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Zenith City: 1905
... Let us venture back to a time When Railroads ruled the Earth. Are they birthing Orcs in that roundhouse? The ... picture. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Duluth, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 6:55pm -

Duluth, Minnesota, circa 1905. "Elevators and harbor," along with a view of the Incline Railway and many other points of interest, make up our daily dose of Duluth. Detroit Publishing Company glass negative. View full size. The Old BallgameAre those guys playing baseball in the lower right? They're spread out like they're playing something very similar. (Click to enlarge.) Let us venture back to a timeWhen Railroads ruled the Earth. Are they birthing Orcs in that roundhouse? The same scene today.Despite all the changes, this scene is still recognizable. Alluring Alliteration "Daily dose of Duluth." Gotta love it. ImprovementsDuluth really looks much, much better today! Rail lineA mid 1880s source cites the "St. P.&D. and N.P. Round House." That's the biggestroundhouse I've ever seen! Any bigger and it wouldn't have a way to bring locos in. Here is a shot of a current Duluth roundhouse from above (Google). Re: The Old BallgameYep. I think we've stumbled onto some Duluth-variety hardball. And from the outfield alignment, we can only guess our batter is not a pull hitter. Baseball?Good catch. Who's on second? This is why we look at the ShorpyAnother truly amazing photo. It's deeply three-dimensional: From the busy shirtwaist lady in the foreground, to the slouchy men hanging out by the steam laundry, to the (obviously) baseball people, to the infernal roundhouse, to the ships in the harbor... Visually they're all stitched together, front to back, by the power poles: you can see individual insulators on the nearest ones, behind the Clarendon Hotel (New!), but they merge into infinity as they march to the shining harbor. This is surely one of Shorpy's best. Apart from the swimsuit girls, of course. Duluth & Iron RangeThe boxcars lower left look like they might have "D.&.I.R." on them. That would make it the Duluth & Iron Range, which merged in 1938 to become the D.M. & I.R. There are some more boxcars above those D&IR ones that look like they might be Great Northern. But the owner of the roundhouse is definitely not clear. Re: What's MissingIndeed, they probably walked to and from work. I grew up in Beech Grove, Indiana, home to a large repair yard for Penn, Penn Central and Amtrak that dates back to 1910 or a little before. In the early '60s it was astonishing to see hundreds of workers in overalls, kerchiefs and the traditional engineer cap (with its distinctive narrow gray striping) as they walked westward down Main Street after work. Each carried a lunch pail and most seemed to have a newspaper under the arm. They would crowd the sidewalks on both sides for several blocks, from a distance looking something like a pair of giant centipedes. Not surprising, Main Street was also lined with taverns which surely enticed many men to stop for a quick beer as they made their way home. Big SkyCan anyone comment on why many of these old photos have so much "head room"? Photographers today compose their shot to get the most matter and keep the sky to a minimum. (Not to mention having to deal with the contrast ratio.) What's Missing!!!If this photo were made today there would be employee cars parked everywhere. That roundhouse surely employs quite a number of people. In 1905 I assume that most folks either walked to work, like the folks walking on the viaduct, or rode the streetcar. There isn't even a horse and buggy to be seen. It does look like there might be a couple of streetcars way down the street. For the birdsI like the big bird house in the back yard of the place across the street from A. Larson's "General Arthur" store, or whatever that says. It looks just as ramshackle as the rest of the buildings. Being on a crookedstump doesn't help -- the eggs'll roll out! Unfortunate use of quotes"The Best" Beer in Milwaukee, eh? For some reason I don't believe you. Why'd you have to use the quotes, huh? The RoundhouseLots of comments about the roundhouse, and it is a big one: 36 stalls if I count right. It's interesting to see photos of such buildings when they were comparitively new as opposed to how they looked by the end of the steam age. Question I have is which railroad did it belong to? Has to be either C&NW or DM&IR, but I can't tell by the locomotives parked nearby as I'm not an expert on either road's power. I'm guessing C&NW, a far larger road who would need a roundhouse of this size. Selz Royal BlueFantastic details. This world of busy, grimy character has a real appeal for me. And what a great opportunity to see newly-painted side-of-building advertising in all its glory. Today one sees mostly faded "ghost" images. Across the way from Miller Beer, Selz Royal Blue was a shoe brand advertised all over the country. This ad in the Arizona Journal-Miner is from 1905. Rices PointThe rail yard is the Northern Pacific Railways's Rices Point Yard and roundhouse. The elevated tracks on the left are Great Northern Railway. Actually, that looks like cricketAs to the ballgame being played at the right, the people don't seem arrayed correctly for baseball, but it looks like it would work for cricket, which, as I understand it, was actually played in parts of the U.S. at the time. [Duluth -- "Cricket Wicket of the Unsalted Seas." - Dave] Iron AgeA portion of the fancy iron railroad bridge off in the distance still exists -- the first truss span -- visible on Google Maps and Street View from the freeway bridge next to it (its concealed by the freeway bridge in the modern view in the first comment). Its the only landmark I can find that exists from the original picture. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Duluth, Railroads)
Plane No. 7: 1900
... Boonton.org . (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/15/2022 - 12:28am -

Boonton, New Jersey, circa 1900. "Top of plane, Morris and Essex Canal." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. Read if so inclinedI didn't know this, so maybe others don't too: A [canal] inclined plane is a type of cable railway used on some canals for raising boats between different water levels. Boats may be conveyed afloat, in caissons, or may be carried in cradles or slings. This would be the long way roundAt least it would be today. Between 1824 and 1924 the Morris Canal served Boonton's iron industry between Phillipsburg and Jersey City. Iron crossed over the Jersey Hills by use of 23 lift locks and 23 inclined planes. Thank you, Kiwanis. Painting of the Boonton LockI am so very happy to see this image Shorpy-fied! My grandparents lived two blocks from the Boonton lock and plane. He, F. C. Wells, was a Manhattan architect and painter. In the 1940s (or maybe '50s) he created a rather surreal image of the "guard lock" at Boonton (attached). I don't know for certain, but I think he painted this collage of imagery over another painting -- as suggested by the church turrets in the background and the forested mountain on the right. D&H CanalVery cool. I remember my father mentioning it a few times, he was born in 1917 in Irvington. Up here in Ulster County there are a couple of museums celebrating the Delaware and Hudson Canal, roughly the same time period, running from Pennsylvania coalfields to the Hudson River. Coal then moved on barges down the Hudson. It was built in ten years. There's an inland town along it’s its length called Summitville because it was the highest point on the canal. This being a more rural area, there are lots of parts remaining. +120 YearsThe building on the left with the bay windows is still standing: The inclined plane started by the intersection of Main Street and School Road. You can see where the canal and inclined plane were on this old map of Boonton. Lots of great then-and-now photos (including another view of the top of the plane) at Boonton.org. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads)
The Underwear Railroad: 1906
... and histories of all of Cincinnati's inclined plane railroads. Gone forever This was Cincinnati's last and probably most ... ) (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, DPC, Railroads, Streetcars) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/12/2012 - 3:21pm -

Cincinnati, Ohio, circa 1906. "Mount Adams incline." A closeup of one of Cincy's famous incline railway lines, and of a lesser-known clothesline. Also: Moxie! 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Mount Adams modelA fellow in Mount Adams has made a detailed model: http://notetaker.typepad.com/incline/ And another photo showing how cars arrived at the bottom: The foreshortening of the Shorpy photo made me question how the cars met up with the street level. The above link explains that a bit better. I couldn't fathom the smooth rails working until I realized the two cars are linked by cable and counterbalance each other - much like elevators (used to?) do. Also: Moxie!Dave wasn't going to let us Shorpyites overlook a Moxie sign two weeks in a row. I like Moxie. Streetcar track gaugeIt's not only the foreshortening that makes the streetcar tracks look rather far apart. The Cincinnati Street Railway used a broad track gauge of 5 feet 2 inches in those days. Angel's FlightLooks alot like Los Angeles. Which came firstthe tracks, or the houses they rub right by? And can someone tell me how the cars made it up that incline? Were they towed up? What firetraps!How all those wooden shacks were kept from all burning down I'll never know. Most were heated with stoves. You got a lot o' Moxie palFellow Shorpsters correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the Moxie soft drink brand pre-dated CocaCola by several years at least. That photo is vivid and transfixingEvery element of it shows the complete complexity of human endeavor and effort. Human care and attention went into every atom of that shot -- from the placement of the posters along the fences, to the cobbles in the street, to the stitches in the long drawers. Is any of it left at all? More infoThere's a book covering this called "Cincinnati; City of Seven Hills and Five Inclines" including photos, drawings and histories of all of Cincinnati's inclined plane railroads. Gone foreverThis was Cincinnati's last and probably most famous incline. Every once in a while someone suggests rebuilding it, since the original right of way is largely intact. Main problem: the area at the base of the incline is now a spaghetti bowl of interstate highway concrete. The track supports are still easily seen in the google satellite view. View Larger Map That'll stop 'emIf you look closely you'll see a pair of I-beams rising vertically out of the pavement directly between each pair of tracks. These created a simple-but-effective barrier to trolleys accidentally rolling forward into the abyss when no counterbalance platform was in the station. The one on the left looks as if it actually did its duty a time or two. Logistics, pleaseI still don't see how the cars met up with the street level tracks. What about that fence and what appears to be a street lamp directly in front of it? Does all that stuff fold down? And shouldn't that little girl get out of the way? [The "inclinator" (outlined in red) carries the car up and down. I also outlined one of its wheels. When it gets to the bottom, the streetcar is level with the street and moves onto the tracks in the foreground. - Dave] Streetcar EscalatorThe attentive viewer will note that the sturdy railings protecting the ends of the street-mounted tracks can be lowered when the "elevator" approaches street level, as evidenced by the rollers and center thrust pillar. The conductor hooks his trolley onto the wire, and the car may roll off the inclinator and onto the street, as shown in the submitted photo. Re: Which came first See the three cables in the middle of the track behind the car at the bottom. Those pull the car up and let it down. Most of the power comes from gravity pulling the car that is on the way down the incline. Its weight and movement help pull the upward bound car. The engine supplying any extra power needed is up in the building at the top of the hill, probably steam at that time. Both cars are basically attached to the same cables wrapping around a wheel at the top. Moxie Lives!Moxie lives on in the far north of New England. I can't imagine why. My grandmother used to drink this stuff when I was a kid and it's vile. For extra vileness, she used to mix it 50/50 with milk. I was shocked when I saw it for sale on a recent trip through Maine. I hadn't seen Moxie in a store for 30 years. Up and DownMore about all five of Cincinnati's inclines here. FunicularsIn Europe we call an inclined railway a funicular. This one had two counterbalanced platforms linked by three cables (two hosting and one safety cable). Steam engines (see the chimney) were used to power incline. There were siz I-beams, two between the tracks at the bottom station and the same at the top station and one I-beam on each platform. The normal position of all these I-beams was up. Each I-beam was counterbalanced and automatically dropped down when the platform reached the end of the track. University of ShorpyI've learned more by visiting Shorpy than any history book I read in school. Thanks! On Top of the InclineThis is an exceptional photo. Fascinating. My mother and her parents often took the Mount Adams incline to visit the famous Rookwood Pottery plant located on top of the incline hill. Mount Adams is still a wonderful place to visit via a walking tour. Some of these tall narrow buildings still exist alongside and in between newer structures on the Mount Adams hillside. It remains one of the cultural pockets of Cincy. For anyone interested, Rookwood Pottery relocated in 2009 from Clifton to the newly rejuvinated Over-the-Rhine historical downtown neighborhood. Cincinnati has a very active preservationist association. This city is alive with rejuvinating historical areas. Go Cincy. Double-wire overhead"The conductor hooks his trolley onto the wire". The conductor would place BOTH trolley poles, one on each wire. Cincinnati used a negative return wire instead of using the track, so each car had four trolley poles. I rode the Adams Incline It closed in the 40s but I remember it well. In the summer months they would use open air cars with great views of downtown. There were several inclines in Cincy but they disappeared when buses could finally master the city's many steep hills. By 1950 all the streetcars had been replaced by buses. Yes, Moxie!Moxie is the official soft drink of the State of Maine (as of May 10, 2005). If you're going to be in Maine in July, check out the Moxie Festival. (www.moxiefestival.com) (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, DPC, Railroads, Streetcars)
Carson City: 1940
... Nice view of a stub switch, not uncommon on narrow gauge railroads, but V&T was standard gauge. That's V&T locomotive #26, a ... Stub switches are no longer legal on interchange railroads in the USA. They are not as safe as a 'knife' switch because a train ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/24/2018 - 7:20pm -

March 1940. "Operating switch at railroad station. Carson City, Nevada." Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Oh yes, it's possibleThis car probably goes into Mexico and back, so liters=litros Target practice.Looks like the day marker was used as a target on one or more occasions. Stub SwitchStraight up Straight ahead. Is it possible ...that oil tank car is measured in both litres and gallons?? [Capacidad 40436 litros (liters) does indeed = 10862 gallons. -tterrace] Virginia & TruckeeNice view of a stub switch, not uncommon on narrow gauge railroads, but V&T was standard gauge. That's V&T locomotive #26, a 1907 Baldwin 4-6-0. She was destroyed in an engine house fire in 1950. Voyage à TroisNever seen a three-way track switch before. That's some clever engineering. A modern 3-way stub switchActually it is no more complicated to layout a three-way stub than it is to lay out a single switch--just twice as much work. You basically work off of a set of tables in a a book. Stub switches are no longer legal on interchange railroads in the USA. They are not as safe as a 'knife' switch because a train going through a switch set incorrectly will derail and drop the lead cars onto the ties. (an experience I do not want to repeat!) Here is an example of a modern 3-way stub located at the Railroad Museum at Ardenwood, in Fremont, CA on a 3 ft gauge railroad. The switch stand is a harp stand located just out of the picture on the left (you can see the target), (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Railroads, Small Towns)
Edwards Depot: 1936
... except for some fainter vegetation. (The Gallery, Railroads, Small Towns, Walker Evans) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/12/2023 - 3:07pm -

February 1936. "View of railroad station. Edwards, Mississippi." 8x10 inch nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the U.S. Resettlement Administration. View full size. Vertical LinesWhat are the Vertical Lines suspended from the Horizontal overheads. I suspect a Curtain Array Antenna of some type (?) [See above. - Dave] Thanks. Interesting TelltalesI spot three of them, one over each track. What a scene.WOW! That's a model railroader's prototype just waiting to be built to scale. Without much to go onI believe this is the area in Walker Evans's 1936 photograph. I could not identify any buildings still there today. The railroad tracks bear right heading west and are straight heading east. [W.E. was shooting from the Magnolia Street bridge. The white building with the brick insert is at far left in his photo. - Dave] Dave, thanks for using a better reference point than I had (I was down by the parked cars at left). Your spot also lets me recommend everyone spin their street view around and appreciate the old homes along Magnolia. Those "Vertical Lines"As delorthlo states, they are telltales, to warn carmen on the roofs of cars of an approaching tunnel or other obstacle. Zero stoplights, three pagesIs how someone might have described Edwards in 1936; the "pages" of course being the Sanborn fire maps (In short, a pretty small place; but a step up from one page, and obviously two steps up from not being mapped at all). The map tells us Edwards seems to have been a more interesting place than it is now: for example the brick buildings beyond the station were but two of a long stretch of such structures -- "Main Street" in both name and fact -- and out of the picture to the right the station fronted on a town square; it doesn't impress much today. One suspects Edwards' opportunity to need a stoplight has passed by. O' Brother, Where Art Thou.From the crossing looking towards the bridge is from the move O' Brother, Where Art Thou? At the end of the movie this shot is used. Larry is correct, a modeler's dream. On my list to include in my layout. Both sides of the tracks... look equally bad. Order BoardThe 2 faced lower quadrant semaphore protruding from the roof of the combined passenger and freight station was not used to control train movements. Instead, it is an "Order Board", controlled by the station agent via vertical rods, used to notify train crews that they needed to pick up train orders, called "flimsies", since they were written on tissue paper to create multiple carbon copies. Depending on the importance of the train order, they could either be picked up on the fly by spearing a thin wooden hoop with your arm, or safety related orders required the crew to stop and sign for the orders. In either case, copies of the orders were delivered to both the engine crew(s) and the conductor in the caboose. The order board indicated which kind of orders they were. A double header with a caboose and pusher would require 4 copies, plus a copy for the agent's records. Train orders are still used, issued to crews by the dispatcher via radio, with mandatory correct readback from the crew, and the radio traffic recorded in case of an incident. The crew writes the orders on a paper form in the cab. Those telltales saved lives. In the days before portable "lunchbox" brakeman radios and diesel dynamic brakes, there were several reasons for brakemen to stand on car tops, to signal the engineer while switching around a curve, and to apply and release handbrakes on a downgrade. Incredibly dangerous to keep your balance, and step to the next car, apart from being knocked off the roof by a bridge or tunnel. Eventually, the roof walks were removed, and the ladders leading up to the roof were shortened to just be something to hold on to when riding on the end of a car while switching. Still dangerous work if you aren't alert. I'm old enough to have seen the tail end of this era, as a kid spent many hours talking with agents in stations and manual "armstrong" interlocking towers, listening to the dispatcher's party line. Knew several crossing watchmen, who spent their days in little towers at major railroad crossings, pumping down the pneumatic crossing gates for each train. I have a small brass 2 lever frame used by the agent to control an order board. Car IDFive Chevrolets. TelltalesThese were to warn railroad workers on top of the cars (usually brakemen) that the train was approaching a low overhead structure, in this case the highway overpass from which the photo was taken. As railroad braking systems improved, the need for "decorating" the cars reduced, until the practice is now forbidden. Phantom StationIn Doug Floor Plan's modern view of the area, it seems that I can see the "ghost" of that long-ago station: lighter patches of grass where buildings used to stand. I guess it's a good example of how quickly human-made constructions can disappear from view and leave no trace, except for some fainter vegetation. (The Gallery, Railroads, Small Towns, Walker Evans)
Leviathan: 1926
... this past year. I don't know why; I'm not interested in railroads or big machines. I keep coming back to it, though. Perhaps it's ... 1396 posed for the camera. (The Gallery, Natl Photo, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:13pm -

Washington, D.C., or vicinity circa 1926. "Southern R.R. Co. Crescent Locomotive 1396." View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. Queen Crescent LimitedA short history of the Queen Crescent Limited. 1396, 1926 Still puffin'I have lived in Chattanooga and more than once rode on the excursion trains pulled by this locomotive! (see history link) I must compliment Dave on the enlargements of small details in the photos. Reminds me of the movie "Call Northside 777" in which the murderer is caught because the photo lab enlarges the date printed on a newspaper held by a newsboy! Ever tried newspapers, Dave? [Yes indeedy. - Dave] One of your best yet.This is one of your best yet. Very handsome. Cheers to you and the National Photo Company. Southern ClassA Great Railway. Great class of loco: Ps4. Same as the one in the Smithsonian. WOW!! ExcursionsAs far as excursions, you're probably thinking of Southern Ry. #4501, a freight engine, which was bought back from a shortline, and painted-and-otherwise-gussied-up to represent a passenger engine. It pulled many excursions starting in 1966. The real SR passenger steamers didn't make it past 1953 or so. (When the management realized steam excursions would be a real crowd-pleaser, the one in the Smithsonian was already "trapped inside.") WowBravo. Old 1396Beautiful engine absolutely beautiful! She was built 9 years & 9 months before I came along. Reminds me of the troop trains in the 1940s, heading south on the L&N Line as they passed through my hometown in central Kentucky, a little burg called Wildie in Rockcastle County. Wish I was back there now. Greatest achievementI maintain that the steam locomotive remains mankind's greatest accomplishment. WOWThis photo was taken in Southern Railway's yard in Alexandria, near the King Street station - if you look just to the right of the most distant power pole, you can see the George Washington Masonic Temple. No. 1396 was one of the first 12 PS4s delivered in Southern Railway's new "Sylvan Green" paint scheme. Most were lettered "Southern" on the tender, but no. 1396 was lettered "Crescent Limited" (not "Queen & Crescent" - that refers to the Cincinnati - Chattanooga - New Orleans route, and was applied to no. 6689) and assigned to the new, all-Pullman luxury train of the same name. Alexandria YardThe George Washington National Masonic Memorial was dedicated in 1923 but not mostly completed until 1932, so I don't believe that appears adjacent to the far telegraph pole. I believe this view is looking roughly east, with the wooden yard office to the right of the locomotive. About where the boxcars are out of view in the distance is where Hoofe's Run crossed under the tracks. -- Frank R. Scheer, Railway Mail Service Library Museum PieceThe same class of locomotive photographed by me in 2006 when I visited the Smithsonian's railroad section. My favoriteThis is my favorite of the images posted on Shorpy this past year. I don't know why; I'm not interested in railroads or big machines. I keep coming back to it, though. Perhaps it's because despite my disinterest I admire this magnificent machine and the work that went into creating and maintaining it. It makes me think about traveling and I imagine how people of the time would have looked at it in awe and thought of the big cities and world beyond their own region. Thanks Dave and crew for the work you've done and thanks to all the insightful Shorpy posters. Best wishes for the new year, and many more intriguing photos and enlightening posts. Looking east toward Callahan StreetThis view of the Southern Railway yard in Alexandria is looking east. The Masonic Temple would be behind the photographer's left shoulder. The little yard shacks were on the other side of Callahan Street. These shacks were there as late as 1980 or so as I have a photo of them. The roundhouse was to the right of the locomotive, probably out of the picture. The building to the right may be the yard office. The Northern Virginia Model RR club occupied a building in this approximate location for about 20 years from the early '50s until the early '70s. Herby's Ford was located to the left of the photo, on the opposite side of the Callahan Street crossing. It was built soon after WW2. Leviathan in colorSadly there are no contemporary color images of Ps-4s in their early days, but my friend Tom Alderman of Mayretta, GA has given us an idea of what it looked like on that day in Alexandria when 1396 posed for the camera. (The Gallery, Natl Photo, Railroads)
Little Falls: 1941
... trees to the middle left. (The Gallery, John Collier, Railroads, Small Towns) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/01/2022 - 1:08pm -

October 1941. "Small towns in the Mohawk Valley. Workers' homes in Little Falls, New York." 4x5 inch acetate negative by John Collier for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Working with what I can seeIn Little Falls there is only a short stretch where the railroad tracks run in close parallel with State Route 5. Of that, there is an even shorter stretch where a hill is directly behind the buildings. This is that short stretch today. The railroad tracks are behind you. Fatal railsThe name "Little Falls" carried a dark connotation for many at this time: a year and a half earlier (04/19/40) the NYC's "Lake Shore Limited" had derailed with considerable loss of life at Gulf Curve, just outside of town. Little Falls Polish Center visible on map and photoGood work, Floorplan D. One building in the photo is standing and visible: Polish Community Club (as it's called today) is right northwest of that McDonald's. In the photo, it's in the trees to the middle left. (The Gallery, John Collier, Railroads, Small Towns)
Pensacola: 1910
... funnel stack indicates this was a woodburning loco. Railroads of the deep south burned wood for fuel long after the practice was ... to the station. (The Gallery, DPC, Florida, Pensacola, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 8:21pm -

Pensacola, Florida, circa 1910. "Louisville and Nashville Railway station." Where libations for the parched traveler are a mere stagger away. View full size. Grand HatsThere are two ladies in this photo and both have nice big hats. I also particularly like the travel coat the lady on the right (facing away) is wearing. The StationIt appears as if the old station shown in this picture was replaced by a new station in 1912. That one still stands, although it was converted to a Crowne Plaza Hotel. Beer PerspectiveIt is an unusual way that we no longer think of beer as food. I discovered a beer tray of the same period of the Chattanooga Brewing Company. I have maintained for years that Beer is Food!I got a good laugh out of that one. I imagine... that sfter sampling all of the different shops' offerings, you might start to see weird things like this! ErgoIf beer is considered pure liquid food,I submit a bratwurst as an example of pure solid beer. Special carCheck out that odd railcar on the right. The entire end of the car opens like a garage.Some boxcars were equipped with end doors for loading autos and such, but this car has a smokejack on the roof, indicating this was a railroad maintenance car of some sort. Beyond that car on the upper right of the photo, is the front of a locomotive, with a smokestack from a Matthew Brady photograph. The large funnel stack indicates this was a woodburning loco. Railroads of the deep south burned wood for fuel long after the practice was ended elsewhere. Old DepotMy father's family is from Pensacola, so I'm always excited to see northwest Florida photos. This station, at Tarragona and Wright streets, opened in 1882. A new station (still standing) opened in 1913, just across what is now I-110, at the corner of Alcaniz and Wright. Liquid LunchA pint or two of Guinness has been an Irish lunch for a long, long time. The Volstead Act In the short 10 years after this picture was taken, Prohibition would have done a number on the businesses adjacent to the RR station. The four visible storefronts were all selling booze. In theory these merchants were driven out of business, but they probably survived somehow. The Sheriff of Escambia County (of which Pensacola was the county seat) was removed from office by the governor for not enforcing the Prohibition laws. Also sacked, two thirds of the police force. High NoonJudging by the shadows on the "telephone pole" at the right side of the picture and the shadows elsewhere, I bet it is close to noon on this day. "Pure Liquid Food"Love it. Put 'er there, pal.Favorite vignette in this rich scene: the handshake. Pure Liquid FoodMy (late) doctor used to say, "Beer is a poor man's bread." ObservationsOnly two women traveling at this time. Considering the bars in the area, they are pretty clean outside except for the one bottle I found. Barley Sandwich in a CanA river guide friend always refers to his beers as "sandwiches." So apparently the concept is not new. That wagon in front of the barMail or Paddy? [Mail ("USM"). - Dave] Beer As FoodSome time ago I was looking through a reference on food values, and found that beer has all you need but protein. so beer and steak will see you through quite well. East of the BorderI'll bet the adjacent Alabama county was dry as a bone, if not the whole state at that time. That would account for the plethora (I do know what it is, El Guapo!) of liquor stores shouldering up to the station. (The Gallery, DPC, Florida, Pensacola, Railroads)
Hall of Dinosaurs: 1943
... Dreams." (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/03/2017 - 8:40pm -

    One of our first posts from 10 years ago, enlarged and re-restored. March 1943. "Santa Fe R.R. locomotive shops at Topeka, Kansas." 4x5 inch Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. View full size. Santa Fe's Topeka ShopsThis photograph was taken looking south in the locomotive shop building of the Topeka Shop complex. This building is still in use today, only it is filled with diesel-electric locomotives instead of steam locomotives. If you are acquainted with the Topeka area, this is the building that is just to the west of the Branner St. viaduct. If you just showed me thisIf you just showed me this picture without any background information, I would swear it was out of a computer game. [World of Traincraft! - Dave] I'd play thatLet's be honest, the Jack Delano fans among us would gladly play "World of Traincraft." All That Fluffy White StuffSee all that fluffy white stuff clinging to the outside of the fireboxes and laying on the floor? That's asbestos, which was used as "lagging" insulation on many steam locomotive boilers. 'Nough said. BNSF Topeka ShopsHave a look inside: More GhostsSurpassed only by Delano's "Locomotive Dreams." (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Yardman: 1942
... Norman Rockwell. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/11/2022 - 5:33pm -

December 1942. "Chicago, Illinois. In the Proviso Yard roundhouse, Chicago & North Western Railroad." Nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Man!What a glorious and proud face. I wish a name could go to his Shorpy memory. One hard workin' manWhat a great person to have as a neighbor. He's not looking for hard workHard work just seems to find him. And he's not afraid to get his hands dirty. I think it's called charismaI just did a cursory review of the other Jack Delano photos posted. I cannot find another where the subject was taken out of their element and posed the way this man was. It wasn't just because of his good looks or cool hat. Even in this eighty-year-old photograph, you tend to lock eyes with the subject and see someone who is very contemporary. Dave, thanks for putting the Jack Delano link in my post. It's a treat to see his photos presented like that. The one of Roy Nelin stands out, also taken December 1942 at the Proviso Yard roundhouse of the Chicago & North Western R.R. Jack Delano was having a really creative day. A Face... full of character: integrity, perseverance, and good humor. Ready for the Saturday Evening Post coverHe looks like he'd been posed by Norman Rockwell. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Maine Train: 1940
... Aroostook, retired in 1956. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads, Small Towns) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/01/2022 - 12:27pm -

October 1940. "At the railroad terminal in Caribou, Maine." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The Trains in Maine ...Stay mainly in their lanes? Can't get theah from heah ...Well... I think you'll have to wait a bit longer, and ride an open boxcar hobo style. Today, the passenger service from Boston only comes up as far as Brunswick. That's a good five hours south from up these neck of the woods. And keep yer eye out for moose young fella, especially at dawn or dusk ... they're much bigger than your car. Pin the tail on the railroad trackHere is the railroad terminal in Caribou, Maine today. You can't tell much from a Street View because of trees and vegetation. The terrain in the distance supports Jack Delano was facing north (top of photo). But I cannot find an arrangement in the tracks that match the 1940 photo, or where that arrangement might have been. I'm attaching a photo you can embiggen if anyone feels like figuring it out. Down south, Down East styleThe "Historic Aerials" overhead for 1953 shows a telltale trio of tanks -- say that three times fast ! -- on the eastern edge of the yard, which together with configuration of buildings, suggests the shot was taken from the vicinity of Hancock and Limestone Streets (they no longer intersect) looking south. Mr. Willie, you're supposed to be in the boxcarThis is a fantastic composition. If it had been in color, the power of the photo would be lost. Facing SouthI agree with Notcom; the view is toward the south/southwest; based on the shadows it's late morning. The crossover track just behind and to the right of the engine is still there. Foundations for the long row of warehouses for potato storage on the right in the photo are still visible. The passenger station's still there; now it's Theriault Lawn Care. Engine 403 was one of the last steam locos on the Bangor and Aroostook, retired in 1956. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads, Small Towns)
Second Home: 1943
... started dying off probably by the 1950s when most large railroads and the unions agreed to use "pooled" cabooses where the caboose ... the lower left door window? (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/08/2014 - 12:39pm -

January 1943. "Freight train operations on the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad between Chicago and Clinton, Iowa. The caboose is the conductor's second home. He always uses the same one and many conductors cook and sleep there while waiting for trains to take back from division points." Medium format nitrate negative by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. "Stormy" and brake tests."Stormy" Kromer was the inventor's name, the hat was a Kromer Blizzard Cap. The last one my wife bought for me was made in China, so I don't buy them anymore. There used to be a pair of hand (lantern) signals in the rulebook to handle brake tests: Rule 12(f), the lamp swung horizontally over the head was the signal for the engineer to apply the brakes for the test, Rule 12(g), the lamp held at arm's length overhead was the signal to release. If all was well and the pressure recovered at the caboose, the next signal would be the "highball", otherwise someone would start walking the train to find the problem. Classy RV-ingWouldn't it be great to have an RV these days that looked more like that than the generic, mundane look most modern RVs have? I suppose one could refit an RV to look like this, but the weight of the wood paneling might be a problem, not to mention the weight of the woodstove. One can dream, however unrealistic one's dreams might be. The Modern CabooseIn Canada at least there are still uses for cabooses. Mainly they're used on short switching runs where one or two cars are dropped off and or picked up at a specific shipper. I suspect that this is a time saving measure since it would be inefficient to keep moving the ETD (FRED) to the new end car, and it poor electronic brain might not be able to cope with a movement that temporarily splits the train in the middle. Lots of factors killed Cabeesemost already mentioned, but there were a large number of workers comp incidents that arose in a people transporter located a mile back of slack action on a freight train. One of the best ways to improve safety is to eliminate the need to expose workers to the danger in the first place. So this was a big improvement. Cheesecake, though, is something to be missed. Comforting memoriesAs a young boy in Maine my brother and I would watch the trains go by and count the cars. It was a thrill to wave to the conductor. My grandfather, an old railroad man, introduced us to a conductor friend of his and we even got a quick look inside a caboose. A dream come true for a young railroad fan. Proper pinupsSome tasty cheesecake here. Contemporary girls a la Sundblom and Elvgren along with some smaller older pieces. I Miss the CabooseNice man cave. September snowThe graffiti is correct; it did indeed snow in Illinois and Iowa on Friday, September 25, 1942 - up to two inches (in Iowa Falls). Newspapers the next morning reported that this was the first September snowfall in Des Moines in the history of the weather bureau. The high school football game between Garner and Buffalo Center was called because of darkness after "driving snow" knocked out six lights. Wall CandyI worked on a railroad for 36 years and the cabooses never were allowed to look like that. Years ago the caboose was assigned to the Conductor for each trip he made so it was decorated it the way he wanted it. I rode these for many years until they were replaced with a flashing rear end device. FRED Back in the day!It would have been nice to be there. Caboose LoreWhatever happened to cabooses? Were they stopped as a cost-saving measure, or was the conductor no longer needed on freight trains? They were a "natural" ending to trains as they looked so different from the other cars. When they passed you knew that it was OK to cross the crossing. Now freight trains just end and it is sad. Part of the fun with trains was waving at the caboose. Quite often, the conductor or whoever was in it would wave back. Cabeese and conductorsThough the cabeese have been replaced, not so the conductors. Their office has been moved into the cab of the locomotive..Conductors are actually in charge of the train, not as ususlly believed, the engineers. Engineers run the locomotives and the conductors tell them where to pick up and drop off freight cars. I prefer the caboose to the Freds that are used now. The Freds not only have a flashing light, but they radio air pressure and other information to the engineer, but the conductor is usually a nice friendly guy, much more than the Freds, A Place to HangI feel sorry for the modern conductor and brakeman. They used to have a home away from home at the end of the train but now only have a seat in the lead locomotive or a seat in the empty slave locomotives. Get a load of the CabooseGet a load of the caboose on the broad on the wall of the caboose. LOL (Am I the only one to post this obviouse joke?) A glimpse of the cabooseFrom "I Like Trains" by Fred Eaglesmith Sixteen miles from Arkadelphia right near the Texas border traffic was stopped at a railway crossing I took it to the shoulder I stoked the kettle I put it to the metal I shook the gravel loose I missed the train but I was happy with a glimpse of the caboose (chorus) cause I like trains I like fast trains I like trains that call out through the rain I like trains I like sad trains I like trains that whisper your name I was born on a greyhound bus my Momma was a diesel engine They tried to put me behind the wheel but I wouldn't let them You should have seen the look in their eyes and how it turned to tears when I finally told them I wanna be an engineer Now you think I've got someone new but darlin' that ain't true I could never love another woman besides you It's not some dewy-eyed darlin' darlin' that's gonna drive you insane But anymore I'd be listenin' for the sound of a big ol' train (chorus) cause I like trains I like fast trains I like trains that call out through the rain I like trains I like sad trains I like trains that whisper your name Cabeese have always intrigued meThanks for the view of life inside a caboose, I have always been fascinated with them. After reading Lectrogeek's link about the demise of the caboose I learned quite a bit of info about trains that I just took for granted before reading the link. The link's explanation of the features of the FRED device does bring up one question though. Before the days of computers and the prevalence of two-way radios from the back of the train to the front, how did the engineer get all of the air pressure and movement information from the conductor? Stormy Kromer!I spy an actual Stormy Kromer hat hanging on a peg! Still made in Michigan, originally designed by Stormy's wife from a baseball cap and made to stay on a railroad engineer's head no matter how windy. Technology overtook them.Renaissanceman asked "Whatever happened to cabooses?" Technology, in the form of flashing end-of-train devices (acronym is FRED, I think) and computerised detection for when the rear end passes critical points (signals, switches, etc) replaced the need for a man at the back. Home sweet home!Except for the slack action when a long train started up, I'm sure. Note the stout rod holding the potbelly stove down to the floor. And here is an explanation for why we no longer have cabeese. MemoriesMy brother forwarded this shot to me and boy do I love it. Our father was a conductor on the C&NWRR and the photo brought back so many wonderful memories of my childhood. As a railroading family, my father would periodically take me to the yard with him to work. One of the highlights of the trip was reaching for the curved handrail on the side of the caboose and let the train's passing movement pull you up for the ride. Once on-board, I loved climbing up to the copula for a bird’s eye view (usually it would be a trip to Proviso Yard where I could be handed off to see my uncle, grandfather or a cousin). Thank you for any train picsMy Grandfather, whom I adored, worked on the Erie Lackawanna from the early 1910's to the late 1960's. Any old pics of the great train days are so appreciated. Thank you. I find it interestingwith the cheesecake motif that in the upper left hand of this photo (near the stove pipe) there's a picture of what appears to be a mother consoling a child. Penny for his thoughts.Pipe smoker is wearing a Stormy Kromer as well. I wonder what he's thinking? How long will the war last? How long till he sees his son again? How long till lunch? How long is it gonna take this photographer to get his shot? The end of the endTwo innovations contributed to the end of the caboose. Roller bearings on the freight cars meant the guy in the cupola didn't have to watch for "hot-boxes" from the earlier cotton-waste oil-saturated bearing packing. The advent of the walkie-talkie meant communication between the engineer and the guy on the ground taking care of the switching. Not Politically CorrectPersonalized cabooses like this started dying off probably by the 1950s when most large railroads and the unions agreed to use "pooled" cabooses where the caboose stayed with the train and only the crews changed. Today it is totally politically incorrect to post lewd photos or drawings like those in the photo. If doing such today does not get you fired, it will certainly cause you to have to attend Diversity and Sensitivity Training Sessions. Oh yeah, most jokes are strictly off limits, too. The railroad is a changed place these days. It's all in the detailsAnd what a wealth of details in this photo! Like the splatter on the side of the cabinet just above the waste basket. Probably from tobacco juice, or possibly empty beer cans? Neither of which would fly in today's railroad workplace, according to several of the comments. And the guy with the pipe would probably be out of a job as well. And what's up with the rolling pin hanging on the wall? Maybe to roll out a few pancakes for cooking on the stove when they got hungry? The print of the mother and child on the left looks like it has been hanging there since the caboose was built. And, echoing several of the other comments, I miss the caboose and the waving conductor. I still remember that as a kid, and this was back in the 1970s. Outstanding photo and keep up the great work. Politically Correct PinupIt's in the eye of the beholder. Working on the railroadI come from a railroad family. My grandfather had 50 years on the job, as did my father. I haven't seen the interior of many caboose cars but I did not see any decorated like this one. My dad used the downtime to study his safety rules for the next level of exam, necessary for promotion, not looking at nekkid women. Men were paid on time in grade status, but to promote you had to take a test and wait for an opening. Railroading was a serious job, the company took safety very seriously as did the men, particularily the brakemen because they would be out there on the track swinging the lantern to guide the engineer on his back-up as well as to switch the track. Never would alcohol be on the job, not ever. It would not be tolerated by the company, nor by the men whose lives were at stake. My dad smoked cigarettes, as did his father. Everyone smoked cigarettes and since it was not an issue like it is today, I cannot image that it wasn't allowed in the caboose. My dad quit railroading in the 1980s saying he was quitting because the new men coming in did not care--they were not interested in learning the job the right way, just "get it done quick, rest, play cards, and get my pay". It hurt him to see this low standard of work ethic, as it did other men. Sad commentary on progress, is it not. We loved seeing the trains pass--ran from our play when we heard the whistle blow just to wave, first at the engineer who would sound the horn for us, and then at the caboose where the men would wave back. it was especially nice if it was our dad in the caboose. Dining carI assume the "Dining Car in opposite direction" sign is a joke? If so, very clever. Afterlife of CabeeseA friend of ours, who has a stand of sugar maple trees and a hobby sugaring operation, got a retired Canadian National caboose (red, of course) with the idea of using it as a warming hut during the sap boiling. He paid some nominal price, and it was delivered to his site on a flatbed truck. He'd determined how high the caboose should be mounted -- you get the caboose only, not the wheels -- and he'd prepared a foundation for it that would place it at the actual height of a operational caboose. To get the thing off the truck an into place, he rented a crane and operator at something like $100/hour (this was three decades ago). Well, it took the crane operator four hours to get that caboose off the truck and onto the foundation! Yes, it all worked out OK, and yes, there's a red CN caboose sitting in a southern Ontario stand of maples. But that "freebie" caboose ended up costing a whole lot more. Air on the BrakesAccording to the air brake gage on the back wall there is air on the train so the caboose is hooked up (coupled) to the train. I wonder who's cut out head is pinned to the lower left door window? (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
L.A. Alley: 1936
... dime. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Kids, Los Angeles, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/20/2022 - 9:07pm -

February 1936. "Mexican quarter of Los Angeles. One-quarter mile from City Hall. Area has been condemned and will be torn down shortly to make space for the new Union Railroad station. Average rent is eight dollars." 4x5 inch nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. MysteriesI’m trying to figure why the bottom of the board-and-batten outer wall falls short of the ground to the right of the girl and boulder compared with the left side. (And what’s that rock doing there, anyways?) Furthermore, the bottoms of the boards look degraded and rotten but the vertical post looks worn away or even chewed by something. What would that something have been? I wouldn’t crawl into that space even if you offered me a shiny new dime. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Kids, Los Angeles, Railroads)
West Chunk: 1900
... Express Company. This was done on 1918 to make sure the railroads and the freight carriers would run smoothly during our participation ... right is the PRR's Bel Del branch. (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 3:14pm -

New Jersey circa 1900. "West end of tunnel, Manunka Chunk." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Railway ExpressAdams Express, and probably United States Express along with five or six other freight companies, were merged by the government into the Railway Express Company. This was done on 1918 to make sure the railroads and the freight carriers would run smoothly during our participation in WWI. Nowadays:The tracks were removed in 1942. But the tunnels are still there. Take a look: http://www.stuofdoom.com/manunka.html Looks like a model railroad layoutIt has a tunnel, little houses, little phone poles, lots of switches and small hills. All it needs is some small people. Onomatopoeia"Manunka-chunk, manunka-chunk, manunka-chunk" followed by a "whoosh" of compressed air escaping as the brakes engage Little PeopleThere IS a little person sitting on the handrail in the lower right corner. When in ButtzvilleBrenda, it looks like you can take Route 46 there (unlabeled red road line on map). And if you waited until 1944, you could have had a great hot dog and a frosted mug of birch beer at Hot Dog Johnny's. The train may be gone, but HDJ's is still there and still one of the best hot dogs around. http://www.hotdogjohnny.com/shop/ Just try to ignore the fact you're eating hot dogs in a town called Buttzville. The train has left the stationThis station, built shortly after the previous one burned down, was closed in 1912 when the line was bypassed. And then the very next year it was swept away in a flood! A short history of Manunka Chunk: http://dlw-oldmain.tripod.com/manunka.html Next stop ButtzvilleHow else are you going to get to Buttzville if you don't take the Manunka Chunk spur? 1942 USGS map: No WayThere isn't a model railroader in the world who would have place a tunnel entrance that close to buildings like that! It's not realistic. RRRRRRR!!!!!Down in the lower right you can see a flowerbed in the shape of an R. It probably spelled out D&LWRR at the platform. Bel DelThat line going down the side of the hill to the right is the PRR's Bel Del branch. (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads)
Family Trip: 1939
... like this to climb aboard. Why not? It's not like the railroads were losing any money by hauling people in an otherwise empty boxcar. ... it. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Great Depression, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/02/2012 - 10:41pm -

August 1939. Agricultural migrants. "Family who traveled by freight train. Toppenish, Washington. Yakima Valley." View full size. Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. Can we assume...the young child on the right is the "feeling low" Ms. Toppenish captured by Dorothea before or after this photo? Denny Gill Chugiak, Alaska Migrant FamilyI was born in the month and year this photo was taken. While my family was by no means affluent, we had it good compared to this family and countless others across the country. We had a roof over our heads, coal to heat, and food on the table. It's humbling to see photos like this. Despite the hard times this family is evidently experiencing, the little boy seems perfectly content. He's found a stick to play with, like little boys do. His mother, on the other hand, seems to be thinking, "What will we feed these children tonight?" Re: My GrandfatherGood for your grandfather! If I had been running the train, I would have stopped the engine to allow a family like this to climb aboard. Why not? It's not like the railroads were losing any money by hauling people in an otherwise empty boxcar. Liability issues, no doubt. But would any of these people have been likely to hire a lawyer and file a lawsuit? Look at the trains in India: wall-to-wall people, sitting atop the cars, hanging out the windows and off the sides. "May I see your ticket, please?" No way. I was also born in 1939, andI was also born in 1939, and raised by an almost-illiterate widow. She made good use of her "widow's mite' however, so that we had a modest house, an old car, food at mealtimes, and heat (one of my chores as an adolescent and teen was fire-tender). While we had no books, magazines, or newspapers in the house, I was nevertheless encouraged constantly to go to school and get as much out of it as I could. While she might be disappointed that I never quite got the bachelor's degree, she would be delighted if she could know the level of affluence I have reached today. How does this relate? Well, one wonders to what extent this picture shows the result of bad luck or whether it is due to poor choices. Shoes Don't MatchLook at Dad's shoes - a mixed pair, I think. They may not have been a good fit; he's letting his dogs breathe without them. RE: "poor choices" - the U. S. unemployment rate in 1939 was 17.3%, compared to about 5% today. Maybe their "poor choice" wasn't a choice at all, but simply because they were part of that unfortunate 17.3%. It would take almost two years from the day this photo was taken for the wartime economy and the draft brought the U.S. economy to almost full employment. [Below, a comparison of styles then and now. - Dave] My GrandfatherWas a migrant farm worker when he was in his teens in the early 30's. He (somehow) convinced the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad to hire him on as a fireman in 1936 on his 18th birthday. He always refused to throw hobos off the train and during the cold winters of Illinois and Missouri he'd let women and children have his seatbox in the cab, he often received demerits for his humane treatment of those he only recently rose above. Optical IllusionI think I was mistaken. Dad's shoes are a pair. I guess it's all a matter or perspective. Goober Pea The KidWhile it can be a tough call, the child on the right appears to be a boy, no? And the wingtips in Feeling Low do not match the plain shoes in Family Trip, fwiw... MotherI think that generally mother here is the only person that's not content with the situation. I also think she was the only person here who didn't want this photo to be taken. MoralsThe father at least didn't abandon the family and set off on his own. Could we say the same for families today. No, I think either the mother would dump the guy and go on welfare or the guy would run off to start a new life. This shows how family morals have changed over the last 75 years. I'd stop the engineMy Father-in-law came from a "RR" family and from the way he described it you would not stop if you wanted to keep your job. It took 30 years of service to earn a pension, you could get 26/28 years no problem, it was the last 3or4 that were very hard. He said they watched you like a hawk any misstep and you were fired ,so no I don't think you would stop. Riding the rails...My grandfather was part of an obscure local railroad -- Indianapolis Union Belt, which eventually became part of Conrail. Back in those days, jobs were hard to come by and they followed the rulebook quite seriously. The "bulls," as he called the railroad police, were notoriously cruel to hobos and to people who had a soft spot for them. They were a clique that didn't hang out with the rest of the workers. Hard Travellin': The Hobo and His HistoryI recently read "Hard Travellin': The Hobo and His History" by Kenneth Allsop. Anyone interested in the story of homelessness, migrant workers, hoboing, the roots of the labour movements, etc., should read it. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Great Depression, Railroads)
Pabst Backward: 1943
... few. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/14/2017 - 11:51am -

April 1943. The PBR R.R.: "Pabst Beer sign over the Illinois Central freight yard at South Water Street, Chicago." Kodachrome by Jack Delano. View full size. "Time NOT Forgotten"As though it were yesterday, seeing that Pabst sign brought back the acrid smell of the brewery as it cast its unmistakable aroma over Peoria during my childhood. The Blue Ribbon Plant, Hiram Walker's, Little Giant and a host of other industries have faded from the banks of the Illinois River as have I, but the memories never will. Thanks, Cliff Shell Fort Myers, FL Memory of Chicago's old front yardI remember the old Pabst sign, I think it is where the Prudential Building stands today. Man that seems like a long time ago. Still good to remember the way it used to be. Thanks Thomas PBRWhenever I see or hear about Pabst Blue Ribbon I think of Ken Niles's Adverts on the Danny Kaye Show. Ken was an amazing announcer. I love how whenever he was a show's announcer they would put him in the show, "It's Ken! Ken Niles! How are you?" "I'm great, and you know why? It's because of Pabst Blue Ribbon, and all its brews!" haha only 22 and love those old radio shows. Still the SameWe drank PBR in the '70s because it was dirt cheap at $4.50 a case. (Miller Lite was $5.85) 40-odd years later, I bought some recently. Tastes exactly as I remember it, in a good way. Now it's $7 for a sixer of 16-ounce ones. Onomatopoeia = AieopotamonoPABST backwards = TSBAP, which is similar to the sound of a 16-ounce "tallboy" when opened quickly. That sound is frequently followed by "aaaaahhhh." Thirsty Railroad workers on payday I would imaginedowned a few of those cold draft PBR's. Just a few. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Military R.R.: 1865
... their adult years, they saw the rise of well-established railroads that could travel fifty miles per hour. This, together with the ... http://usmrr.blogspot.com (The Gallery, Civil War, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 8:53pm -

City Point, Virginia, circa 1865. "Gen. J.C. Robinson" and other locomotives of the U.S. Military Railroad. From views of the main Eastern theater of war, the siege of Petersburg, June 1864-April 1865. Wet plate glass negative. View full size. Robinson ahead by a nose Seems that the Lt. Genl. Grant is running a close second. The named locomotives are from the Wm. Mason Machine Works in Taunton, Mass. The engine ahead of both seems unnamed. Might be an "American" locomotive or a Wm. Mason. LocationThe terrain and the enormity of the facilities in place makes me almost certain that this was taken at City Point, Virginia, the Union's main supply depot for the area at the time. [Another clue would be the first three words of the caption. - Dave] Who's DrivingThe engineer is definitely not Buster Keaton. Any ideawhat the black things are in the upper right hand portion of the picture? When I looked at the blown up picture it looked a little bit like a lot of black socks hanging on a clothesline but that's obviously incorrect. [It's a scratch in the emulsion. - Dave] A bigger nameHard for me to see, but appears to be "Lt Gen. US Grant" on loco behind the Robinson machine. I am amazed at the hillside, ships and living conditions of the period. Grant's Iron HorseSaturday we saw Grant's horse "Cincinnati;" today we see Grant's Iron Horse, "Lt. Genl. Grant," on the left. Union IroncladA turret of a Union ironclad can be seen in the background over the top of the pier-side warehouse. This could be the USS Onondaga, which was stationed at City Point to prevent Confederate ironclads from breaking out of the James River and attacking the supply base. The problem is that the USS Onondaga had two turrets and I only see one. Grant and Lee There is a photo so similar to this one in the book "Grant and Lee" by William A. Frassanito that it must have been taken about the same time. It is in the City Point chapter view 8. The tents and buildings on top of the bluff were part of the Railroad Hospital. The wharf shown is a replacement for one that was blown up by saboteurs on August 9,1864. The explosion killed 43 laborers and according to Mr. Frassanito narrowly missed General Grant who was in front of his headquarters tent at the time. His books have photos taken during the Civil War and then the same scene in modern times. IroncladIn regard to the comment by Excel08 about the ironclad. Also according to Mr. Frassanito there would be about 200 vessels anchored off of City Point on any given day by the fall of 1864 including the ironclad ram "Atlanta" with one stack. Poor LightingAmazing that all the headlights on these locomotives were a kerosene lamp in a box with a magnifying lens. Spectre-visionNifty ghost in front of main tent! Hillside erosionAttention troopers! Gen. Grant has authorized the issuing of hazard pay due to the hillside erosion and the location of the outhouse. It is further recommended that only those soldiers who know how to swim should make use of the facilitiesafter dark. Buster Isn't ThereI'll bet he is out visiting Annabelle Lee. InterestingAlmost as interesting as the locomotives are the view of the ships in the harbor. OopsHow did I not see that? Boy, is that embarrassing. Hey youget back to work. 25 years of progressIt amazes me to think that these beautifully turned out engines are only one generation away from the dawn of American railroading (think Tom Thumb and iron-plated wooden tracks). A person born in 1820 grew up with horse, foot or canal-boat travel, when 50 miles was a good day's journey. During their adult years, they saw the rise of well-established railroads that could travel fifty miles per hour. This, together with the telegraph, was the dawn of the "shrinking world." The Third LocomotiveThe locomotive moving forward between the "Lt. Genl. Grant" and the "Genl. J.C. Robinson" is the "Governor Nye." This 4-4-0 was built by the Richard Norris & Son locomotive works in Philadelphia, and was acquired new by the USMRR on February 18, 1863. Sent to North Carolina in 1865 to work on the USMRR, it was still in the USMRR inventory in April 1866. Another photo taken within minutes of this one shows it in the yard. Watch that last step...I don't think that cliff-side staircase meets any imaginable safety regulation. Bridge Of Beanpoples & Cornstalks General J.C. Robinson 4-4-0 (Construction # 124) Formerly known as the USMRR locomotive General Haupt and acquired new by USMRR on January 17, 1863. Renamed General J.C. Robinson. Sold to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in 1865. http://www.nvcc.edu/home/csiegel/USMRR%20Locomotives.htm "That Man Haupt has built a bridge over Potomac Creek, about 400 feet long and nearly 100 feet high, over which loaded trains are running every hour, and upon my word gentlemen, there is nothing in it but beanpoles and cornstalks." Monitor identityThe monitor noted by others is most likely a Passaic-class ship and probably the Lehigh. The primary assumption is that the ship is perpendicular to the line of sight (as are the other ships). In that case comparing the monitor's funnel (tall thin light-colored tube to the left of the turret) to the turret, they are signifiicantly closer spaced than would be the funnel-turret distance for a Canonicus-class ship, the only other type which fits what is visible. This marks it as a Passaic. To identify it as the Lehigh is the stretch. At least three Passaics were known to have been in the City Point area at this time; the Lehigh, Patapsco, and Sangamon. The Patapsco and Sangamon were both confusingly identified as having a white ring at the top of the turret/base of the rifle shield. There is no ring visible on the turret of this monitor. The Lehigh was all black. O Scale model Civil War model railroadBernie Kempenski is building a model railroad with these kinds of locomotives, etc. His is dated 1862. http://usmrr.blogspot.com (The Gallery, Civil War, Railroads)
Proviso Perspective: 1943
... (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/28/2022 - 4:50pm -

April 1943. "Tracks at Chicago & North Western railroad's Proviso yard, Chicago." Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. If you listen closely... you can just make out Boxcar Willie practicing. (btw, that's a really cool photo ... talk about vanishing points) Good ol' Chicago --Where the tracks are paved with gold. It's not a perspective illusionThe tracks really do come together in the distance. The ParaTracks ViewThose of you born after 1974 ... go ask your grandparents. For Shorpy old-timersThe great Yellow Rail Controversy of aught eight. Days PastI grew up less than a mile south of the yard in the '50s and '60s. Fond memories of hearing them move cars from one train to another on a warm summer night. Ah, memories.I worked night shift in the Burlington's Clyde hump yard in Chicago back when I was in college. Once you get the sounds in your head on a quiet night, it never goes away. I can still hear it 55 years later. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Crescent Limited: 1926
... between 1920 and 1940 they were in use by 21 American railroads (and many more overseas) -The Canadian Pacific was its second most user. Various railroads built these in their own shops and called them by assorted names, but ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/13/2013 - 9:42pm -

Alexandria, Virginia, circa 1926. "American Locomotive Co. -- Southern R.R. Crescent Limited 1396." Seen here from the other side, with more info in the comments. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. So little stock, so high the rentHow much would the shoes have been to pay the rent? It doesn't look like a high volume place and the selection is very small. [Probably didn't even make enough to pay for the coal. But at least they could move to a new location easily enough. -tterrace] OOPs: Intended for the 'Juvenile Footwear'. Daily CrescentAmtrak still operates the Crescent on a daily basis between New York City and New Orleans. It's even slightly quicker now. When the service was inaugurated in 1926, the journey from Washington to New Orleans required 33 hrs and 55 minutes. Today, thanks to 87 years of innovation and investment, the trip will only take you 26 hrs and 2 minutes! Washington Post, May 7, 1933. Crescent Limited Sets Up Records Running on a faster schedule than in any previous year, the Crescent Limited, ace of the Southern Railway System's passenger train service between New York, Washington, Atlanta and New Orleans, broke all records for on-time performance in the year ended April 25, 1933, the eighth of its operation. Out of the 365 trips in each direction the Crescent Limited reached Atlanta on time southbound on 360 days, or 98.6 percent, and reached Washington on time northbound on 357 days, or 97.9 percent. This brought the on-time performance for eight years up to 98.3 percent southbound and 96.4 percent northbound. On April 25 the Crescent Limited was placed on a schedule of 15 hours and 5 minutes between Atlanta and Washington, 20 hours and 10 minutes between Atlanta and New Your, and hour having been cut from the running time in each direction between Atlanta and Washington. The Crescent limited is operated over the Pennsylvania Railroad between New York and Washington, the Southern between Washington and Atlanta, the West Point Route between Atlanta and Montgomery and the Louisville & Nashville between Montgomery and New Orleans. SmileThat's one happy locomotive. The "Hudson"The first 4-6-4 in America was built for the New York Central by ALCO and named after the river it ran. It proved it be such a popular configuration between 1920 and 1940 they were in use by 21 American railroads (and many more overseas) -The Canadian Pacific was its second most user. Various railroads built these in their own shops and called them by assorted names, but Hudson prevails. In their day they set two speed records. However, in the '40's the clear superiority of the diesel sent these to the scrap yards. A great steam engine; pulled the 20th Century Limited in its day. This locomotivewas painted green. It's beautiful!Most engines, at least this side of the water, were very much 'cleaner' in appearance than the Hudson ... but this engine appears to proclaim to the world that it is a very tough and powerful machine. To my eyes, it looks wonderful ... an amazing array of 'stuff' and 'things' just hung on the outside of the locomotive, all of it going to make this one purposeful-looking machine. And, presumably, maintenance was easier. As for those punctuality rates; they make UK rates today look pretty poor, despite ultra-modern electric traction, computers, and the like. The people who operated the services all those years ago were evidently made of the 'right stuff'. How things have ... progressed. PacificThe previous post regarding the "Hudson" class of locomotive on the NYC are effectively correct including the mention of the "20th Century Limited being pulled by the "Hudson" type 4-6-4 locomotive. The locomotive in this image however is a 4-6-2 "Pacific" from the Southern Railway and called a Ps-4. Its sister locomotive No. 1401 sits in the Smithsonian. They were painted a stunning green with gold trim. Some of the most beautiful locomotives on US rails. Painted Green...I am not sure if the Smithsonian has the locomotive painted correctly but my comment for Shorpy's other side of the locomotive image shows that they have it depicted with green trim and the rest is gray. Here is my comment and my image from the Smithsonian. Cylinder behind the bell?As handsome a machine as I have seen. I can identify most of the systems here, but the cross ways cylinder between the bell and the smoke vent has me stumped. A lot of complexity there, it must be a worthwhile bit of steam technology. Who can say what it is? Elesco FWH/paint scheme.The appliance between the bell and the smokestack is an Elesco feedwater heater. It uses exhaust steam from the loco's cylinders to pre-heat the feedwater going into the boiler. The cylindrical part is the heater bundle, and the feedwater pump is the appliance visible just above the rear coupled wheel. 1401 in the Smithsonian is in the correct paint scheme, which is largely green - inspired by the livery of the Southern Railway in Britain. The grey mentioned is representative of the graphite and oil-based finish typically applied to loco smokeboxes and often fireboxes on US railroads. The smokebox was usually unlagged, and so the external surfaces got quite hot when the engine was in steam. Normal paint would quickly burn off, so graphite used instead. That cylindrical applianceis a Feedwater Heater. An Elesco Feedwater Heater to be precise. Made by Locomotive Superheater Company (hence the name L-S-CO), it used steam to preheat the water before being injected into the boiler so as to reduce the total energy needed to bring it to a violent boil at 200 psi. There were a number of Feedwater Heater manufacturers, the Elesco and Coffin types being the most easily identified because of their most common location on top of the smokebox between the smokebox front and stack (or smokestack). Pole pocketWhat is strange to see on a mainline flyer are the pole pockets at the front just above the first wheel. In local service it sometimes was necessary to shove a car on an adjacent track using a long wooden pole socketed into this pocket and into a similar pocket on the car to be shoved. A dangerous practice that could result in serious injury when the pole snapped. Pilot beam casting with poling pockets.The pilot beams on most modern US locos were a proprietary casting made by Commonwealth Steel, later known as General Steel Castings, of Granite City Illinois. The poling pockets were a standard feature of the casting, and can be seen on most locos, whether they were for passenger, freight or switching service. Crescent was a class actIn 1977, I made a train trip with 3 children from Benson AZ to Augusta GA. Our "heritage fleet" Amtrak sleeper was dropped in New Orleans to be picked up by the next day's Southern Crescent. The Amtrak car's air conditioning quit and, as the temperature rose, the elderly Southern conductor sent an equally ancient porter to move us to another car. As we stepped into the coolness, I blurted out, "Hey, the air conditioning works." The old black porter put down the bags, turned to me and standing stiffly erect, said, "Suh, this is a Southrun cah. EVERTHING WORKS!" Formal steam engine portraitsrequired that the side rods be in the "down" position, witnessed by this photo of 1396. Take a look at any steam locomotive builders photos; you will see all photos are made with the rods down. Thanks to those who corrected some who mistakenly referred to this as a "Hudson" 4-6-4 engine type. These beauties were 4-6-2 "Pacific" class locomotives arguably the most ubiquitous steam locomotive type ever to run on the world's railways. The Canadian Pacific ran both light small pacifics and heavier more powerful ones until the end of steam. I would imagine many other roads did too. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Railroads)
Johnnie X: 1908
... as watermelon cars. Cars from ACL and other Southeastern railroads were used to ship watermelons to Northern cities like Chicago. ... 1880. These ventilated cars were mostly used by Southern railroads to carry produce to Northern cities. You will note that the car ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2008 - 12:35am -

December 1908. Dillon, South Carolina. Johnnie, works at Maple Mills. 8 years old. Said "Ain't got no last name" when asked for it. Beginning to "help sister spin." View full size. Photograph and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. Young Mr XHe seems to be better dressed and shod than Hine's other urchins. Johnnie XSister Spinner could have been much older, and helping Johnnie survive. In any event, he's a tough little nugget. Some urchins were/are better at survival than others. You Never Sausage a PlaceDillon is right down the road from South of the Border, famous for kitschy signs throughout the area: "You Never Sausage a Place! You're Always a Wiener at Pedro's!" "Keep yelling, kids! (They'll stop.)" Maybe Johnnie X had a chance to visit in later years and sip a beer in the shade of the Sombrero Tower. Rail CarThe Atlantic Coast Line boxcar is a "ventilator" style car, used mostly for transporting fruit and vegetables to market. These were the direct precursors of the "ice reefer" cars. The hatches on the end may have contained ice occasionally, but the icers that would follow, had special ice bunkers, filled by hatches on the top of the car. Since this car is at a textile mill, it was probably being used to ship cotton, or wool. Freight CarsThese ventilator-style boxcars were also known as watermelon cars. Cars from ACL and other Southeastern railroads were used to ship watermelons to Northern cities like Chicago. Boxcar HatchesRe: "The hatches on the end may have contained ice occasionally" Those hatches are for the end ventilators, and are opened when the car is used to ship produce. Ventilated railcarIce cooled refrigerator cars were in use as early as 1880. These ventilated cars were mostly used by Southern railroads to carry produce to Northern cities. You will note that the car is provided with two doors. The ventilated one and a solid one so the car could be used for general cargo. End doors could be used for extra ventilation or for loading long lumber by hand. As for the boy, he does appear to be something of a natty dresser for his station in life. Note what appear to be buttons by his knee. Shirt seems a bit dirty, but nice looking shoes. ACL melon carsWhen I worked for the Nickel Plate Railroad in Canton Ohio about 1950, a local produce company there often received cars of this type loaded with watermelons. I was told they were called convertible-door cars. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, Railroads)
Cincinnati: 1909
... Norfolk and Western and Louisville and Nashville Railroads. C&O passenger trains used the Central Union Depot and the 4th ... (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Cincinnati Photos, DPC, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 2:40pm -

Circa 1909. "Cincinnati from Mount Adams." Bridges over the Ohio River to Kentucky and, foreground, a section of the Mount Adams Incline Railway. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Uneeda BiscuitYou can't find Uneeda Biscuits any more. I've tried, just for old times' sake. They're not unlike a fatter saltine without the salt. Ah, the Underwear Railroad!I had lovingly pored over the image of the Mt Adams Incline when it was posted in March. Even when it's three years later and from the top of the hill, this beautiful incline is still familiar. It must be the hoardings at the bottom of the hill. No biscuitsI recently tried to find Uneeda Biscuits for my 90 year old father in law, and found out that Nabisco discontinued them back in 2008. Across the OhioIn the upper right is the mouth of the Licking River. I just had to type that. Lack of PeopleThe absence of people can only be a result of one or two things. 1. Photo taken on Sunday morning, or 2. Massive Alien abduction SteeplesFrom a time when the tallest structures in town were church steeples not cell phone towers. I count seven. Only Three People?In Hi-Def, I can only see 3 People. One working on a chimney. One hanging out laundry on their roof, and one on their upstairs backporch. Everyone else must be at work! Bad boysCan you spot the Home of St Joseph and School of Reform? Chesapeake & OhioThe ghost locomotive and passenger cars appear to be C&O. The locomotive appears to be an Atlantic type, but may be a larger F-15 Pacific. The railroad car on the left is a passenger/baggage combine. Panhandle Passenger StationThe train station in the photo is the Panhandle Station or Pennsylvania Railroad Station. It was used by the Pennsylvania, Norfolk and Western and Louisville and Nashville Railroads. C&O passenger trains used the Central Union Depot and the 4th Street Station a considerable distance west of this location. The German speaking priests of St. Philomena Roman Catholic Church (the steeple to the right on the Ohio side) extended a welcome and helped German immigrants arriving in Cincinnati to find work and get settled in their new home. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Cincinnati Photos, DPC, Railroads)
Mike Evans: 1943
... hard-working man who gave his "all" to building the railroads and boring through mountains to build the rail tunnels in West ... (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 4:44pm -

Chicago, April 1943. "Mike Evans, a welder, at the rip tracks of the Proviso Yard, Chicago & North Western R.R." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. It's Willem Dafoe!...or his grandfather. Love this guy!Shorpy has provided us with such great pictorial evidence to chronicle the romanticism (real or imagined) of the rails. Photos like this are what make me almost enjoy waking up and heading out to my railroad job each day! RIPRip = Repair In Place -- A yard track where light repairs could be made. Classic Delano at his best! The tank is looking shabbyNo paint left on the tank. You don't see that anymore. But we still use helium cylinders that were made in 1943 in my radio astronomy work. RIP IIRip also = Repair, Inspect and Paint. John Henry was a steel-drivin' man...This photo reminds me of the song noted, due to the rough and ready character personified. The legend (although some believe it was based on fact) was that John Henry was a tall, strong, iron-willed, hard-working man who gave his "all" to building the railroads and boring through mountains to build the rail tunnels in West Virginia. When steam powered drills started being used, he challenged the steam drill to a race in building tunnels through rock. He DID win the race but died soon after from sheer exhaustion, prematurely ending his life by his superhuman effort. Good luck in trying to get this song out of your head, I've been hearing it since yesterday. I find Shorpys to be like Christmas, with new, happy surprises every day...thank you Shorpy. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Mechanical Nightmare
... put this in perspective, in the 1940s and 1950s American railroads were changing from steam to diesel power due to cost savings. The C ... a magazine or brochure. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Lost World - 07/26/2007 - 10:38am -

Chesapeake & Ohio M-1 steam turbine 502 at Cincinnati on July 2, 1949. These coal-fired turbine locomotives were complete failures in passenger service despite their impressive size and complexity. Built in 1947 by Baldwin Locomotive for exorbitant prices, all three were retired by 1950. Color of this engine, in case you're wondering, was yellow-orange up top with gray beneath, with dark blue lettering and trim. View full size. But...It might have been a financial failure, but - damn - that thing looks awesome (in black and white anyway). I love the old iron horses... C&O steam turbineI agree, really a fine-looking piece of machinery. Great pictureRecently saw an image of this locomotive with a crew of folks standing in the coal bunker (the area in the nose with the raised doors). The caption indicated they were measuring coal consumption (which seems a little far-fetched). Another attempt was made to build a coal turbine about 20 years ago or so. Don Hall Yreka, CA Steam LocoThere was also Norfolk & Western's #2300 Jawn Henry steam turbine electric loco built by the N&W it would generate steam to run a turbine in which a electric generator would provide power to the electric traction motors. It too wasn't too sucsseful due to the steam turbine using a very large amount of steam and the boiler working hard to keep up with the demand. Also a very impressive looking engine. Check out Trains Magazine's Aug issue on pg 70 for info on it. C&O M-1This is at the Cincinnati Union Terminal engine service facility. I saw one of these stuffed nose first into one of the roundhouse stalls. It was so long that the section (water carrier?) that can be seen behind the main locomotive was entirely outside. By the way, that was the one and only stall that could be used by these locos, as its track lined up with the turntable and one of the tracks on the other side all at the same time. Turntable was way too short to turn the engine!! M-1 Steam TurbineI agree, this thing looks awesome. Pity this photo isn't color. I'd love to see its yellow-orange decor. Why were they failures?I'm curious... why were these impressive locomotives failures? C&O TurbinesThere is a good history of them on this website. Scroll down. http://www.steamlocomotive.com/turbine/ I may actually have seen one!As a youth in Huntington, I saw a huge strange-looking locomotive waiting on the tracks at the C&O Station on Seventh Avenue. I have often wondered if it was one of these. If this ever pulled the old C&0 "George Washington," then this is what I saw! Financial FailureTo put this in perspective, in the 1940s and 1950s American railroads were changing from steam to diesel power due to cost savings. The C & O transported huge amounts of coal from West Virginia so to them it seemed silly to burn anything else. Baldwin and Westinghouse took on the challenge of building three of the turbines. They were hard and expensive to maintain and didn't get the fuel economy desired. They had problems developing enough steam for the needs of the turbine, but when the fireman could keep the steam up, they ran very good. They were intended to make 6000 horsepower and were going to pull a new state of the art passenger train, the Chessie. Due to a downturn in passenger traffic, as Americans purchased more and more cars and roads improved, the Chessie never ran and the turbines were quietly retired after about three years of trials. It is sad none survive in museums. You can see other images of the locomotives here. O Gauge M-1Mike's Train House made an O Gauge version of the M-1 around 2004, priced at $1,000. They are done in great detail. I have one sitting on my shelf in my office and it is a conversation piece. Dollars and DieselYes, these were financial failures, but not because of the fuel they burned. As Anonymous pointed out below, the C&O (and N&W as well) made their money hauling coal. On the face of it, that fuel was in ample supply and they had the facilities to handle it easily so it looked like a no-brainer. Unfortunately, neither road in the late '40s yet fully appreciated that switching from coal (or oil) fired steam to diesel wasn't about the fuel, it was about the labor. Every steam fired locomotive requires an on-board crew to operate it. Diesels can be strung together up to 12 units but controlled from the lead cab by 1 crew. Less crews = less payroll = less overhead = more money to the bottom line. Cha-ching! Plus they didn't (and still don't) require anywhere near the shop forces to support them. Steam locomotives (very much like humans) can be, and often were, fickle, demanding, precocious, temperamental machines in constant need of love and attention in the form of people which equals money. Cha-ching again! Steam locomotives were all of the things I mention above but they could also (again, much like humans) be emotionally evocative. Look at this thread as a tiny example. They had a way of stirring something in the souls of people who were, and are, inclined to respond to such things, myself included. Diesels, however, were (and are) an appliance. Think Toyota Camry. Solid, dependable, loyal appliance. Will get you (or your freight) there all day long and twice on Sundays but won't create much of a breeze thru one's soul. They will, however, return a ton more to the bottom line in exchange for that particular lack of soulfulness. Guess it depends on where one is with the industry; line-side observer or shareholder. Why were they failuresThese locomotives were "mechanical nightmares". This was the first advent of a steam turbine being used for railroad service. Think of a jet engine using coal as its fuel. Does not even make sense. The turbines of the UP were basically "jet engines on rails", difference there was they burned the thickest fuel oil you could never imagine, Bunker C Fuel. 100 times thicker than Molasses. Night shotHere is a photograph that I picked at an antique store. It's a picture of one the locomotives being photographed at night. I’m not sure what the story behind this photo is, but it may be a study for a publicity shot in a magazine or brochure. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Railroads)
Locomotive Dreams: 1942
... (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 11:29pm -

Roundhouse at the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad yard, Chicago. December 1942. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. repeatYou guys already posted this one. It's beautiful enough to warrant posting twice...but I just figured I'd let you know. RepeatIt's not a repeat ... the other one is horizontal. This one's a vertical. PhotoYou can smell the coal and grease fantastic photo PPHow did you do your post processing in these beautiful color pictures. They look great - great job!!! Constantin http://www.goodstockimages.com Good GodWhat an absolutely stunning image!! :^o Superb. Jack Delano has aSuperb. Jack Delano has a new fan. Absolutely brilliant. C&NWThe engine closest is a C&NW M-1 class 0-6-0 switcher built in 1916; the second looks like a C&NW 2-8-0 number 1756 Class Z freight engine built in 1910 and last one looks like a C&NW M-1 class 0-6-0 too. Can't read the number. The M-1 0-6-0s were interesting engines---the C&NW had many built from 1905 to 1917. The early versions were lighter and less powerful than the late versions --- yet they all bore the M-1 class and same pay level for the crews. Trivia. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Santa Fe Diesel: 1943
... about them. Engine Colour It wasn't unusual for railroads to have different paint schemes for their freight and passenger ... (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:08pm -

March 1943. Washing one of the Santa Fe R.R. 5,400-horsepower diesel freight locomotives in the roundhouse at Argentine, Kansas. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. Great for railfans!What a great photo for railfans! Santa Fe DieselYou can say that again!! The Loco in the picture would be the 1st mainline diesel freight unit built by EMD, the FT-103 A-B-B-A unit to replace steam. Each individual unit was rated a 1,350 HP for a total of 5,400 HP for all four coupled up. A = cab unit, B = booster unit. not only rail fansI don't give a hoot about trains per se, but I find all Delano's photos of them completely engrossing. The color, the composition...... Amazing photographer. Thanks for another one. The first AT&SF FT'sThe first AT&SF FT's delivered in A-B-B-B configuration, as the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers didn't like the idea of there being two cabs and only one engine crew. Later contract negotiations allowed for uncrewed A units to be multiple united. The Art Of Industrial DesignIt's just an old train but this photo definitely makes it a work of art. "I got them steadily depressin', low-down mind messin', working at the train wash blues." (apologies to Jim Croce) And you thought you had a lousy job working at the carwash. Horse of a different color!Santa Fe really had a lot of horses of a different color! For those of us who KNEW that the only AT&SF color scheme was silver/red, that is a real letdown. And, yes, those Kodachrome transparencies are doozies! Somebody should write a song about them. Engine ColourIt wasn't unusual for railroads to have different paint schemes for their freight and passenger diesels with the passenger engines getting the flashier or more elegant colours. On the Pennsylvania Railroad most passenger engines were a sort of maroonish red known as Tuscan Red, while the freight engines were an extremely dark green. It's not surprising really - the passenger equipment was the face that the railroad showed the world and it had to be clean and elegant and modern because some of the people who rode in those passenger trains would make decisions on what line they'd use in their freight business. That at least was the philosophy in the 1940s. What you see on this picture that you don't see anymore is the detail of the paintwork even on this workhorse engine. There are at least three colours here, four if you count what is probably brushed stainless steel or aluminum on the Santa Fe logo on the nose of the engine. There's the red striping separating the main yellow area from the blue, and the three stripe yellow "wings". It is, for lack of a better term, fancy. These days locomotives are frequently one or two colours (often red or black, sometimes blue) and the way engines are painted is very utilitarian. It saves money at the paint shop (and mechanised cleaning saves money too even if it often isn't very effective) but it sends an equally untilitarian message to the public. SF #103#103 shown here was part of the first four sets of FT engines that ATSF purchased from EMD (General Motors) in January 1941. Units #100-104 each consisted of a cab lead engine, two cabless boosters and a trailing cab unit (an "LABC" configuration). A total of 320 FT units were acquired by August 1945. These were used primarily in CA and AZ resulting in total dieselization of "through" freight trains (Winslow, San Bernardino, Bakersfield) when this great photo was taken. After the war, the #103 set was moved to the Argentine-Corwith freight pool on the Illinois-Missouri division of the ATSF (KC-Chicago). #103 lasted until 1960-61 when it was traded back to EMD for a new road switcher. The early nose paint scheme shown here only existed on the #100-104 units. The red striping and SF shield were replaced by the classis yellow "cigar-band" used on all later blue FT/F3/F7 and ATSF passenger engines. Body and Paint changesI've ordered the FT set A,B,B,A and wondered how much work it would be to show them as F7's. Thanx for a great web site. Santa FeI grew up in a 3rd generation Santa Fe house in Oklahoma. I used to get to ride form North of Tulsa to Cherryvale, Kansas to see my Grandmother. It was always a treat to ride the train. Throne firstMy grandfather rode in these things. The crew restroom is located directly behind the Santa Fe logo on the nose. It is an odd and vulnerable feeling to be sitting in there while hurtling along at high speed, knowing you'll be the very first thing to be crushed if this zillon-ton monster runs into anything! Aboard the Super Chief(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads)
4 Seconds Fast: 1943
... and Train Order) system of train operation used by railroads for over a century, timing was critical to keep trains from running ... Standard Time Zones Were initially set up by the railroads. Before that each city or region could set its own time and that ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/01/2014 - 1:27pm -

March 1943. More Marceline, Missouri. "A dispatcher at work in the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad offices." This fellow would seem to be sensitive to glare. Photo by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. FastThe clock says it's four second fast. I wonder how they (a) know and (b) at what point do they correct it? Walt DisneyThe Marceline depot is now the Walt Disney Hometown Museum. http://www.waltdisneymuseum.org/museum/ Judging by the window (double hung sash with a small transom), I would say that it is indeed the same building. Standard TimeUnder the TT&TO (Timetable and Train Order) system of train operation used by railroads for over a century, timing was critical to keep trains from running into one another. Every railroad had one very accurate "Standard Clock". Every employee whose duties were affected by the TT&TO Rules had to carry a railroad watch, certified annually by an approved jeweler to be accurate to not vary more than 30 seconds per week. Each employee starting on duty was required to compare his watch to a local standard clock at that station, and if it varied more than 30 seconds from the standard to correct it. Each station, the local standard clock had to be compared by telephone or telegraph to the Standard Clock, and if it varied by more than 30 seconds it had to be corrected. I have that picture on the wall in my hallway!My parents had the picture of the hunting dog (along with three others, forming a set) for as long as I can remember, until they gave them to me back in 1992. I've had them on the wall in my house ever since. One, sadly, was damaged ten years ago when the 1930s era frame simply fell apart suddenly and it crashed down, smashing the glass and slicing the print. The others are still hanging on the wall in our hallway. Standard Time ZonesWere initially set up by the railroads. Before that each city or region could set its own time and that caused chaos with railroad schedules, and safety. Housekeeper's holidayBased on this photo, the feather duster must have been invented in 1944. What gives? It appears as if some major changes were made in this office during March of 1943. Comparing the current image with the previous, we see: 1) the telegraph key has either been moved or eliminated, 2) “Mission Control” has the desk lamp over what appears to be a speaker device missing in “4 Seconds Fast: 1943,” 3) the standard clock is on one wall first, then another subsequently, and 4) in “4 Seconds” the dispatcher has what I’m guessing is a CTC board in front of him, absent in “Mission.” The one comforting constant is the sacred train sheet, spread from one end of the desk to the other. (Well, not so sacred anymore, as train movements are recorded and stored by computer software these days, not pen and ink…at least on Class 1 railroads.) [The two pictures were taken within minutes of each other, and nothing has moved except the photographer. These are two different desks. - Dave] Okay Dave, that makes sense. But your answer only raises two more questions: 1) why are there two desks for the same territory (a sure prescription for disaster), and 2) why does the "Mission" board go to Chicago from left to right, and the "4 Second" board go Kansas City (?) to Chicago right to left? Face to FaceDave - your comment about being different desks is correct. In fact, they appear to be facing each other. Note the position and shape of the "poster board" tied to the pipe above them. RE: left to right and right to left"why does the "Mission" board go to Chicago from left to right, and the "4 Second" board go Kansas City (?) to Chicago right to left?" I would guess that "4 Seconds Fast" guy is seated facing south with Chicago to his left and "Mission Control" guy is facing north. (Technology, The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Near Normal: 1900
... curvature may be too severe for the escalating speeds that railroads were beginning to see. Realigning was sometimes done to gain grade ... bar trucks Arch bar trucks were legal on interchange railroads until 1940, but they had been being phased out for decades before ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/09/2015 - 12:43pm -

Circa 1900. "Track to be straightened. Normal, Ill's." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. StraighteningThe straightening spoken of is probably just that. The curvature may be too severe for the escalating speeds that railroads were beginning to see. Realigning was sometimes done to gain grade improvements as well. The derail probably remained if cars were still left on that track if they could endanger the main line. Air BrakesThe car in the background by the platform does have air brakes, as evidenced by the presence of a brake hose dangling to the right of the coupler. The car in the left foreground does not appear to have air brakes. The air brake in its present form was introduce in 1869, but there was no requirement that they be installed on all cars. Cars without air brake equipment were run at the rear of the train so that the cars with the equipment could be strung together at the front of the train under the control of the engineer. If the engineer needed more braking force than could be provided the equipped cars alone, whistle signals advised the conductor and rear trainman to walk to the top of the train setting handbrakes. The type of control valves in use by 1900 were only reliable for trains up to about 20 cars, so frequently longer trains were run with the air hoses connected on only the front portion of the train and the remainder of the train was still controlled by handbrakes as described above. These were called "part air" trains. Improvements to brake valves introduced in 1906 allowed longer trains, with up to 40 cars controlled by air brakes. The type AB brake valve on cars, introduced in 1933, permitted reliable control of a train with air of up to 150 cars, and part air trains disappeared shortly after that. Arch bar trucksArch bar trucks were legal on interchange railroads until 1940, but they had been being phased out for decades before that. They were used a lot longer than that on non-interchange lines like the SP narrow gauge -- one of the boxcars in our collection (SP 10) was still in service on the Inyo-Kern SP in 1960. Southern Pacific Boxcar 10 Repack Date This wooden Carter built boxcar was originally built in 1880. It is still sitting on trucks on our track in Fremont, CA. It could be one of the longest 'in service' box cars in the world--hard to say though. LocationMile post C124, must be 124 miles to Chicago, Ill. Rail to be straightened.The rail to be straightened reference you mentioned is a derail and is controlled by rodwork from either a tower in back of the photographer or the depot building. Interesting bit of trackworkThere is a derail built into the rail closest to the viewer. It is controlled by the rods along side the track. Its purpose was to prevent runaway cars from fouling the main line. Seldom seen in the modern era. Interesting scene.Archbar trucks were legal for many years after this photo. Interesting details here: note the grain door in the boxcar at left; also the point derail in foreground and dwarf signal operated by pipe rodding from a tower behind the photographer. Another detail is the home signal on the gantry ... it is two-position with only red and white colors, which was standard on most railroads until a few years later. The signal is operated with long wires, which you can see alongside the pipe rodding in foreground. Old CarsI know steam locomotives, not cars, but these seem a bit outdated even for 1900. They look at best 1880's vintage, though they've obviously been well maintained. This is along the Chicago & Alton route between Chicago and St. Louis. Archbar trucks and brakewheelsDefinitely a transition era-- the wooden box cars have archbar trucks with wooden bolsters; journal boxes with babbit metal bearings; body hung brakes with no signs of airbrakes, but they have Janney knuckle couplers. Can you image being a brakeman on these boxcars? Having to run on the roofwalk and jump between cars to turn the brakewheels to stop or slow these cars. yikes. If it wasn't labeled "Normal [Ill.]I might have placed the scene in Peculiar, Mo. (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads)
Washington Union Station: 1912
... was not the devil. (Panoramas, D.C., Natl Photo, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/10/2022 - 9:24pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1912. "Union Station plaza and Columbus fountain." 8x6 inch glass negative, National Photo Company Collection. View full size. A beautiful and functional place todayBelow is the original ground floorplan for Union Station. Here are some photographs of the original interiors. Like nearly all train stations, Union Station went through a decline. The two events which stand out in my memory both involve the main waiting room. Around 1967, in an effort to look more modern and deter transient sleepers the mahogany benches were removed, thrown on the depot's scrap pile, and replaced with individual plastic seats mounted on rails on posts bolted to the floor (similar to what you see in bus stations). Around the same time the station was repurposed as a Washington visitors center and in the early 1970s a giant hole, nicknamed The Pit, was dug in the waiting room floor to create a sort of amphitheater. The floor was restored during restoration of the station, which concluded in 1988. Unfortunately, the benches are long gone. Click to embiggen RentalsRental vehicles are returnable around the right corner of the building. I remember the other hole in the floor.The 1953 Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 sized one, that resulted from one of said locomotive class (PRR 4876) overrunning the platform area, entering the concourse and coming to rest in the basement. The entrance on the far right in the frontal and floor plan views used to be called the "President's and Ambassadors Entrance", good thing the GG1 didn't try to go in there. The only private citizen ever officially privileged to use it was supposedly Kate Smith. SoThat building held like, what, 5 people? A more perfect UnionOne of the earliest and most visible examples of the District's transformation from a slow Southern town to a City Beautiful, the Station - which is both a terminal and thru-station (see plan below) - replaced an earlier one situated on the Mall. Although picturesque and conveniently located, it became unpopular - President Garfield particularly disliked it - with the movement to restore the capital along the lines of the L'Enfant Plan. Horses to the left of me, autos to the rightI'm wondering about the horse/horseless divide. Could it have been designed to: > keep the horses calm? > make it easier for passengers to chose their preferred mode of transportation? > protect, in some small way, a dying trade? More 1908 PhotosI remember once seeing a photo of a table set in a private dining room in Union Station. It had something like seven stemmed glasses of various sizes lined up for different beverages and I don't remember how many different forks. I didn't find it again, but I did find a labeled floor plan, below, so you can see where the lunch room was, and a photo of the lunch room. Also, another photo of the main waiting room, where you can see recessed areas at the end of each bench for placing a spittoon where it can be used but not accidentally kicked. And the station under construction. Click to embiggen Blueprints aplentyHundreds of these on the LOC website. If you're into that sort of thing. Rocking chairs -- "Pay closets" -- ColumbiaNice to see that cultural Marxism has not destroyed this historical landmark yet. Bouncy!Back 25 years, when I was a communications consultant in the DC area, my partner and I would meet with clients in Union Station for meetings or working meals. It was a beautiful place, no doubt, but after years of being in rock bands and almost daily scuba diving, my hearing was shot. All the hard surfaces in that joint caused the worst reverb I ever experienced. Hearing aids couldn't help. I had to really be on my toes to understand what was being said. Finally, I put my foot down and insisted on meetings at the Post Pub or Sign of the Whale or Ben's Chili Bowl or anywhere other than Union Station. Bicentennial EmbarrassmentI worked for the National Park Service for 25 years, including the Bicentennial era, and remember the National Visitor Center with great embarrassment and remorse. What happened to Union Station in 1976 is still a blemish on the NPS' image. Planning for a National VC began in the late 1960s, but construction didn't really begin until 1974, which was too late to pull off many of the planned attractions in Union Station. The worst feature was an infamous multimedia theater excavated into the floor of the Great Hall -- a literal pit with stand-up "seating" where a bank of 100 Kodak Carousels projected a continuous slide show about DC and its monuments and attractions. I watched the show several times, or rather tried too, but a sizable number of projectors always seemed to be out of sync. And the clacking sound of a hundred 35mm slides being changed simultaneously was hugely distracting. I'm attaching views of the original Great Hall and the Bicentennial "Pit." Thank god the multimedia pit was removed during subsequent restorations of the Station. D.H. Burnham & Co.At the bottom right on the plan provided by Doug Floor Plan is the name of the architectural firm that designed this building. This Chicago-based company also happened to design the 1893 Columbian Exhibition that I happened to read about in the book, "Devil in the White City." Burnham was not the devil. (Panoramas, D.C., Natl Photo, Railroads)
The Kodachrome Hills: 1942
... of the rail car. Crane cars are hardly uncommon. Most railroads have a wreck train on call at division points in the event of serious ... Wheel. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, John Vachon, Mining, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 1:58pm -

May 1943. "Nearly exhausted sulfur vat from which railroad cars are loaded. Freeport Sulphur Company at Hoskins Mound, Texas." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by John Vachon, Office of War Information. CraneInteresting. A crane on the rails. Was it attached to a rail car of some sort? CraneBrent, Thanks for taking the time to explain. SulfurWhen I was a small child in Galveston, there would be scores of gondola cars on the same train, full of sulfur. Likely mined somewhere like this. [This is where they stored the sulfur after it was extracted. - Dave] Re: Crane"Interesting. A crane on the rails. Was it attached to a rail car of some sort?" If you look at the full size version of the picture you can see that the crane is part of a rail car. It is turned sideways to handle the sulfur which is why the back end sticks out over the sides of the rail car. Crane cars are hardly uncommon. Most railroads have a wreck train on call at division points in the event of serious derailments and those trains invariably include a crane. For an industry like this where they are using trains to move product out of the pit a steam crane mounted on a railroad car is just about ideal - mobile and doesn't require extra space to move in. These days of course most open pit mines don't use rails to move product out but truck that would make your basic monster truck look like a Hot Wheel. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, John Vachon, Mining, Railroads)
Cajon Pass: 1943
... (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Landscapes, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 11:33am -

March 1943. Santa Fe trip from Chicago to California. Trains on the Santa Fe tracks through Cajon Pass in the San Bernardino Mountains. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. Mormon RocksThose are the "Mormon Rocks". I-15 passes through here now. I've been living by the railroad.....There are 2 sets of tracks in this picture...way in the back is another set. Both of these tracks are still in use today. A third line is being added. I remember having to watching the trains pass by on Highway 138 before an overpass was built for car traffic. I was down there taking a photo from the same vantage point recently. Two TracksI am pretty sure that the tracks in the background belong to Union Pacific and those in the foreground, with the steam loco featured, are Santa Fe's. Cajon PassMy father was a UP hoghead who worked the LA Division in those yeras. The locomotive is a UP Mt series 7000 4-8-2 and it is on the downhill track in Cajon. UP and ATSF shared the rails. One (UP) went up grade and the other (ATSF) descended the grade. I sent this on to a friend and he tells me this is a war emergency troop train identified by the Military Police Security car on the head end. UpdateBoth main tracks in the photo are now owned by the BNSF. At the time of the photo the tracks were owned by the Santa Fe with trackage rights given to the Union Pacific. As of this writing, there are now three main tracks on this side of Cajon Pass. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Landscapes, Railroads)
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