2 "Mountain" and 4-10-2 "Overland" locomotives as well as many other innovations and improvements to UP motive power. Fetter suggested a high speed articulated locomotive to reduce the reciprocating weight of a compound and to increase the 50 mph speed limit of the railroad's most powerful locomotives, the rigid wheeled 4-12-2s.
Fetter had a long standing working arrangement with the American Locomotive Company and he often collaborated with ALCO's engineers on locomotive designs. For the new more powerful locomotive he and the ALCO engineers started with the 4-12-2. They decided that the leading four wheel truck would be needed for better side control. They split the six sets of drivers into two groups of three and replaced the two 27" outside cylinders and the one 31" middle cylinder with four 22" x 32" cylinders. Two inches were added to the diameter of the boiler and the pressure was raised from 220 psi to 255 psi. The firebox was enlarged and they added a four wheel trailing truck to carry its added weight.
The first 4-6-6-4, UP number 3900, was received from ALCO at Council Bluffs on August 25, 1936, and after a brief ceremony it headed west pulling a refrigerator train."
From: http://www.steamlocomotive.com/challenger/?page=up
"The Union Pacific Railroad took delivery of the very first locomotive with the 4-6-6-4 wheel arrangement in 1936 when it received 15 of them from the American Locomotive Company. These newly named "Challengers" were designated Class CSA-1.
In 1937, another 25 ALCO-built "Challengers" were added to the roster. This group, designated Class CSA-2, was given road numbers 3915 through 3939. They were similar to the Class CSA-1s. Six of them, numbers 3934 through 3939, were equipped for passenger service.
In 1942, ALCO delivered 20 Class 4664-3 "Challengers" which were numbered 3950 through 3969. The tenders on these locomotives were larger than either of the CSA classes.
In 1943, another 25 Class 4664-4 "Challengers" came from ALCO and were numbered 3975 through 3999. This group was very similar to the Class 4664-3s except that each weighed 6,500 pounds more.
A final 20 ALCO-built "Challengers" arrived in 1944 giving the Union Pacific a total of 105 of the 4-6-6-4s. These locomotives designated Class 4664-5 were similar to the Class 4664-3s except for an additional 7,500 pounds in the total weight. They were numbered 3930 through 3949 which required that the Class CSA-1 and CSA-2 locomotives be renumbered into the 3800 series."
==
The information above is consistent with data from published reference works on the topic excepting perhaps minor incidental details and slight adjustments of specific dates for specific engines, so far as I can verify. Interested readers may wish to locate and peruse such titles as The Challenger Locomotives / by William Kratville (Kratville Publications, 1980) for further information on the locomotive, or Union Pacific Motive Power in Transition 1936-1960 / by Lloyd Stagner (South Platte Press, 1993) for their utility and operational impact on the railway. An excellent photo study of this type, both the early and late engines, in action in various scenic locations is Union Pacific Steam, Challenger Portraits / by James Ehrenberger (Challenger Press, 1993)
As a final thought, I would only note a few things: one, this particular machine would have been oil-fired at the time and place of the photo; two, in 1944 it would be renumbered by the railway into the 3800 class, to avoid confusion with its later, more modern siblings; three, photos and extant records document these locos in service for both passenger and freight trains over this same line as in the photo on Shorpy; fourth, reefer (produce, or "perishables") trains were high value, spoilable products shipped as quickly as possible to avoid ruin enroute, so an excellent choice for such an engine; fifth, the engine is in the siding (note the smaller rail and lower ballast than the mainline), perhaps to let a higher priority train go by -- virtually the only trains with higher priority would have been passenger or "main" (i.e., troop) trains; sixth, the stack exhaust is showing only as a very slight haze & a mild disturbance of heat shimmer, meaning the firing is very clean and the tubes probably fresh, corroborating with the boiler paint's shiny finish (NOT the smokebox, which is "graphite" gray) that the loco has been freshly shopped; seventh, only a very mild steam exhaust is issuing back near the firebox, with no steam issuing from the pop-valves above the boiler, further evidence the fireman has everything pretty much under control; eighth, there is no steam exhaust from the cylinders, indicating the loco is at rest, which is consistent with other photos by Delano which appear to have been taken from on top of the reefers going up the hill on this run, and that this operational stop allowed him to explore another view, where he quickly found a classic image to exploit; last, this is one of the most beautiful photos of this locomotive, and of a locomotive on this line, and of this location with a classic westward-looking framing, color or b-&-w, that I've ever seen.
A Breath Of Warm AirOthers see Challengers, articulating boilers and Big Boys but what stands out for me are those those yellow Fruit Growers Express box cars.
In what now seems to be another life I remember opening them in December on a cold Railway Express platform in Baltimore, Md and feeling the the heat come out of a carload of Christmas gift boxes of oranges and grapefruit. 
I never did figure out if the heat was caused by the fruit itself or just the remnants of the California sun but it was nice having a warm place to work the night away.
Big Boys and Challenger MalletsYes,the Union Pacific Challengers and later Big Boys ARE Mallets.
Santa Fe and Union Pacific 1953Santa Fe and Union Pacific dieselized the California lines in 1953 but the Southern Pacific stayed with steam until 1957-8
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads)
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