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New Jersey
... M&E's trek westward. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by John.Debold - 09/18/2011 - 10:33pm -

I think this was in South Orange, NJ. judging from the street names on the photo. I just got this at a flea market. View full size. Mountain StationThis is Mountain Station on the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western RR's Morris and Essex Division. The original Mountain depot is the Mansard-roofed structure on the left, past the road crossing. This station dates back to the 1860's, at least, and survived into the early 20th century, when track improvements required its removal. The small shanty on the left was the post of the crossing watchman, who manually lowered the crossing gates, of which there were MANY on the M&E's trek westward. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Railroads)
Retarder Tower: 1942
... today. (Technology, The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/03/2013 - 9:31pm -

November 1942. "Chicago, Illinois. South classification yard seen from retarder operators' tower at an Illinois Central Railroad yard." Medium format nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Fantastic imageI admit I am a railroad "groupie", but this picture is incredible. Jack Delano may be the Ansel Adams of railroad images. The ultimateTrain Set. Not a groupieBut a rail fan like me and many others who love trains, would this be Markham yard on the IC? (IC the train) Something to considerAs we enjoy these photos, we should give a tip of the hat to the photographers who often risked life and limb to make them. In this Delano photo take a look at the tower off to the left. I've been in such towers, and whether Jack had to climb up a straight ladder or take an outside spiral stair, there are spots with no handhold and the top higher than it appears. Bulky photography equipment in those days would probably have hung from his body by rope as he climbed or pulled up hand over hand by rope - no easy task. Then they had to produce artistic photos and develop them carefully. Devoted people! [In this case, Delano was shooting 120 roll film, most likely using a camera similar to the one he's shown with here. -tterrace] The Proviso YardsActually located in west suburban Hillside, Illinois. These yards are 1/2 mile from where I grew up in the 50s and 60s. I bet you're right, ferrochrr. All the big yards in the "rail hub of the country" begin to look alike! Proviso?Proviso yard would be C&NW RR, (UP RR today) not the IC, as for climbing up into RR towers, they were not hard to do, sure the stairs could be a little steep, but certainly not difficult to manage. I've been in a few towers myself for photo opportunities as well. Connection queryCan someone explain how the levers on the control panel were connected to the switches in the distance? Looks to me as if only a few inches of movement on the lever would activate a switch on the rails that must have been relatively large. How was it done? Cables? Motors? Is the same principle used in modern railroading? LeversTo answer some questions, the levers in this photo were connected to the points by means of electrical connections. Previously they were mechanical, in that the levers pulled a number of point rods that activated the retarders and switch points. Sometime around 1930, IC upgraded their systems to a more modern type that used motors and electrical impulses to activate things. Believe it or not, though largely modernized, a similar system is still in use today. (Technology, The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
The Dining Car: 1902
... and I often heard those as a kid. (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2012 - 7:03pm -

Circa 1902. "Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad dining car." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. More on The SilverwareI believe that the waiter would set the appropriate utensils for each course from the attractive arrangement. There isn’t a lot of room at these tables and I have been to restaurants where the waiter set the silver before each course. Strange Display?The Silver Ware display on the tables looks awfully strange...wonder why that was placed that way? DL&WThis is what train buffs call "High Varnish." Mighty nice. I'm pretty sure I haven't missed an opportunity, every time the DL&W is featured here, to mention that when my grandmother rode that line, over 100 years ago, they all said that the letters DL&W stood for Delay, Linger and Wait. Style of Long Ago....Incredible elegance that was probably taken for granted back then. Superbly designed (notice the condiment racks on the bulkheads), hat racks, nighttime dining with electric lights overhead. And electric fans! What will they think of next. The use of mirrors that visually make the dining car larger than it appears. This dining car appears to have it all! The man in the aisle does have a bit of a ghostly appearance, though. According to Lucius BeebeThe varnish diners were meant to give the traveler the same dining experience as the First Class hotel they left and the one they were traveling too. Re: Strange Display?I didn't notice it at first, but you are correct in that the layout is quite unusual. Of course, I absolutely love it, and will try the layout the next time I have a formal dinner party. It almost looks as if it is supposed to represent the railroad crossing sign. Thanks to a co-worker, the silverware layout has been identified as a "Dragonfly Pattern". - gen81465 Try Your SkillHit the fork handle, flip the knife and spoon into the vase. Win a free order of fries. Railroad nicknamesRegarding Jazznocracy's comment, it reminded me of a small rail line many years ago that served the timber areas of East Texas. Its official name was the Waco, Beaumont, Trinity and Sabine Railway [WBT & S]. However, due to a constantly precarious financial situation throughout its short life, combined with improper track maintenance as a result, most folks said WBT & S stood for Wobbledy, Bobbledy, Turnover and Stop. It would be interesting to find out how many other "unofficial" railroad nicknames were out there using the letters of the rail companies. DL&WAlong with "Delay, Linger and Wait," another DL&W nickname was "Dread, Long and Weary." My dad was a lifelong DL&W/EL employee and I often heard those as a kid. (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads)
The Poughkeepsie Peeper: 1900
... I just recently watched on TCM. (The Gallery, Kids, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/21/2015 - 10:39am -

New York circa 1900. "Waiting for the train, Depot near Poughkeepsie." 5x7 inch glass negative rescued from an Upstate attic. View full size. JeepersThat guy inside gives me the creepers. It was the birthOf the photobomb. Bring on the BoysWaiting for the Beefcake Collegiate Rowers in wool shorts to arrive? Waitingfor Will Parker to arrive on the 9:10 and sing "Everything's Up to Date in Kansas City" Distinctive ArchitectureI predict that some Shorpy Sleuth will have an identity for this station in a short time because of its distinctive architectural features: * Brick construction. (Most RR stations are wood frame.) * Curved, corbelled lintels on the windows. * Wrought iron eve braces. I know of only three RR's near Poughkeepsie on the east side of the Hudson: the New York Central, the Central New England , and the Newburgh, Dutchess, and Connecticut RR. Of these, my first hunch is that it is _one of_ the Poughkeepsie stations which preceded the current ex-NY Central station. The substantial construction supports this. However, this would be "in", rather than "near" the City of Poughkeepsie. My second hunch is that it will be the station of the Central New England Rwy. I surmise this could be their station on the Poughkeepsie Bridge Route, which would put it on high ground overlooking the City of Poughkeepsie, thus perfectly fitting the caption. One interesting aspect is the height of the platform upon which they are sitting, and the bare ground in front of it. This looks for all the world like the BACK of a station, the side facing away from the tracks. Now, the challenge is to come up with another old photo with a matching station, positively identified! More like 1915Okay, none of these folks are particularly fashionable, but there are a number of clues indicating a date later than 1900. 1. The lady on the left with her tiered skirt and angular hat - both typical for around 1914/15. 2. The lady with no hat (a remarkably casual way to appear in public at the time) has a flat top loosely marcelled hair-do most popular in the mid nineteen-teens - her loose comfortable looking dress - same period. [This is from a batch of glass negatives dated 1900 to 1902. - Dave] A Spectacle The Gentleman standing at the far right has a haircut that caused me to look twice. For a moment I thought he was wearing his eyeglasses atop his head as many of us do to rest our eyes. [He seems to be holding a conductor or stationmaster-type cap. - Dave] I Love This Photo!A successful young family on their way down to NYC? Could that be the Nanny on the left? Or is the Lady traveling with the Fellow sitting inside the door? Thank you Shorpy for this Amazing Channel to The Past! From a Disney movieAfter the comments on the adults, I can't help but notice the kids seem to be dressed up in their best summer clothes for the trip. The oldest boy looks like Bobby Driscoll has escaped from the Disney movie "So Dear to My Heart" that I just recently watched on TCM. (The Gallery, Kids, Railroads)
Aerial Washington: 1911
... the hotel under construction. (The Gallery, D.C., DPC, Railroads, Stores & Markets, Streetcars) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/09/2014 - 1:24pm -

Circa 1911. "Washington from Washington Monument." Points of interest in this first installment of a six-segment panoramic view include B Street (today's Constitution Avenue), running diagonally from the Potomac Electric powerhouse at lower left; Louisiana Avenue, branching off in the general direction of Union Station at upper right; the Old Post Office and its clock tower at left-center across Pennsylvania Avenue from the Raleigh Hotel under construction; the Agriculture Department greenhouses in the foreground with a corner of the Smithsonian "National Museum" at far right, just below Center Market; Liberty Market at upper left, below what looks to be a vast tent encampment; and, at right-upper-center, the Pension Office north of Judiciary Square and the District Court House. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. "Tents"All those tents are actually slate turret roofs on top of rowhouses. Very typically, a pyramid shaped slate turret would top off the projecting bay of a DC rowhouse. All four sides would have been slated. Slate, because of its mineral content (lots of mica) can be very reflective at certain angles, hence the white appearance. [Conical was also popular. - Dave] SurprisingSurprising lack of motorized vehicles for ca. 1911. [Here are seven. - Dave] Cargo TramNow there's something I had never really thought of: street cars for freight; a forerunner of today's semi-rigs I suppose. There's one being loaded/unloaded in front of the lumber yard. First of six?Great! Bring them on! Kann's Busy Corneraka Kann's Department Store. A good history of the life and death of the buildings can be found here. [More here. - Dave] +86Below is the same view taken in December of 1997. (Please excuse my still-limited scanning talents - this was before I switched to digital.) DC in 1911What a great photo. More of these buildings than one would think are still there. The "District Court House" south (right) of the great Pension Building on Judiciary Square is the original DC City hall, started in 1820. After a several-years-long redo, it now houses in grand style the DC Court of Appeals (the state supreme court for the District.) Peeking around the office building to the left of the City Hall on 5th Street NW is the then-new US Court of Appeals building, which housed what is now the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit until 1952, when it moved to the new federal courthouse on Constitution Avenue (now the Prettyman Courthouse.) The old US Court of Appeals building now houses the US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, on which I am privileged to sit. It is an exquisite little building, quite well-preserved, with many of its original furnishings. Ford's TheaterI had a thought that Ford's Theater was off in this general direction, so I took a look. Not being all that familiar with D.C. I'm wondering if that is the peak of the theater with porthole just above the scaffolding atop the hotel under construction. (The Gallery, D.C., DPC, Railroads, Stores & Markets, Streetcars)
Far Horizons: 1943
... from the scene. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Landscapes, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/04/2014 - 12:24pm -

March 1943. "Duoro, New Mexico. Rounding a curve in the sheep and cattle country along the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe between Clovis and Vaughn, New Mexico." Photo by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. Miles and miles... of nothing but miles and miles. Those must be emptiesLoaded tank cars could not be coupled immediately ahead of a caboose. What a tripHas any trip ever by any American photographer produced more great photos or more photographic history than this trip by Delano? Maybe the only competitor is Russell Lee's visit to Pie Town, not all that far from where Delano took this photo. And this New Mexico countryside isn't mere emptiness, it's the medicine for too long in the mountains and forests. That's One....long train. I would hate to be waiting at a grade crossing for this train to pass.... Probably looks the same today.The Google man has not been there, but you can get there by traveling up County Road 3h between US-285 and US-60 about half way between Roswell and Albuquergue. The road on the left is County Road 3h and the tracks are bending to the west northwest towards Albuquerque. Wished I lived closer. Andrews SistersHeh! Am I the only one to hear the Andrews Sisters singing the "Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe" when I look at these pictures? The CurveGreat picture. In the early eighties, there was a huge train wreck in this same area past Vaughn. Since my father was a truck driver he was contracted to pick up trailers reloaded with product and bring them back to the rail yard in Clovis. One thing that stuck with me going with him, were all of the items they didn't take back. If the entire rail car was damaged and even though some of the contents were slightly damaged they buried everything right there next to the tracks. They brought out backhoes and buried items that were brand new with minimal damage, washers, dryers, rolls of linen, and toys. I remember the toys since it was mid fall and there were tons of toys destined for the shelves for Christmas that were scattered all over the place. Also very noticeable getting close to the wreck was the smell of men's cologne. One car had some in it and you could smell the wreck before even seeing it at over 10 miles from the scene. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Landscapes, Railroads)
Jackknife Bridge: 1907
... Shorpy. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Chicago, DPC, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 11:56pm -

Chicago circa 1907. "Jack-Knife Bridge, Chicago River." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by Hans Behm, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. See that piece of wood?I used to row on the Chicago River. It's actually one of the best rivers in the US for rowing. Anyhoo, I used to always wonder what those footings were for when I'd pass them heading backwards. I would mostly scull, and have to watch out for (1) huge pieces of wood like that shown in the pic (they could wreck your shell), (2) barges (they sneak up on you b/c they blend in with the water and are silent) and (3) dead bodies. Never saw a dead body, but I did see lots of dead rats. Once, when I was on a stretch of the river south of this picture, I looked up, and a cop was at the water's edge smoking a cigarette. I'm sure I looked like a pretentious yuppie to him. I slowed down a bit. It was 5 a.m. Sun was just coming up. He took a drag on the cig, exhaled and said, "Seen any dead bodies?" Stunned, I replied, "No." He shook his head, turned to leave and said, "You will. You will." True story. I loved rowing on the Chicago River. I felt like I was rowing through history. One of my favorite Chicago bridgesKnown, I believe, as the Metropolitan Elevated bridge, these tracks also carried the Chicago, Aurora & Elgin interurban trains to its station on Wells Street (or more accurately Fifth Street at that time) just south of Jackson Boulevard. I assume this view is looking north, since the bridge structure at right would carry trains over the ground level tracks below, just south of where Union Station stands now. To this day, you can still see part of what appear to be the original footings of this bridge along the west side of the Chicago River between the Jackson and Van Buren Street bridges. The PacificWhat a beautiful launch! Apparently set up for passengers, probably as a shuttle. I would love to know what happened to her. InspirationI wouldn't be so presumptuous as to share it here, but this picture reminded me that the previous jack-knife bridge photo inspired me to research and write a song about the grain scoopers of Buffalo. Thanks, Shorpy. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Chicago, DPC, Railroads)
Manhattan Municipal: 1913
... -tterrace] (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, NYC, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/03/2013 - 7:51am -

Circa 1913. "New Municipal Building, New York City." The 40-story Manhattan Municipal Building and associated infrastructure including an elevated rail line and the Manhattan Bridge. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. Still looking good!And a bit more complete, via Bing bird's eye view: http://binged.it/112au5S Wedding Cake IIAt the top of the tower were the transmitters for the City-run TV and radio stations (now sold) as well as the base for the packet radio network. At least that what was there before I retired ten years ago. You can step out a window/door and walk around a narrow catwalk. Don't have acrophobia though! No spindly little crane towerThey weren't taking any chances with that crane tower. Can't quite ferret out how that contraption was supposed to work, but unlike its offspring I doubt if it ever fell over. Clean linesNotice the clean walkways in the park at the bottom of this picture; not even a fallen leaf to disrupt the casual passerby. Lucky for meIt was a lucky day for me back in the early 90's when I was taken to the top of The Federal Building, opened the door to the roof and was greeted by this view. ( Also lucky that I happened to have a camera that day; though I only had four frames of film left to shoot. ) Wedding CakeWonder what offices/suites were located in the 'wedding cake' atop the building. Deja vu all over againThis is a beautiful structure; I can see why it was chosen as the model for the Terminal Tower (formerly Cleveland Union Terminal) in downtown Cleveland. I bought a marriage license here 85 years laterLittle did I know how much it would cost me over the long run!! Wonderful photo - and so much still exists 100 years later! Out of all the buildings in the foreground, only the small building on the left between the building with the "To Let" sign and the squarish one with the mansard roof, and the plain brown one directly in front of the municipal bldg is gone - the rest are still standing proud. In the right foreground is the back of City Hall, and to the left is the Tweed Courthouse. What is long gone of course is City Hall terminal of the IRT's Second Avenue El, where at one time you could transfer to Brooklyn-bound trolleys that trundled over the Brooklyn Bridge (out of view on the right). In the plaza just in front of the Municipal building you can see a subway entrance kiosk to the IRT's City Hall station, which opened nine years before this photo was taken in 1904. The kiosk still exists, although it has been moved about 30 feet and now houses an elevator. The stairs leading down to the subway are now open to the elements - ah, progress!! Windsor McKayThis building looks like Windsor McKay dreamed the top of this but someone like Sullivan saw the rest of it to completion. [It's Winsor McCay. -tterrace] (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, NYC, Railroads)
Full Steam Ahead: 1904
... still my grandfather's axe. (The Gallery, Albany, DPC, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/16/2016 - 12:51pm -

1904. "New York Central & Hudson River R.R. station, Albany, N.Y." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Obsolete?Wikipedia states that the 4-4-0 "American" style locomotive was considered to be obsolete by 1900, although they were used on branch line service into the middle of the 20th century - seems odd to see one in the New York Central system this late, and hauling such a long string of coaches (6?) Obsolescent is closerThe locomotive appears to be of a very common NYC&HR design (by Buchanan, I think). Around 1893, one of these was modified with larger wheels (especially the driving wheels) and given the number 999. It purportedly exceeded 100 mph. The 999 was assigned to the Empire State Express, which was the New York Central's answer to the Broadway Limited of the competing Pennsylvania Railroad. Most of the class kept the smaller wheels (as seen in this picture), and remained in service for many years. Newly built 4-4-0's would have been few and far between by this time, but older ones would have remained in service as long as they were working and useful. The 999 has been 'preserved', but without the high drivers, and with a replacement boiler and tender. Something like the old tale of my grandfather's axe - the handle was replaced three times, and the head twice, but still my grandfather's axe. (The Gallery, Albany, DPC, Railroads)
Fresno Fruit & Honey: 1915
... (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/18/2015 - 11:52am -

Fresno, California, circa 1915. "Auto tourists in Fruit Packing District." 8x6 glass negative by Howard Clinton Tibbitts, a San Francisco-based photographer who worked for the Southern Pacific railroad and its Sunset magazine. View full size. Get My Travel Agent!This is not the gastronomic tour I signed up for! Pear-PackingI worked at the Young Bros. Fruit Exchange (Newcastle, California) in the early 1950s when I was 12 to 15 years old. Prior to that I picked pears at 17 cents per lug box. At the packing shed the pears were packed by size: a size of 65 packed would produce a 52-pound box with 65 pears wrapped in tissue. Most of the workers were local, but many followed the fruit harvest in California from the south in spring to Oregon in the fall. I started out trucking (hand truck) lug boxes of pears to the sorter/sizer that then distributed the pears to the bins by size for the packers. I tried packing (more money); I am tall and the bins are low, so I barely lasted the season. I finished up my "career" at age 15 running the nailer putting lids on the boxes. Possibly a firstIt appears there are people actually smiling in this photograph. We don't normally see that from this time period. The photographer may have been the first ever to yell out "Everyone say Cheese"! Guggenhime & Co.This is Guggenhime & Co. Plant No. 12, located on Santa Fe Avenue in Fresno. A link to another image of the plant. Guggenhime(I keep wanting to spell it "Guggenheim") This is located at the corner of Santa Clara and Santa Fe avenues on the south end of downtown Fresno. The water tank in the background has the correct name. The building in the foreground is the packing, grading and sulphuring house. Behind it is the fig packing house. On the right side, just out of frame was the San Joaquin Ice Company, with a Creamery attached. Now, this area is where State Route 41 goes over downtown, and where there's a parking lot. https://goo.gl/maps/iP1vQmdqSvu (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Railroads)
Gold Coin Mine: 1900
... of "new construction" around! (The Gallery, Mining, Railroads, W.H. Jackson) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 1:38pm -

Circa 1900. "Victor, Colorado. Gold Coin Mine." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Coontown 400Just to the right of the building with the painted advertisement for "Elector" cigars, you can see a fence plastered with advertising for "Coontown 400", a variety troupe. Whether it is the same troupe as below or not, I'm not sure. Perhaps they had already made bookings and then went bust. I couldn't find another revue by the same name. Although there is a cartoon book called "Coontown's 400" by E.W. Kemble, published in 1899, "with what we would today consider racist portrayals of "darkies". "Coontown Four Hundred (also Coontown 400). Variety troupe, active at the turn of the century, which underwent a number of changes of name and management. The orig. troupe, under white proprietorship, played Cincinnati, OH, in May 1899 with a roster that included the Blackstone Quartet, Tom Brown, Edna Alexander, Ida Forsyne, Whitney and Tutt, and others; it then disbanded in Nov. of the same year for non-payment of salaries. Management was taken over by Howard McCarver in September 1901, and the name was changed to A Honolulu Coon Co..." "The African American theatre directory, 1816-1960" "One of Arthur Marshall's anecdotes has Marshall and [Scott] Hayden both living with the Joplins. This had to have been in late 1902 or 1903, for Marshall had been on a two-year tour with the Dan McCabe's Coontown 400 until the fall of 1902. It was probably at the end of the tour that he moved in with the Joplins, for Dan McCane in December was in St. Louis and visited the Joplins" "King of Ragtime: Scott Joplin and his era" One Hundred and thirteen polesAmazing. Telephone, telegraph, electric, I counted one hundred and three poles before I started seeing double. Then spotted several more. You could spend days studying the histories of technology, architecture, construction, transportation, manufacturing, marketing and more, just in this single photograph. I love it. Still haven't found Waldo, however. What a Project!Super photo from which to fashion a scratch built model railroading site in one's basement. So much going on, track at several different levels, limitless building designs, and a background that leads into a diorama-like mountain scenic. I'd put a flag on that pole next to the smokestack, however. Victor RR Depot - then and nowFrom the building with the Elector Cigars sign, follow that street to the right and where it ends you will find the Victor Midland RR Depot. The depot's overhanging roof casts dark shadows on the side of the building, which was the center of much activity at the time this photo was taken. The depot still stands today in relative isolation and four photos of it taken in 2006 can be viewed on this page. The eastern end of the depot is closest to the camera in the 1900 photo, which looks to the southwest. August 1899 FireA large part of Victor burned to the ground in 1899, and it is said that most of the town was rebuilt in six months of brick instead of wood. It does seem as though there is a lot of "new construction" around! (The Gallery, Mining, Railroads, W.H. Jackson)
Message Received: 1943
... fast this train would have been moving? I know nothing of railroads, but quite a bit about photography, and I'll say that even with great ... in the original photo. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/06/2015 - 1:10pm -

March 1943. "Dalies, New Mexico. Conductor C.W. Tevis picking up a message from a woman operator on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe between Belen and Gallup." Photo by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Clarence W TevisFound in the 1940 census with wife Ferol? in Gallup New Mexico. Both born circa 1891. Listed as Railroad Conductor. Died 4 June 1971 in San Diego CA. RIP PanacheExtraordinary photo, certainly shoots way up immediately in my Delano favorites. Here's a man, not at all young, with strong and hardened hands, performing a physical task nimbly and efficiently -- while smoking! -- with a cigarette holder!! I look forward to the comments on the details of this message device. (The woman: a blurred statue beside the dynamic conductor, caught crisply at precisely the right moment.) Re: Cigarette Holder.In those days, a lot of men rolled their own smokes as it was far cheaper than buying premade. Usually, this led to loose tobacco getting into your mouth, on your face or clothes (been there, done that). As a result, many chose to use a cigarette holder to crimp the smoke and keep the tobacco where it belonged. It wasn't just the fashion statement as in the case of FDR! The message device is called a Train Order Hoop even though it is Y-shaped. The name comes from the shape of an earlier device that was used for the same purpose, to deliver messages to non-stop trains as they passed a station. The paper containing the message was tied to a loop of string that in turn was held by the 'hoop'. The man on the train would stick his arm through the loop and snag the string with the attached message. This was a improvement over the older system where the entire hoop was snagged. After the message was removed the hoop was thrown from the train for the person on the ground to retrieve, sometimes quite a distance down the track. (It wasn't a great feat to get a crisp picture of the conductor, he was traveling at the same speed as the camera.) The practice continued This practice continued on Class ones until the advent of cab signals. Here is a Conrail train picking up orders at a temporary block station in November, 1978 On message hoops..There were variations - we at the CPR used a steamed wood hoop design, made in Angus shops. These worked well, unless you were the station junior clerk who had to gather them up from down the line after they were dropped by the train crew..in the pic, notice the flimsy dates from the Multimark era (the Multimark was in use from 1968 until 1987 or so) A. V. O.The "flimsies," so called because of the lightweight paper used, contained dispatching orders for the train. For example, that they should proceed to siding xxxx, clear the main line, and wait until train number YY passed before proceeding. This was part of an elaborate system of decentralized traffic control, documented in a book called "Rights of Trains," revised by Peter Josserand, head dispatcher of the Western Pacific railroad and a friend of my father. Flimsies and other forms used by the WP typically carried the letters "A. V. O." at the top, which stood for "Avoid Verbal Orders." Misunderstandings could be fatal. Why "Flimsies"Some of the other commenters have mentioned that the old-time train orders were nicknamed "flimsies" because they were on lightweight paper. The thin paper allows light to come THROUGH the paper. This allows the order to be read by the light of a dim kerosene lantern or even the light of an open steam locomotive firebox door. This practice of using translucent paper continued far into the diesel locomotive era. Bright interior lighting is not wanted in any locomotive cab - it cuts the crew's night vision. TimingDoes anyone know how fast this train would have been moving? I know nothing of railroads, but quite a bit about photography, and I'll say that even with great skill, the perfect timing of this exposure involves at least a little bit of luck for the photographer. And the faster the train was moving, the greater the luck/skill ratio required. Until a definitive answer arrives, I'll give an educated guess based on the relatively limited motion artifact that the train was not going very fast at all. More about "Flimsies"In addition to what SouthBendModel34 said, the paper used was thin to make it easier for the agent or operator to write multiple copies "in Manifold". Double sided carbon paper was used and placed behind the first page of a manifold, and behind each of the other odd numbered pages. If handwritten, a stylus was used as a writing instrument - not a pen or pencil. If typewritten, typewriters without ribbon were used. The first page and all subsequent odd pages had the message on the backside of the paper, and were read through the paper. Even numbered pages had the message on the front. As many as 10 pages could be prepared simultaneously, whereas if single sided carbon paper was used only half that number could be prepared at once. Another feature of the "flimsies" paper is that is was fairly waterproof, and that messages from the carbon paper did not smear. Here's a 60 year old example of such a flimsie as might be handed up to a crew as shown in the original photo. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Rolling Stock: 1941
... railroad spur. (The Gallery, M.P. Wolcott, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/02/2019 - 12:59pm -

June 1941. "Freight depot in Hartford, Connecticut." Medium format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The churches in the background.I can't pinpoint the location that this photo was taken, but in the background you can see the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and Faith Congregational Church. Ice to the rescueA lot of ice cooled reefers. NEMFNew England Transportation Co, now known as NEMF (New England Motor Freight). Only image I could find: https://www.trainz.com/products/usa-trains-17011-g-new-england-transport... New York, New Haven & Hartford Freight YardI believe that this freight yard was located north of city center, just above the current I-84 / Route 44 bridge over the Connecticut, at what used to be called the Bulkeley Bridge. The image was probably taken from the bridge approach. The New England Transportation Co. was a trucking concern created by the NY, NH & H in the 1920s to compete with motor carriers. The track layout and freight handling buildings are visible in 1917 and 1945 and also in this nifty aerial side-by-side, http://magic.lib.uconn.edu/mash_up/1934.html where the track layout is still almost visible today. (Look for the only bridge in town.) The high ground on the right is the makings of Riverside Park, which still exists. No idea what the freight yard was called, though. It's been said beforeThese are the team tracks. Zooming out makes the concept a little more understandable to those of us who were barely into our teens when the Interstate system was largely completed, who then visit a factory built in 1974 and are puzzled to see that has its own now-abandoned railroad spur. (The Gallery, M.P. Wolcott, Railroads)
Cane Train: 1897
... and cottonmouths. (The Gallery, Agriculture, DPC, Railroads, W.H. Jackson) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/13/2020 - 2:21pm -

Circa 1897. "Cane fields in Louisiana." Glass negative by William Henry Jackson. View full size. The Cane MutinyAll six gentlemen of yesteryear seem to be glaring into the camera like, Fight Me. Also I have smelled sugar cane growing in the sun (albeit in Florida) and there is no smell like it. Your nose can sense the sweetness. Once, my mom gave me a piece to gnaw on (with my teeth, not my nose). Tastes like sugar. Beware the cane fields of LouisianaWhen our family lived in southern Louisiana for a while, we kids would play in the cane fields. I'd use my trusty Western Auto Barlow knife to cut sugarcane pieces for my pals and me to gnaw on. We quickly learned that snakes were abundant in those cane fields, and half of them were probably dangerous. All were alarming and I decided I'd didn't like sugarcane as much as I had thought I did. Col. Sanders... apparently moonlighted as a railroad worker. A little detective workI blew the photo up to read the initials on the tender's collar, and they are L.N.O. & T. The Louisville, New Orleans and Texas RR ran from Memphis to New Orleans, and became part of the Illinois Central in 1892. This is obviously not that main line, but a dirt track branchline in the sticks. The the crew seems to be in a siding, likely to wait for an opposing train on that rough looking "main track". In spite of the minor assignment this day, the No. 8 looks like a shiny bottle and probably the handiwork of her fireman. Her valve covers (just ahead of the side rods) proclaim her builder as Rogers. She's been around the block a few times, yet still has delicate pinstripes painted on the domes, and had been gussied up with that brass eagle on the sand dome cover, and appears to be in excellent mechanical shape. And that long shank link and pin coupler on the front confirms this shot is before 1900. Attitude 1890s styleI have no idea who the guy on the right is, But I am 100% certain that he is telling the photographer "I'm a mean son of a bitch and I haven't had my coffee yet. What was it you wanted?" No SurrenderShe's flying two white flags, which means she's an unscheduled extra. Possibly the photographer's special train? Maybe a photo taken by their passenger while they wait in the siding, or pulled-off in there to avoid fouling the main line while taking a picture. Canebrake Rattlesnakes are vicious.Those machetes that were used to cut sugarcane came in handy to dispatch rattlers and cottonmouths. (The Gallery, Agriculture, DPC, Railroads, W.H. Jackson)
Elmhurst Depot: 1899
... here, 120 years later: (The Gallery, Chicago, DPC, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/26/2018 - 1:41pm -

Elmhurst, Illinois, circa 1899. "Chicago & North Western Railway station." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. Wrong middle letterI'm thinking this is not the CNW station, which was a frame structure. Instead I believe it's the Chicago Great Western station (alternately the Chicago, Alton & Elgin), which was constructed of brick and was torn down sometime after 1960. (The CNW station survives, and is used by the Elgin parks department.) [Incorrect. Searching eBay for "elmhurst postcard" would be a super-easy way to check. Click to enlarge. - Dave] MemoriesThis picture reminds me so much of the St.Louis and San Francisco (StlSF) depot in my hometown of Columbus, Kansas. The milk cans were all on the freight platform ready to load when the train arrived plus any boxes or crates that needed shipped. In the spring, after the train had been, there might be crates of chicks cheeping that people had ordered from a supplier and other assorted boxes and crates that had been unloaded. With the steam, bell ringing, chuffing of the engine while it was in the station, and people debarking, It all seemed to be magic to me. Elmhurst Depot: 2019Having been a resident of Elmhurst recently, I was moved to visit once more after seeing the 1899 photo above.. I tried to approximate the same position where the original photograph was shot here, 120 years later: (The Gallery, Chicago, DPC, Railroads)
Eggerss-O'Flyng: 1938
... 30 minutes. (Panoramas, Factories, John Vachon, Omaha, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2020 - 10:15am -

November 1938. "Railroad and coal yard, Omaha, Nebraska." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Reclining on his yacht in Florida, 1940A retired Omaha sign painter. C&NWCan’t tell you exactly where this is, but going to guess it is a Chicago, St Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha RR yard, because the CStPM&O was a subsidiary of the Chicago & Northwester, and the shovel-nosed engine on the head of that short passenger train on the upper tracks is a C&NW E-4 class locomotive. The cars it is pulling are what Railroader’s called “head end” cars- baggage or (possibly) Railway Post Office cars. Odd seeing a road engine like that on the head of an equipment consist like that without coaches or Pullmans. Usually smaller engines put a train together or took it apart, and road engines like this one came on just for the revenue trip. Streamlined SteamOn the far right there appears to be a Chicago and North Western Railway Class E-2a 4-6-2 “Pacific” type locomotive. Good Ol' 4008?The steamin' streamlined beauty (far right) may well be Chicago & North Western engine #4008. This Hudson-class E-4 (4-6-4) would be relatively new here, having rolled out of the Alco works at Schenectady in March of '38. Still thereWith the original signs still faintly visible. I wondered how longit would take for someone to zero in on that steam locomotive with the correct description, I believe they may have been painted orange. Similar, but differentThat is a North Western E-4, loafing with a short consist -- humiliating for an engine capable of more than a hundred miles per. But the orange engines mentioned (more gray than orange, actually) were the similar locomotives owned by the Milwaukee Road. The North Western ones, as seen here, were a deep green with an accent stripe. Each an outstanding example of streamlined steam. Nice photo with much besides going on. Not LoafingOmaha Union Station is just out of the picture at upper right. This is where through trains changed from C&NW to Union Pacific operation. The C&NW Hudson has undoubtedly just cut away from a hot "Overland Route" train, probably the "Challenger", taking the Omaha-bound head end cars with it. The crossovers are a few blocks farther west (to the right and behind the photographer), where the engine & cars will cross over and back into the mail and express tracks. Meanwhile, once the C&NW locomotive has cleared the track, a Union Pacific locomotive will be attached to the train, and the "Challenger" (or whatever train it was) will continue on it's its way west. All of this, including connecting air and steam lines, was done in less than 30 minutes. (Panoramas, Factories, John Vachon, Omaha, Railroads)
The Hippodrome: 1905
... operating hotel in the city? (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 8:24pm -

"The Hippodrome, New York. A Yankee Circus on Mars." Which was the production that opened this 5,200-seat theater, the world's largest, in April 1905. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Old FlagsOne of the games we vexillologists play at our conventions is to see who can identify a folded or rolled up flag the quickest as it is being opened. Here's what I think I see for flags: Starting from the left 1-Possibly the Chinese Dragon Flag 2-France 3-Chile 4-Can't make it out 5-Dominican Republic 6-Possibly Nicaragua (looks like the upper & lower stripes are the same color) 7-Can't make it out 8-Scotland Royal Flag 9-Brazil 10-United Kingdom 11-Can't make it out 12-Can't make it out 13-Germany 14-Japan 15-Guatemala 16-Possibly Crete (blue flag with white cross, red canton with white star) 17-Ottoman Empire (Turkey) 18-Argentina 19-Persia 20-Can't make it out 21-Italy 22-A British Blue Ensign, maybe Canada, India, or South Africa; can't make out the badge. At this point in time, the Canadian Red Ensign was not yet established. 23-Can't make it out 24-Switzerland 25-Greece 26-Can't make it out 27-Possibly the Norway-Sweden Union 28-Ecuador or maybe Columbia 29-Portugal 30-United States of America What's that smell?Strange odors plagued the 42nd Street station of the Sixth Avenue subway for years. Engineers repeatedly checked for gas or sewer leaks, all to no avail. Finally, sometime in the 1950's, the cause was figured out - underground deposits of elephant dung from circuses held at the nearby Hippodrome, by then gone for over a decade. At least this is the story-- suffice to say that my patented Urban Legend Detector is flashing yellow. Dancing girls! Elephants!From IBDB: "A Yankee Circus on Mars" was a 4 hr. production that included 280 chorus girls, 480 soldiers, a parade of cars driven by elephants, an equestrienne ballet, acrobats, & a cavalry charge through a lake. Would have loved to gone there But it was a little before my time. It was between of foyty tuyd and foyty foyd street on sexth avenew. I think this postcard was glamorized from this photo. The Old HippWhen I was just starting out as a stagehand in the late 60's, the oldtimers, in an effort to let us youngsters know how good we had it, would talk about "working at the Old Hipp for a Coke and a hotdog a day." "Plunging Horses"I believe that it was located on the east side of Sixth Avenue between 43rd and 44th Street. Their "Plunging Horses" show must have been a precursor to the Steel Pier attraction in Atlantic City in later years. Old flagsThere is quite an impressive array of national flags on the roof. Unfortunately, most are not furled out enough to seem them well, but besides the US flag, I think I can see ones that are unchanged since then: France (very left), possibly Japan and Mexico (adjacent to each other, middle section), and the Ottoman Empire (the crescent and star, very similar to the flag of modern Turkey). More interestingly, there are also flags no longer used: The rightmost flag on the front looks like the Kingdom of Italy (the modern tricolor plus an added shield in the middle). Two places to the left of that, with a lion holding a sword against a sun, is an old flag of Iran. The horizontal tricolor in the middle of the front may be either the Netherlands (red on white on blue) or the German Empire (black on white on red). There seem to be various British commonwealth flags as well, but I can't quite tell which. The UK flag itself seems strangely absent I'd be interested if people figure out some of the others. Toilets fixedBy the famous plunging horses. On The TownCHIP: My father told me, "Chip, my boy, There'll come a time when you leave home; If you should ever hit New York, Be sure to see the Hippodrome." HILDY: The Hippodrome? CHIP: The Hippodrome. HILDY: Did I hear right? Did you say the Hippodrome? CHIP: Yes, you heard right. Yes, I said the Hip- (Hildy brakes.) Hey what did you stop for? HILDY: It ain't there anymore. Aida sang an "A" And blew the place away! What's in a nameI remember a multi-story parking lot at the NE corner of Sixth Avenue and 43rd Street called the Hippodrome. I always wondered about the name, but never in a million years would I have guessed there was a magnificent 5,200 seat theater on the site before that! Unbelievable! Thanks, Shorpy. Another landmarkDid anyone notice the Algonquin Hotel in the background? Isn't it the oldest continuously operating hotel in the city? (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Railroads)
A Chorus Line: 1905
... (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Cleveland, DPC, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 11:16pm -

Lake Erie circa 1905. "Hulett clamshell hoists, Cleveland, Ohio." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Nine men......one must look hard to find most of them. Count the PeopleI stopped counting at eight people, upon encountering an additional one that I couldn't tell about. Two guys with great proprioceptionAnd they give you a sense of the huge size of this processing plant. I wonder how many men got injured falling off the hoists, working up there in various drenching conditions? How exactly did these hoists work? They would lift up nets or pallets full of oysters, which would then be trundled out by conveyor belt? The din and smell of a fleet of ten boats unloading at one time must have been stupefying. Do you have any shots of this plant at work? [Clamshell hoists don't have anything to do with oysters, clams, or seafood in general. They're for loading iron ore. - Dave] I count 11if you include "the Shadow". ClamshellsTechnically, clamshell hoists are so named because they (somewhat) resemble and open and close similarly to the bivalves' shells. Brown Fast PlantsTracking down the historical/technical details of this photo was complicated because the internetz are full of information on its more famous kin: the still-standing Hulett Ore Unloaders. Nonetheless, the best information on the pictured machinery is in the 1905 book, "Brownhoist": Patent Automatic Hoisting and Conveying Appliances. Pages 43 & 44 have alternate views of the same equipment. Briefly: The location is the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Dock of the Pennsylvania railroad. This type of hoist, designed by Alexander Brown, was known as a "fast plant" and was used to unload ore from a ship and transfer it to waiting rail cars. The specimens here were all steam-powered but later models used electricity. The unloading arm of the hoists spanned 5 to 7 railroad tracks and could load fifty rail cars without shifting. The business end of the hoists were equipped with Hulett clamshells and Andrews scrapers. Hulett ClamshellsThese are Brown rigs with Hulett clamshells, as noted in the caption, for transferring ore onto railcars from ships called ore carriers. I count 11 alsoI also count 11 including the man bent over behind the crane rails near the steam vent and the 3 atop the rail cars What's up dock?Since 1858, gravity has been used to load ore boats (naval tradition notwithstanding, all bulk carriers are "boats" on the Great Lakes) from structures properly known as "ore docks." The system was introduced at Marquette, Michigan. Ore was delivered to the top of the dock, and dumped into large holding pockets, each fitted with a side discharge chute. Brigantine-rigged (no boom between masts) Schooners were the favorite for ore shipments. They came alongside and typically loaded ore directly on deck, roughly 300 tons per trip — which could take four or more days to offload by hand on arrival, longer if it was loaded in the holds below deck As demand for ore skyrocketed, deck hatches were cut into these vessels to increase capacity. The first bulk freighter (the R.J. Hackett) was purpose-built for the iron ore trade in 1869. These bigger vessels opened the floodgates to a variety of mechanical unloaders mentioned in the earlier post, but the Brown and Hulett machines emerged as the leaders. A Brown bucket held roughly 1-1/2 tons, but the machine could only lower and raise the bucket straight into the hold, where it still had to be filled by hand; fitting the machine shown with clamshells should have greatly improved its efficiency. The first Hulett bucket held 10 tons (later models could handle up to 22 tons per bite), but its greatest advantage was its mobility, as it could move up & down, left & right and forward/reverse within the hold, greatly reducing the hand shoveling. Lakes boats didn't come home to Michigan empty, they typically backhauled coal, which was also loaded by gravity. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Cleveland, DPC, Railroads)
Live Third Rail: 1910
... in between. (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2014 - 11:55am -

Detroit circa 1910. "Michigan Central R.R. tunnel." Another in a series of views of the approach to the train tunnel under the Detroit River. Please note: LIVE THIRD RAIL, DO NOT TOUCH. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. Snake EyesI'm thinking of some fellow holding up a convenience store; the clerk pulls out a double barreled shotgun, and this is what the robber sees. Do not touch?That sign is an understatement. I believe those rails carried 750 volts DC. Under-Running Third RailThis is the "Under-Running" type of third rail, where the pickup shoes on the locomotive run on the bottom of the rail. The rail is sort of hanging from C-shaped insulated supports. The insulators are under tension. This is superior to the common "Over-Running" third rail because the top and both sides of the electrified rail can be protected against accidental contact. In this photo, one can see that the top and both sides of the rail are covered in wooden sheathing. (In the more common Over-Running 3rd rail, only the back side and the top of the rail can be guarded; the track side must remain exposed.) This is the type of 3rd rail used in other New York Central System electrification projects under the control of VP of Engineering William J. Wilgus. This type of 3rd rail is used in Grand Central Terminal and on all line approaching it. (The former New Haven transitions to overhead wire, but operated within NY City limits on the 3rd rail.) All of this sort of third rail in the NYC /Westchester area has been changed from wooden sheathing to fiberglass sheathing, which is safer because it cannot absorb water. Now, if Shorpy could only find a photo of the electric locomotives which traversed this tunnel. [Electro-Motive. -tterrace] Street LampI want this street lamp in my driveway! I have scoured the internet in search of appealing exterior lighting, and haven't found anything nearly as interesting as this one. I don't know what it is about it, it's just perfect. [It's a carbon-arc fixture on a "bishop's crook" standard. - Dave] Tunnel locomotivesIt would be nice to have a large format photo of one of the period engines on Shorpy. Most of the ones I've found are kinda fuzzy and don't do justice to the picture of the tunnel. [Click to enlarge. - Dave] Lobster, lettuceand everything in between. (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Railroads)
The Milwaukee Road: 1943
... anyone enlighten? (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/19/2013 - 2:15pm -

January 1943. "A Chicago, Milwaukee, Saint Paul & Pacific Railroad train just arrived at Chicago Union Station." Medium format nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Precious memoriesThe featured train probably had an Otto Kuhler designed “beavertail” observation car on the rear end. It wouldn’t be too many more years before the Brooks Stevens designed Hiawatha observation cars replaced them and were proudly gracing the mains. During the late 70s a lot of the retired passenger cars were rusting away in an area known as the “shops,” in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ironically, some of that equipment was birthed (built) in the shops and returned there to die. Fortunately, the Stevens “Cedar Rapids” observation car was rescued and restored. She dances all over the place these days, often pulled by the 4-8-4 Milwaukee steamer 261. I worked in the shops during the late 70s and spent many winter morning exploring that old equipment, including the Cedar Rapids, when my boss needed me to get scarce for a while. Not much I would trade those days for. MILW rib-side carsThese cars haven't had their skirts modified or removed - the MILW's rib-side passenger cars were never fitted with skirts: What a wonderful photographThis picture just draws you in. In some situations black and white is the only way to go. Mini-SkirtsOnly Hiawatha cars built in 1942 were built with skirts, and though they did extend the full length of the cars without cutouts for the trucks or other underbody equipment, they were very short skirts extending down only about 6 inches. It is possible that wartime shortages of materials caused the design change to add to the cars structural strength. Danger Lights!This location is right where the final scenes of the 1930 film Danger Lights took place which, incidentally, was filmed on the Milwaukee Road as well. It would have served Mr. Delano well to have loaded some color film in his camera since those Milwaukee Road cars were a bright orange, red and maroon and that would certainly have brightened the mood this gloomy Chicago view. This morningI just walked through there this morning. It's a lot darker now, because the area around it has been built up and roofed over, but glass-roofed sheds like this are still there, and are still in use for commuter and Amtrak trains. You can see some from the air if you look near Jackson and Canal streets. They appear in films sometimes (Public Enemies was the last one I remember). RE: No center to the tiesFrom memory, I think railroad tracks on concrete beds don't have full-width ties. On occasion I walk alongside the Union Station tracks in the Shorpy photo. More often I ride the train from nearby Ogilvie (aka Northwest) station. There are no ties. Also the Chicago elevated tracks have full-width wood ties, but underground in the subway, with a concrete floor, there are short blocks under each rail like the Shorpy photo. Re: Precious memorieskreriver is correct, the Friends of the 261 give everyone the opportunity to enjoy these Milwaukee Road classics. I'm lucky enough to live within earshot of the whistle. http://261.com/ Skirts & TiesFull length skirting on both rail and road cars, like streamlining on steam locomotives, was a maintenance nightmare. It was often modified or removed before everyone got a chance to see it. Half ties are common when the "ballast" is poured concrete, like in a subway. The gap leaves room for a central drainage gutter. Consult American Railway Engineering Association manuals on line for comments on the practice. The extra labor cost may be saved in the future if the ties don't rot as fast as in ordinary construction. The vanishing pointIs being carried away in a truck. No center to the tiesI am a retired railroader, and I have never seen the centers cut from the ties in a station (like the track to the left). Does anyone know why this was done for sure? It wasn't done to save material as the labor cost would have been twice as much as the material saved. Missing centersI have seen this frequently, especially in subway systems such as New York and DC. I expect the cut centers facilitated drainage. Any better ideas out there? Full Length Skirting?The cars have the streamline skirting (rocker panels on automobiles) extending the full length of the carbody. Usually the skirting is eliminated where the trucks are located to permit servicing. I have not seen photos of cars with the full length skirts. Can anyone enlighten? (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Along the Ohio: 1940
... Industry & Public Works, Louisville, M.P. Wolcott, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/29/2019 - 10:28am -

August 1940. "Kentucky. Louisville waterfront along the Ohio River." Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. (The Gallery, Industry & Public Works, Louisville, M.P. Wolcott, Railroads)
Early Amazon: 1900
... miles away in St. Paul. (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, DPC, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/06/2018 - 3:04pm -

Circa 1900. "New York Central freight sheds, Buffalo, N.Y." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. Safety FirstA sand-filled bucket 10 feet off the floor on every column for fire control. Lots of manpower neededCan't imagine how many man-hours went into stacking just the sacks on the left, not to mention the thousands of barrels!! I believe I see a couple of them whose efforts helped make this scene so compelling over a century later. Thoroughly modernIf you take away the barrels, the sacks, the hanging lamps, and the buckets of sand, this warehouse looks uncannily modern. Something about the crisp, even brightness and the light, metal structure. Flour Is BloomingGold Medal Flour was my mother-in-law's favorite brand. My wife still uses it today. Gold Medal flourStill a brand today, but, pretty sure, this isn't how it's stacked these days! Vermin alertWith that many sacks of flour stacked that deep, I hope they have a couple of hungry cats hanging around. Just the sacksGold Medal - flour, still today. I wonder what's in the barrels. State of the art architecture.I'm no historian of architectural engineering, but the construction of this warehouse must have been state of the art for 1900. Life before forkliftsIt's weird to see a warehouse look so light, airy, and neat. Today, forklifts allow warehouse-men to lift items to dizzying heights, making sure that the only light available is artificial. And with rare exceptions, nobody would dare put a wood floor in a warehouse--you'd wear right through it, and quickly, with the tires of your forklifts. That noted, the frame of the building looks about the same as today. The big difference is you'll get a lot more lights hung from it, and instead of rivets, they're often welded. "Slack Barrels"Made with thin fir staves tongue and groove jointed, and with sapling hoops, these were called slack barrels, and they wouldn't hold a liquid for five minutes. They are indeed flour barrels. A crepe-like paper liner inside each barrel prevented sifting the flour out between the stave joints. Washburn Crosby Co of Minneapolis produced their Gold Medal Flour in Minneapolis, and eventually became General Mills - still producing Gold Medal Flour a century and a half later. round bottomit looks to me as at least the fire buckets i can see in the image that none have rounded bottoms all fire buckets i have ever seen had rounded bottoms that i believe the purpose being that it forced one to hang it up and thus readily available for use and not have to search for one. another words hang it up or it tips over and loses its contents and it hung up if itd empty it is deemed useless for fire. anyone have different on what i just said and how it might tie into these buckets being flat i believe. [leading candidate for this years ee cummings commenting fellowship way to go man - dave] Gas light districtAre those gas lamps hanging from a pipe? Ka-boom?!?!?!When I was working in a supermarket in the late 1960s, we kids who worked there would amuse ourselves by taking bags of flour, tearing a big hole in them, lobbing them into the incinerator, and then quickly slamming the steel incinerator door shut. The resulting explosions were powerful enough to bend the half-inch-thick steel door of the incinerator. So I shudder to think of a flour warehouse with open-flame lighting. That stuff is dangerous. EDIT: Here's our good friend, Mr. Wizard, explaining how flour dust can be explosive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t5iTunRkO4 Yup! Same WashburnThe largest explosion in Minneapolis' history was the 1878 explosion of the Washburn "A" Mill in downtown Minneapolis. 'Twas heard 10 miles away in St. Paul. (The Gallery, Buffalo NY, DPC, Railroads)
Almost Heaven: 1938
... (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, M.P. Wolcott, Mining, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/08/2019 - 11:47am -

September 1938. "Section of coal mining town near Welch, West Virginia." Possibly the mountain hamlet of Eckman. Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. BZZTThe Virginian Railway electrified about 130 miles of their railroad in the 1920s using 11,000 volts AC. Presumably the power was off during the operation captured in the photograph. Why OSHA existsThe guy working on the power lines is putting himself in peril by 1.) possibility of electrocution from the electric lines themselves, and 2.) the possibility of a train coming through and taking out both him and his crew. Meanwhile, up the side of the hill, we see several very nice homes, and, knowing what I know about how plumbing works, and how **it flows, I'd probably rather own one of the homes higher up on the hill, thank you. [If only we had been there to guide them! The worker's ladder is next to the tracks, not over them. - Dave] Stairway to Heaven?Are those steps in the left hand of the photo leading up the hill? Covered drainage? If they are stairs they might be more precarious than that ladder the lineman is using! In the words of an old Bugs Bunny cartoon, "Watch that last step, it's a lulu!" In the days before cherry-pickersYou had to use huge ladders to get up on the poles if you didn't have those pegs that were mounted on some poles. HemphillLooks like the bridge is the one over the Tug Fork at 37.44116N 81.5931W. The railroad is the Norfolk & Western, and the bridge is 893-B, as the white-lettered marker probably says, just left of the catenary pole left of the bridge. The track behind the workmen must lead to the coal hoppers in the other pic: https://www.shorpy.com/node/24494 MoonshineSo, Dave, where is it? Tall shortI know Shorpy. Is the guy on the ladder his brother Shorty? In-house wire workThis is certainly a railroad crew working on the catenary. Note the short "train" in the left background. The enclosed car is what powered them here from their starting point, typically with a one-lung gasoline engine and perhaps built by Fairmount; the several four wheeled trailers carry their tools. This sort of RR maintenance crew transport is about nonexistent today, being replaced by high rail-equipped highway vehicles. These guys are not here on their own; the dispatcher knows of their presence, and likely has given them train orders advising them of the limits they can work, and when they have to be clear of his railroad, or check back with him for further orders. Tug ForkBased on Timz' ID of the trestle, it is over the Tug Fork, which flows northwest into Hatfield and McCoy territory. Based on the shadows, the shot was likely taken from the north bank looking southwards in the early morning. I guess the Google crew couldn't make it up the road. RR Safety ProcedureThis being 1938 and not 1838, railroad safety procedures dictated that whoever was in charge of whatever work was being done had undoubtedly coordinated with the dispatcher, who issued "time & track" orders to all concerned, including train crews. ImpressiveFirst the large white building with the top balcony leaning a bit; and then the male undershorts flying in the wind. Lionel landscapeThe clean, simple bridge and the foreshortened look produced by the close and nearly vertical background make this scene look like a very well done model train layout! Space XIf you travel a short distance to the north west along these tracks using the magic of Google Earth, you will find this secret missile launch pad disguised as an old steam locomotive coaling tower. HemphillThe picture is Hemphill, WV. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, M.P. Wolcott, Mining, Railroads)
Machine Car: 1905
... locked state. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 6:29pm -

Circa 1905. "Machine car" is all it says on the jacket. It's a Howe. Can it do laundry? 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Gravel GertieFrom the wheels, it would appear to be a gravel layer for railroad track beds. Train wheelsWell, it has train wheels and a large hopper bin so my quick guess is that it's a special car that was used to lay down gravel under the ties on train tracks. Who, Howe, WhatHad Mr. Howe thought to apply for a patent, Zambonis would be called Howes. Foot PedalRegarding the foot pedal, it's most likely a brake used during regular operation. The handbrake secures the device when not in use. Howe CenterThe Old Home of Howe Scale Works, now a Center for Commercial, Industrial, Education & Business. Scale included!If you look inside the box housing, there is a older weighted scale. Could this be used for something that needed relatively close weights? Like a mixture of something? Cement? Chemicals? Anyone? I also love the clean, new third rail pickup on the side! edit: There is a comment posted above about the wheel above the scale being the brake. Any suggestions on what the foot pedal below the scale is for? Brake? To open the hopper and dump the load? And yes, there is two shoe pickups for the electric supply. DetailsI did some research and believe that this is what is known as a larry car. It would be used in coke (coal) production or steel. The car is designed to travel back to pick up a charge of ore or coal, carry it out to the particular dump spot, and drop it. This one looks designed to dump out the bottom between the two axles. Ballast cars dump out the sides. This suggests not a work car but something dumping into a specific spot. Further evidence of a larry car is the third rail pickup. Mine cars, due to miners being in and out, as well as cars in construction were either self propelled by a small steam or diesel engine; or when electric featured a trolley pole and catenary. Third rail is something you would only see used in a situation where you wouldn't have men near the rail. Making it most likely that this car was meant to work in a coke furnace type application. CalliopeIt is a homemade steam calliope. You can tell by the left handed throtlever on the framoflannis. But what does it do?Lemme see. A tractor-type seat for the operator, to its left, a streetcar type controller, and behind the seat, a Howe scale. Yes, that's a Howe scale, made in Rutland, Vermont for many years.The equipment inside the black case is very similar to the scales I've used to weigh freight cars. Above the scale is a brakewheel. Sticking out to the lower left of the car is a skate, or third rail current collector. The closest axle is equipped with an electric traction motor. My guess is this item was used in an industry to haul raw material around a plant. The scale was used to weigh the proper amount of stuff to be placed in the hopper.The measured material is then dumped where it will be put to use, perhaps in a steel or iron plant. I DO know one thing. The car wasn't used here; there's no track. Larry CarIt's a Larry Car, a self propelled hopper car with a weigh scale to measure how much material is being loaded into a process. Note the two third-rail shoes, traction motor on the axle, trolley car controller, operator's seat, and Howe beam scale linked by levers to the hopper supports. The offset third-rail shoes imply that they may not trust the rails to give a good ground return. This one is about the size used to load beehive coke ovens. It loaded under a fixed hopper, and moved down the track laid above the ovens to dump into the desired oven. The ovens were buried in an earth embankment for insulation, with the loading track on top. Much larger cars were used to transfer + weigh iron ore, coke, and limestone being loaded into blast furnaces, via the inclined skip car. A weighty vehicleI don't know what it is intended to weigh, but this is a self-propelled scale car. You can see the balance beam mechanism behind the "Howe" placard. Howe Scale of Rutland, Vermont, was one of the biggest American manufacturers of commercial scales. They were bought out in 1960 by a Canadian firm, which apparently liked the trademark, as Libra Scales of Pittsburgh still uses it. Crank HandleI'm thinking the wooden handle at driver's left is perhaps for Forward-Stop-Reverse. Anyone know whether traction engines are reversible? Right-of-way Comes StandardIf that brute only could have been fitted with rubber tires, it might have been the least-challenged vehicle at any intersection. Imagine the respect it would have demanded of tailgaters, car door flingers and those fearless jaywalkers. Don't give acceleration or top speed a second thought. When you're first in line with the Howe on a narrow road, you'll remain first for as long as you care to, while at your chosen rate of speed. "Crumple Zones?" It won't be you who needs them. Simple and rugged; a real man's car, in 1905--or today. I probably would have ordered mine with a black canvas top. Still has that New Larry Car SmellWhat strikes me is the cleanliness of this beast. No way it would be maintained in this condition during use. Either it was just built or just restored by staff of the Smithsonian. Foot Pedal revisitedThe hopper has a mechanism to lock its movement and isolate it from the balance beam to prevent damage to, or miscalibration of, the scale. The pedal unlocks this while a measurement is being taken. Releasing it returns the hopper to its normal locked state. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Railroads)
Frosted Tracks: 1943
... assignment must have been! (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/08/2013 - 1:04pm -

March 1943. "Between Lockport and Joliet, Illinois, along the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe." Photo by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. Joliet Iron and Steel WorksThe site is most likely the coke ovens of the Joliet Iron and Steel Works, which dates to the early 1870s. All operations at the plant ended in the early 1980s. It seems likely the ATSF would have supplied coal to the coke facility, and handled finished steel product in local interchange service and points west. My Location GuessThe location looked familiar to me; we spent a lot of time as teenagers talking to barge hands on the sanitary canal. I believe the bridge is a railroad track overpass for trains heading over the sanitary canal and Des Plaines River. This bridge carries trains over these tracks to the lift bridge right next to it. The lift bridge would raise to get out of the way of barge traffic. The view would be looking north and there are still three sets of rails. The bridge is about a mile south of the Lockport locks and easily visible on google maps or google earth. That curved trackin front, was to prevent a derailed train or car from colliding into the bridge abutment, only example I have seen of this. Coaling plantI've seen coaling plants that were designed and built to serve muliple tracks before, but never one like this. It appears to have been modified from a single-track design. Wonderful composition!You can tell it's the work of a seasoned professional photographer -- the composition of angles, light and shadow are quite wonderful. How I would love to be a professional riding a freight train with a medium-format camera. On the other hand, I can feel from the picture how cold this assignment must have been! (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
A More Perfect Union: 1908
... today, which is magnificent. (The Gallery, D.C., DPC, Railroads, Streetcars) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2016 - 12:30pm -

Circa 1908. "New Pennsylvania [Union] Station, Washington, D.C." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. So many travel choicesGreat photo showing three modes of transportation (besides the train, of course). The old horse drawn cabs on the left of the photo, the new automobile cabs on the far right, and the electric trolley. What a wonderful era for travel. Lots of timeWe seem to be looking almost due North, across Columbus Circle. Judging from the shadows, it's early morning, probably late Spring or early Summer. Long layover 'till quarter to four! Union StationThis photo of D.H. Burnham's magnificent building was probably taken from the north end of the roof of the then-new Senate Office Building (later the Old Senate Office Building, now the Russell Senate Office Building), designed by Carrere and Hastings of New York and built in 1903 to 1908. I spent 10 years in there, working for the Armed Services Committee, on the south (Constitution Avenue) side of the building. The Committee's restored hearing rooms are wonderful examples of American Beaux-Arts at its most lavish. I Was ThereNot in 1908, but two years ago, and it is still one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever had the privilege to wander in. Even the façade looks similar to then. Saved From RuinLooking at it now, it's hard to believe such a grand building came close ruin. The station was converted into a visitors center in the mid-seventies, which caused a lot of damage to many of the finer architectural features of the interior. When that failed the building was abandoned. By the early eighties it was a rat-infested mess with significant damage. The federal government could have easily walked away and let it fall into a state beyond repair. Fortunately, Congress authorized the purchase of the building and ponied up the cash to turn it into what it is today, which is magnificent. (The Gallery, D.C., DPC, Railroads, Streetcars)
Backwater: 1937
... refill in this event? (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/25/2020 - 5:43pm -

December 1937. "Water tower on railroad through Jennings, Maryland. The train now runs only once a week." Medium format acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. AbandonedLooking at topo maps, the line appears to have been in operation as late as 1952, but abandoned by 1956. Those wanting to know the exact date could consult Surface Transportation Board (STB) records. JerkwaterThere's a spur in our neighborhood which saw short-train low-speed traffic twenty years ago. Then after that, they parked work trains there while improving the main line. It's been abandoned since then, and barely looks worse than this line. Jennings Brothers Ray-rodeWe are so far back in the sticks here, they had to pipe the sunlight in to it. This road was originally the Jennings Brothers Railroad. They brought their railroad and sawmilling equipment from up near Lopez, Pa. The lumbering eventually was finished, and the railroad was later known as the Northern Maryland & Tidewater RR. By the time of Mr. Rothstein's visit, this operation was known as the Castleman River RR, which followed the Casselman River most of the way. Connecting with the B&O Salisbury Branch near Salisbury, Pa, the line ran down through Grantsville, Md and Jennings to Bittinger, Md. Traffic was some coal outbound, a little general freight for Grantsville, and some brick-making if I recall it right. All of the CRRR's old engines had been retired; they were renting old locomotives from connection B&ORR. Castleman River RR went out of business c. 1956. Find out more in "Tall Pines and Winding Rivers" self-published by Ben F.G. Kline about 1982. Frozen in TimeBy the look of the track warbles would be a better description for the train than 'runs'. On account of the frozen water tank how would a train refill in this event? (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Railroads)
Whistle Stop: 1936
... (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Dust Bowl, Politics, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:03pm -

August 1936. "Tour of drought area. President Roosevelt speaking from train at Bismarck, North Dakota." Medium format nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Family supportAlthough James was reported to be the one with his father, this certainly looks more like Franklin, Jr., who had just celebrated his 22nd birthday 10 days before. Not visible in the photo but also on the rear platform of the train was FDR's daughter, Anna. At right is ND Governor Walter Welford. Film footage of the event is here. Lean on meFDR is gripping the arm of what I believe to be his son James. Roosevelt was completely paralyzed below the waist and had to use other people to help create the illusion of his being able to stand and walk. Great care was made to foster this illusion and the press generally went along with it. To this day there are no more than a handful of photographs of FDR in a wheelchair or that show his leg braces. This is one reason so many photos of him were taken on the back of trains, where he could grip the railing, or in open cars where he didn't need to be seen moving under his own power. In fact whenever he was expected to deliver an outdoor speech other than from a rail car the Secret Service would build wooden ramps on the speaking platform so his car could drive right up onto the stage behind all of the dignitaries. who served to mask FDR from the crowds and cameras. Then they would pick him up from his car and stand him up with his leg braces and more or less carry him, one man on each side, to the speaking podium. Roosevelt would swing his arms and it appeared to all but those right next to him that he was walking. "1936, You call this a drought?wait for the next two years." Indiscreet then but history nowA long gone friend of my Father, Dr.Howard Rosenthall, somehow managed to film FDR in his actual physical state being helped from his limo during a visit to Vassar College. At the time this was NOT the correct thing to do; but, I am told, his film ended up at the Roosevelt Library were it is kept as a historical item. Google HimIt's plainly Franklin Jr. and not James. [Indeed. Three examples. - tterrace] (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Dust Bowl, Politics, Railroads)
Superior Scales: 1941
... View full size. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Mining, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/11/2020 - 3:12pm -

August 1941. "At the Great Northern Railroad yards, cars of iron ore passing over the scales are weighed at the rate of three and a half a minute. Superior, Wisconsin." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Mining, Railroads)
Wheel of Fire: 1943
... WDV (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 11:59am -

Re-tiring a locomotive driver wheel in the Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe railway shops at Shopton, near Fort Madison, Iowa. March 1943. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. Fire WheelGreat picture would like to see more RR shop pictures Delano PictsDid Jack work for the Santa Fe RR, or was he an avid railfan like many of us are especially me? I know you told me that he passed away 10 yrs ago, has his family saved and ever thought of giving his great pictures to Trains & Railfan mags? How were you able to get the photos? I'd like to know more about jack and who he was and how he lived. [Have you tried the Internets? Google. Wikipedia. - Dave] Fire WheelThis is an interesting shot but I believe the picture should be rotated 90 degrees clockwise. The heavy steel support illuminated below the flames is a stand that supports the axle and keeps the wheel off the ground. Notice the flames also point to the left (up). Nevertheless, this is a beautiful example of a common maintenance procedure on a steam locomotive. The steel tire is separate from the cast steel wheel center. The inside of the tire is machined several thousandths of an inch smaller than the wheel center. It's heated by fire from a ring of gas pipe. As the tire gets hot, it expands and is then driven onto the cooler wheel center by workmen with sledge hammers. It's then clamped into position and allowed to cool and shrinks tightly on the wheel. Jack Delano's photography captures the essence of railroading of this era with elegance and sensitivity. [The wheel has been rotated. Below, a clearer view of the procedure. - Dave] This process was also knownas "sweating" on a tire. These series of photos are fantastic! Ring of Fire explained:Comments from a friend - Many's the night I supervised that same operation at Enola Enginehouse machine shop when we sweated new tires onto the P5 wheels. (GG1s had smaller wheels with tires but those were all done at Wilmington.) The trick was, after the wheel cooled down to room temp. (after removing the tire) you had to measure WITH A MICROMETER, the outside diameter of the wheel to .001 inch. Then you had to measure the inside diameter of the tire also to .001 inch. As if that wasn't difficult enough, if it was cold outside and somebody opened the barn door the tire or wheel could change diameter and blow the entire exercise. If the tire was too large, we had to choose the correct thickness of shim and insert it between the tire and the wheel while heating the tire with a flame. Today that is all a lost art. Occasionally we'd get the tire too tight on the wheel and it would snap. Also tires would come loose during service. If the inspector suspected a tire was loose, he'd put a chalk mark across the tire and wheel and watch it when it came back onto the pit and see if the chalk line still matched up. The P5s and GG1s didn't have dynamic brakes so the enginemen rode the independent brake a lot on the downgrades. WDV (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads)
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