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Lock, Stock & Barrel: 1942
... Camplair cleans his rifle regularly." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Best wishes, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/05/2023 - 1:48pm -

September 1942. "Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Sergeant George Camplair cleans his rifle regularly." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Best wishes, Sgt.Hopefully the Sgt. made it home safely and had a good, long life.  
"This is my rifle,... this is my gun." The immortal scene from Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket."
PatchesIt won't be his mom complaining about oily patches on the bed, as might have happened to this young man  https://www.shorpy.com/node/24096.
Seems he has the warmest spot during winter months.
What's taped to the inside of the drop-down radio lid?(And I'm sure someone out there knows what station it's tuned to.)
[It's a girl! Hugging a pillow! - Dave]
The Zenithappears to be tuned to 1090 kilocycles, WBAL in Baltimore, which at 50kw power would have come in well in greater Washington.
Nice & ToastyI'll bet that's a warm bed to sleep in with that radiator right there.
What is the purposeOf the large magnet, also sitting on the radiator?  I hope the answer has something to do with attracting attractive women.
J W Wright, thanks for the answer and the link.  So, the Zenith Radio Wavemagnet is today what we call an antenna?  I wasn't even for sure it was attached to the radio.
Zenith "Wavemagnet"Click image for more information than you wanted:
 

Aught-SixLooks like a WW1 surplus 30.06 rifle?
Chutist Looks Vaguely FamiliarEschewing his sleigh, Santa parachuted into Vietnam so as not to grab unwanted attention. Sgt Camplair's radio attachment is, however, somewhat familiar.
M1 GarandThe rifle is an M1 Garand, in 30.06, semiauto, fed by a 8 round clip.
The fact that these new front line rifles were being issued stateside as early as 1942, rather than being reserved solely for the overseas theaters, shows the power of US industry.
M1 GarandFor missing link - that is not a WWI surplus rifle.  It is an M1 Garand.  It is in .30-06.  I've cleaned many of them.
M1 Garand RifleThe rifle is actually an M1 Garand semi-automatic. Shoots 30/06 ammo out of 8 round clips. 
M1 IDIt is an M1 Garand. An unmistakable profile. The M1 replaced the bolt-action M1903 Springfield as the U.S. service rifle in 1936 and was itself replaced by the selective-fire M14 rifle on March 26, 1958.
ShinyIt appears that the dark finish of the gas cylinder on Sergeant Camplair's M1 has worn off, exposing the stainless steel (can't tell for sure though). If so, it's odd that it would wear off so early in the conflict. Shiny bits on oneself is not a good thing in combat.
He'd also better be careful in cleaning the bore so as not to damage the muzzle, as he might at the angle shown.  The cleaning rod has to be in direct line with the bore.
On a side note, it's great to see that fellow Shorpyites own M1s as well.  Now if M2 ball ammo was readily available again...
WW2 M1It has all the earmarks of a WW2 M1 Garand. I remember stripping them down followed by the reassembly process from ROTC training in 1963. It is definitely an M1 receiver by his left knee on the edge of the bunk.
DownrangeU.S. ‘Rifle, .30 Caliber, M1’ AKA: M1 Garand, a .30-06 caliber, gas operated, magazine fed, semiautomatic rifle once described by General George S. Patton as "the greatest battle implement ever devised”.
When the USA entered World War 2, mass production of the M1 rifle began at the Springfield armory and at the Winchester plant. During the war, both companies produced between them approximately 4 million M1 rifles, making them the most widely used semi-automatic rifle of World War 2.
M1 Garand "stripping" for cleaning and inspection here.
M-1 Garand semiautomatic shoulder weaponGen Patton called it the greatest combat weapon ever invented. 
I have one I bought from the CMP.
Ping!
(The Gallery, Jack Delano, WW2)

Night Train: 1943
... a five-minute time exposure. Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Beautiful ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/01/2017 - 9:24am -

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

Westbound Freight: 1943
... New Mexico. View full size. Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. This is one of about a thousand pictures Jack took for the Office of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 9:30am -

Santa Fe R.R. westbound freight stopping for water at Melrose, New Mexico. View full size. Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. This is one of about a thousand pictures Jack took for the Office of War Information in March 1943, riding a freight from Chicago to California. Most of them were in black-and-white. He used a Graflex Speed Graphic press camera that took 4x5 inch film.
Jack DelanoI hope we can see all of Jack's pictures he took from Chicago to LA
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads)

Soft Serve: 1942
... his many visits to the post exchange." Acetate negative by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. Many Visits? Who ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/29/2023 - 1:44pm -

September 1942. "Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Sergeant George Camplair on one of his many visits to the post exchange." Acetate negative by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size.
Many Visits?Who can blame him?
Born here ...Eight years later, I was born at Fort Belvoir, as Walter Reed was full up. They did not give me a softie cone, though. Just a slap on the behind.
I can see whyI also would be making as many visits to the PX as my duties would allow, with a doll like that behind the counter. Woof!
Yes Sir!I can see why the sarge is a frequent customer and it ain't because of the cold fountain drinks or the Chesterfields.
Nutty for McNuttThe woman here with Sgt. Camplair in 1942 looks to be Mary Jane McNutt, co-worker bride per that 1946 wedding post found under his onion peeling pic.  
“Many visits to the post exchange” indeed, thus making it two winning campaigns for the duration.
Hmmm ...One has to wonder if this is also a picture of the future Mrs. Camplair. 
Same uniform for me The cap I have still fits. The rest just didn't keep pace. 
Whatcha got there, soldier?I can read the word Exchange and understand it's base currency.  Not sure how much they pay a sergeant for peeling onions.  I can't find an example of it on the Internet.

Camblair?Hi Dave, 
The name is spelled Camblair according to Library of Congress. Love the photo, BTW.
[Camplair, with a P, is the correct spelling of his name. - Dave]
They treat you right?The surgeon general will disagree in a little over 20 years, but it is a cool advertisement by Chesterfield.
(The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, Jack Delano, Pretty Girls, WW2)

Army Ouchie: 1942
... injections at the reception center." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Very few ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/06/2023 - 10:16am -

September 1942. "Fort Belvoir, Virginia. George Camplair getting his injections at the reception center." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Very few injections with the syringe and hypodermic needle Back in my military days mostly air injections one corpsman swabbing alcohol next one wielding the 'gun' saying don't flinch. Some flinchers results cut bloody arm guy behind them passed out. Air injection phased out due to hepatitis concerns. Those were the days my Shorpy friends.
[Commatose! - Dave]
Turn back the clockWhat a great picture !
More than 80 years ago there was a need to help Russia - How the world has changed when you look at where we are now
I really like the clock on the right of the photo - (Postal Telegraph) Years ago I bought one in California and it now hangs on the wall at my home.

Smallpox Vax?My eyesight is bad but I don't see a syringe.  Maybe making small skin punctures on his arm for smallpox?  I got mine in the 50's.  I remember a nurse tapping my arm with a small, sharp glass stylus placing the vaccine in my skin.  
That brings it all back.Jan 2, 1963 I went through the gauntlet gantlet at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO through 2 lines of "shooters".   A few needles and several pneumatic shots.  Really sore the next morning.  They told us not to flinch when they used the high pressure air guns or it would tear our skin. 
(The Gallery, Jack Delano, WW2)

Cold-Rolled: 1941
... stairway in a working class section." Acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. It looks like a stairway, but it’s a street ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/22/2018 - 11:14am -

January 1941. "Mill district of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Long stairway in a working class section." Acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size.
It looks like a stairway, but it’s a street Pittsburgh has hundreds of stairways like these, many of them categorized as city streets. They’re one of the things that make the city unique. 
Ernie Pyle wrote of the steps of Pittsburgh: “Oh Lord, the steps! I was told they actually had a Department of Steps. That isn’t exactly true, although they do have an Inspector of Steps. But there are nearly 15 miles of city-owned steps, going up mountainsides.“
SlipperyLook at those women further down the hill, linking arms.  With the slope and the packed snow, I can imagine the grip underfoot was precarious.
Jack DelanoI really appreciate all the Delano photos you have been posting. Many I have not seen before. We have all seen this one; if it's not his greatest photo it's his greatest landscape.
[This is a "new" photo that we have not seen before, although similar to the one posted earlier here. - Dave]
He loved shadows, dirty snow, night cityscapes, old buildings, locomotives and, mostly, workers and ordinary people in general. He goes past the pathos so abundant in those years and gets to the dignity of workers and poor people. My favorite is of a young black woman wearing her best suit and a tilted white hat while leaning on a rail and waiting for a bus to the next agricultural job. He was born in the Ukraine, grew up in N.Y.C. and spent the last half of his life in Porto Rico, which he loved. He would probably have considered himself a musician (composer) first and a photographer second. His autobiography "Photographic Memories" is worth finding.
Another Fine MessSomehow, I can't help but envision Laurel and Hardy trying to move a piano up this stairway.
Burgh StairsThis brings back memories of out-of-town drivers being confounded by streets suddenly turning to stairs, even though a through street showed on a map.
Taking a ChanceThis is intersection of the short Chance Way, ambling off to the left at the bottom of the wooden stairs and Tullymet Street diving steeply down to Irvine and the Coal/Coke plants, now gone. In a modern view the only feature left are some newer concrete stairs with metal railings and that house in the left foreground, still very recognizable.
(The Gallery, Factories, Jack Delano, Pittsburgh)

Underground Railroad: 1943
... Louis." The streamliner Abraham Lincoln . Photo by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. Great Photo An ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2013 - 11:52am -

January 1943. "Chicago, Ill. A Baltimore & Ohio Railroad train about to depart from Union Station via the Alton Road to Saint Louis." The streamliner Abraham Lincoln. Photo by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size.
Great PhotoAn excellent photo. Trouble is that the B&O used Chicago Grand Central station until it was torn down, then they switched to Union Station.  
I'm confused hereOkay, this may be a dumb question but I don't know much about trains so that's my excuse. The train is in Chicago. The caption on the train says "Baltimore and Ohio" and we are told that the train is running along the "Alton Road to Saint Louis." Is it going to Baltimore, Ohio, or St. Louis and what is it doing in Chicago?
["Baltimore & Ohio Railroad" is the name of the company, founded in 1827. -tterrace]
Seventy years later The view is the same except for the rolling stock.
B&O at Union StationBaltimore and Ohio acquired control of the Chicago and Alton RR in 1930, and renamed it the Alton Railroad. The B&O retained control of the ARR until 1943 when it regained its independence. The Alton RR disappeared again in 1947 with its merger into the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio RR Syatem. 
C&A trains into Chicago used Union Station, along with the PRR, CB&Q and the Milwaukee Road. B&O Main line trains to the East Coast continued to use Grand Central Station while they had control of the Alton, hence the photograph of the Abraham Lincoln at Union Station.
B&O owned/controlled the Altonuntil March 1943 when it regained it's independence after 12 years.  That's why this train is leaving Chicago Union Station headed for St. Louis (using B&O equipment) on the Chicago & Alton Railroad rather than leaving Central Station where the other B&O trains terminated in this era. B&O had no trackage of it's own as a direct route Chicago to St. Louis. Today Amtrak is upgrading this line for 110 mph "Lincoln Service" Chicago to St. Louis.
Jack DelanoMy hero! Another terrific train photo.
Same train, different endHere's what the front end of the Abraham Lincoln looked like.  Beautiful!  
According to Wikipedia, the train consisted of a baggage mail car, three coaches, a diner car, two parlor cars (see attached interior image), and the observation car we see in the photo at the end.  
A survivorThe Abraham Lincoln and its counterpart Ann Rutledge were mostly aluminum train sets originally ordered by the B&O.  The rivets in the photo help identify them as aluminum;  most lightweight cars were welded steel but aluminum welding techniques were not widely used until the mid-40's.  Thus aluminum lightweights used the traditional riveted construction.
The B&O initially trialed the aluminum sets on the Royal Blue between New York and Washington D.C., but found the ride to be too rough for their premier service.  The train sets were sent to the Alton, where they served on the Chicago-St. Louis route through GM&O ownership and into the 60's.
You can still go see the observation car in this photo, fully restored and complete with its drumhead sign, at the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis.
Alton Aboard!To add possibly a little light to the subject, Alton, Illinois is a smallish town north of St. Louis, about eight miles up the Mississippi from its confluence with the Missouri. Without regard to the vicissitudes of track ownership, etc., you can trace the rail line north from Alton to Chicago, through towns such as Springfield and yes, **Lincoln**, Illinois, roughly along the path of Interstate 55. Likewise, heading south from Alton, you generally follow the path of the river (or at least, the Chain of Rocks Canal) crossing the river on the lower level of the 1909 Free Bridge (since 1942 called the MacArthur Bridge, as in, Douglas), and easing into the rail yards on the Missouri side.
As an aside, the upper level of the MacArthur Bridge carried Route 66 for a time. Now it is closed to vehicular traffic.
After much searchingthis train was royal blue and light grey in colour, the coaches were reworked heavy-weight older coaches instead of new aluminum cars being introduced.
Lincoln ServiceInterestingly (or, perhaps, not) Amtrak's daily train between Chicago and St. Louis is called the Lincoln Service.
Also survivingis the Locomotive from this train, #50, sans shovel nose. It is also at the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis. 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jgilber0/3641221095/
Abraham Lincoln / Ann Rutledge Passenger TrainsOne train was aluminum and the other was Cor-Ten steel.
(The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)

Rear Window: 1941
... Puerto Rico. Medium format Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration View full size. Jack ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/05/2019 - 3:09pm -

December 1941. Sunny San Juan, Puerto Rico. Medium format Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Farm Security AdministrationView full size.
Jack Delano's photoThis is the most impressive early 1940's Kodachrome I've ever seen colorwise. 
Too bad it's kinda crooked. 
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Puerto Rico, Travel & Vacation)

Sarge at Large: 1942
... he is at home on a weekend furlough." Acetate negative by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. Ruh-roh! Does ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/30/2023 - 11:12am -

September 1942. Washington, D.C. "Sergeant George Camplair takes his girl to have some refreshments after the United Service Organization (USO) dance while he is at home on a weekend furlough." Acetate negative by Jack Delano, Office of War Information.  View full size.
Ruh-roh!Does the soft serve ice cream girl know about this??
Will the real Mrs. Camplair please stand up?
Cease Fire!September of '42 seems to be a busy month for our erstwhile soldier. We see him peeling onions on KP in dungarees, then as a Staff Sergeant chatting up his future bride, and now as a buck Sergeant with another happy gal. Either he was a Staff Sergeant who transgressed and was punished for his sins, awarded company punishment, received KP as said punishment, and was reduced to buck Sergeant. If so the photos are out of order, or he started the month as a buck and was promoted. The other option is he was followed by the photographer(s) over a period of months for the usual propaganda purposes and were all published the same month. Geez!
[The majority of these 250-plus photos were never published until the negatives were scanned and put online. - Dave]
Chesterfields?I see the advertising sign at the PX sold this guy on the brand! Boy do they both look innocent. I guess he hasn't seen the realities of war yet.
Sgt. Camplair's obituaryhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/71018696/george-hans-camplair
Promotion or DemotionWell, between the soft serve and this photo, he was either promoted or demoted.  
Missing a stripe!Looks like buck-sergeant George was promoted to staff-sergeant sometime between this photo and the next!
But her hands tell the storyThe two women are laughing because the waitress just asked George's girl how big of a fib George just told when he said he never looks at other girls. The date is saying, "Oh, I believe him."
Great title, KathyRo.  It makes me wonder if any of Sergeant Camplair's girlfriends or his wife ever snuggled up to him and whispered, "I ruv you reorge."
Sweetheart WingsThe waitress is wearing the Army Air Corps insignia known as "Sweetheart Wings", meaning that her sweetheart is wearing wings himself and is on flying status. There are a lot of hidden stories in Shorpy photos.
(The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Jack Delano, Pretty Girls, WW2)

A Fork in the Railroad: 1943
... to start again, after having waited in a siding." Photo by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Fences ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/04/2013 - 3:05pm -

March 1943. "Sumnerfield, Texas. Brakeman running back to his train on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad between Amarillo, Texas, and Clovis, New Mexico, as it is ready to start again, after having waited in a siding." Photo by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size.
FencesThere seems to be one too many fences, if they're to keep cows from straying.
The same field fence ought to serve to protect the road and the tracks.
Almost homeI'm a former Easterner, gone native to the desert Southwest thirty-some years ago. Driving I-40 from NC, one is choking with green. In west Texas things fully open up, and you finally see horizon all around. This was once the western edge of Dust Bowl country; to some it still looks desolate, but to me it looks like home is just up the road. 
Excellent clarificationsJack Delano's caption confused me, too, because of the switch being lined for the main track. The clarifications submitted by swaool and Larry Doyle paint a perfect picture of what is going on.
Another thing that caught my eye is that the caboose is not yet clear of the fouling point, which explains in any case why the brakeman is running.
I'm not a frequent commenter, but I do read what others say. There sure are a lot of knowledgeable people here at Shorpy!
Same as it ever wasI've driven across a good deal of this country over the years, but never have I seen country as open and unobstructed to the horizon as west Texas and eastern New Mexico.  You can drive for hours and just not really see anything other than fence posts for as far as the eye can see.  I'm willing to bet that this view hasn't changed much in the past 70 years.
Thanks to Delano and DoyleAnother great photo of the plains and trains by Delano and a wonderful explanation by LarryDoyle.
The wait is just beginningMore likely that the brakeman (or flagman) has just lined the switch back after his train pulled into the siding.  He's running to catch the caboose, as his train will pull down to the other end of the siding to wait for the opposing train, or to be run around by a faster train going the same direction.
SummerfieldNot Sumnerfield.  May be labeled Sumnerfield, but it's actually Summerfield, Castro County, Texas.
Flat Pair Signals, againAnother exhibit of Santa Fe's Flat Pair signal system:  Square blade semaphores with number plates, which every other railroad in North America considered an oxymoron.
See post of 3/20/13, https://www.shorpy.com/node/14899.
Also, note the frog (the point where the two rails intersect) at the bottom edge of the photo does not have flangeways, in either direction.  This is a spring loaded frog - each wheel passing through pushes the interfering rail aside.  
The brakeman is running, not to get back to his train that has stopped, but rather to catch up to his train that is not going to stop, proceeding slowly away from him.  The conductor is likely standing next to the photographer on the rear of the caboose, ready to "pull the air" and stop the train, but only if the brakeman stumbles.
A rare picture of an everyday scene, repeated across the country thousands of times a day, every day, for over a century - Now, seen no more.
Thanks, SHORPY, for posting this gem.
The way it looks, nowGoogle now shows a six lane highway, a large Prairie Skyscraper just off to the right of the siding signals, and the overhead view shows a giant oval of track to service the grain elevator.
View Larger Map
A further bit of explanationOur train has "Train Orders" from the dispatcher (or, without specific orders we may just have the timetable showing where opposing scheduled trains are due) and must take this siding get out of the way for the opposing superior train.  The engineer of our train and stops just short of the pictured switch o enter the siding.
The front brakeman, also called the "headman", walks ahead of his engine, unlocks the switch ("turnout") to route the train into the siding, gives a hand signal to his engineer to "come ahead", and our train starts slowly ahead.  He climbs aboard the engine as it passes by into the siding.
The conductor in the caboose and the rear brakeman, also called "flagman", have copies of the same orders that the engine crew has.  From this paperwork the flagman knows that there will be a meet with the opposing train, and that he must restore the switch for the main track to permit the other train to use the main track and proceed forward.  The flagman and the conductor go out onto the rear platform of the caboose - the conductor stations himself at the "emergency brake valve" (in case the flagman stumbles) and the flagman stands on the bottom step of the caboose, on the OPPOSITE side of the track from the switchstand.  Years of experience has taught him which side of the track every switchstand is located, and he knows that if gets off on the opposite side that he cannot inadvertantly throw the switch ahead of time and accidently derail his own caboose!
The engineer knows exactly how long his train is.  He has a list showing him the number of cars in the train and their lengths, and experience has taught him how far it is to every landmark, so he knows not only where his engine is, but also where his caboose is!  He slows to a walking speed as the caboose approaches the switch.
As soon as the caboose passes over the switch, the rear brakeman steps across the track, realigns the switch for the main route and locks it.  He then runs ahead to catch up to his caboose, and at this moment Mr. Delano immortalized his image on film.
When the engineer nears the other end of the siding, he stops and waits for the opposing train to pass.  Then the proceedure is repeated and our train returns onto the main, and our rear brakeman makes another "dash" to catch up with his own caboose on the main track.  (Note that on the Santa Fe with flat pair signals he need not realign the switch when it is marked with a letter "S", as in the photo, to indicate that it is a spring switch.  The engineer may "run thru" the switch and it will re-align itself.) 
Amazing!  All done safely without front end/rear end communication, nor communication with the opposing train.  Hundreds or thousands of times every day across the continent.
And, the dispatchers communication to our crew telling us all this was expected to happen was as simple as a Train Order stating, "EXA 567 WEST MEET EXA 2651 EAST AT MILBORN".  From that simple statement, everyone else knew what his job was.
-LD
Switching switches and fencesThe letter "S" on the switch stand probably means "Spring", when a train exits that end of the siding, a Head (front end) Brakeman doesn't have to throw the switch, the train's wheel flanges do the job, and the spring pushes the points back in place.
The extra fence on the left is probably to protect the railroad from wandering cattle on the side road, the field fence only protects from cattle out standing in their field.
Another Delano grand slamAs already pointed out, the switch is definitely a ‘spring switch,’ so designated by the letter “S" on the stand. There are two ways to go through a switch: facing point and trailing point movement. The Delano train had approached the switch as a facing point move, so called because the train faces the switch points as it comes near. Even though the switch is spring loaded, that characteristic is of no benefit to the Delano crew as the switch springs keep the points lined for the main. Hence, the switch must be operated by hand for a route into the siding, and restored for the main by hand once clear. Were Delano headed in the opposite direction, from siding to main, the spring loaded benefit would come into play. Even though the switch is lined for the main, coming out of the siding the wheel flanges compress the point springs such that the switch provides a perfectly safe route to the main. In such a case, the movement constitutes a ‘trailing point’ move. Historically, main line switches were by rule required to be lined for the main once a train was clear of them. Today, in dark track warrant territory a crew can be granted permission to leave a switch ‘wrong’ by checking box 21 on their track warrant. Computer assisted train dispatching will force a line 19 on opposing authority for a different train, requiring it to stop short of the switch before hand operating it.         
Spring into actionFor those not lucky enough to get a locomotive ride and view a spring frog in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWIB2iF6ld4
Sorry about the shaky video...I only had a few seconds to get the camera up and running.  This is video of switching done on the Oregon Pacific Railroad taking a loaded reefer car into the Helico spur in Milwaukie Oregon.
I would have expected that the AT&SF spring frog would have had a larger gap for the main than what is shown to keep wear down.  Spring frogs are one of the nicest things to operate over while on the main.  My speeder on several runs have ran main-main over these at speed and they are just the smoothest thing.  Such a pleasure compared to other regular frogs.
Also, here is a photo from the L.A. area of an old  Pacific Electric spring frog where the main line has the wide opening and the siding (to the left) has the closed side of the frog.
(The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)

Old Coal King: 1940
... Co. Lansford Colliery. Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/10/2020 - 4:49pm -

August 1940. "Carbon County, Pennsylvania. Houses and colliery from a street in Lansford." More specifically, the Old Company's Lehigh Navigation Coal Co. Lansford Colliery. Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
The NavigationThe Lehigh Coal Mine Company (1793) was leased to the Lehigh Coal Company in 1818 and merged with the Lehigh Navigation Company in 1820, being formally incorporated as Lehigh Coal and Navigation in 1822. LC&N built a canal along the Lehigh River from White Haven to Easton, finishing it in 1829. By 1871 LC&N owned a railroad along the same route. Gradually, LC&N leased its railroad properties to other railroads and concentrated on anthracite mining. In 1940 though, Lansford Colliery was served by LC&N-owned Lehigh & New England Railroad. 
In the early 1970's, LC&N sold its last colliery, the nearby Greenwood breaker, to Bethlehem Steel and went out of business. Not what you'd call a fly-by-night outfit.
Utilitarian equals ugly? Not back then, obviously. I have seen photos of much uglier (which were also newer) collieries. I am just wondering. Is that a shaft head or a breaker? 
But fancy having to clean all those windows. Not to mention with all that coal dust around. 
Dark ModeAn early example.
Thanks for coming out, Jack Delano I was born in Lansford. I had moved away by the age of 7 or so, but in many ways never left. It's fallen on hard times, but people hardly notice. As a coal patch town, its aspirations were always somewhat limited. On the other hand, they barely noticed the Great Depression, basically for the same reason. By the late '60s this thing was derelict and you could climb all over it. When visiting my grandparents I sometimes did. Lansford is home to the Hauto train tunnel, also derelict, and with some interesting stories attached to it.
No nothin' about coalWhy is that building so big? What went on in there?
Don't mine the messThis is not a mine -- the mines were scattered in the hills around here. LC&N had a network of 42-inch-gauge tramways that delivered the coal to this breaker. The shelf on the rear hillside is where the tramways delivered the raw anthracite, being hoisted up the ramps partly visible behind the top of the breaker.
Using a "sand flotation" method, the raw coal was mixed with sand in a cone shaped vessel, causing the heavier stone and slate debris to sink to the bottom, and allowing the coal to rise to the top of the cone and over the sides. The coal was then washed and graded and loaded into railcars for the trip to market, while the stone waste was removed and hauled to the dump.
Photos in "Lehigh & New England" by Ed Crist and John Krause (1980) show what appears to be the same breaker in the 1950s from the hillside at the rear, except they say it is LC&N's largest breaker, No. 6. (Mr. Krause should know, as he took the photos.) This also is where I got my information.
Sure is CleanMy impressions are that almost anything having to do with coal production is dirty and dusty. This building sure looks clean and tidy. Actually quite attractive.
(The Gallery, Jack Delano, Mining)

Gal Masque: 1942
... the gas mask factory." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Two wars later I found myself in a gas ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/04/2023 - 9:36pm -

June 1942. "Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland. Gas demonstration. Reconditioning gas masks at the gas mask factory." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size.
Two wars laterI found myself in a gas demonstration using real people (i.e., me). By that time the masks looked less like Harpo Marx and more like grasshoppers.
Old2023 minus 1942 is ... uhh ...
The Rite of PassageIn the US military an important part of everyone's basic training is going into the gas chamber (a small building) and removing the mask to feel the full impact of CS. It's not pleasant, to say the least.
Full Face RespiratorsI was certified on full-face respirators for almost 40 years.  By the time I started using them in 1980, there were no longer individual "eyes" on them, and you could, presumably, see much better out of them. Alas, you still had to get a good seal between your face and the rubber of the mask, and at best they were merely uncomfortable unless you had to do some actual physical labor while wearing them, in which case they were excruciatingly uncomfortable.  On numerous occasions I could literally pour the sweat out of my mask when I was done working.  Powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs) were not only more comfortable but provided a much better protection factor than the masks.  Still a pain in the butt, though.
(The Gallery, Factories, Jack Delano, WW2)

Yardman: 1942
... Chicago & North Western Railroad." Nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Man! What ... 
 
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)

Jim and Jack: 1943
... March 1943. "Conductor James M. Johnson and brakeman Jack Torbet having lunch in the caboose on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe ... Canadian, Texas." Medium-format nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. ATSF The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/14/2009 - 10:30am -

March 1943. "Conductor James M. Johnson and brakeman Jack Torbet having lunch in the caboose on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad between Waynoka, Oklahoma, and Canadian, Texas." Medium-format nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size.
ATSFThe wearing of trainman badges (Conductor, Brakeman) on a fedora style hat really seems to have been a Santa Fe thing that was not prevalent on other railroads.
That's a bad brim.The brakeman is sporting one very cool lid and I think he knows it.  Jack Delano does it once again.
Nice mug, buddyMy grandmother had those huge white stoneware mugs that could keep coffee hot for hours.  The glaze was crazed from decades of us.  When her farmhouse was emptied, I always regretted not snagging one of those.  They likely were thrown out.  I can't say much about the tin cup the other guy is using.  The heat conductivity would burn your fingers and lips, and you'd have to drink fast if you wanted anything hot.  The only time a metal cup was a good idea was dipping it into the milkhouse cooling trough for a cold drink. 
By the way, I've never seen anyone look more dapper in overalls, of all things, than this fellow.  It's as if he should break out in song after tapping out a rhythm on the table with his cup.
ToppersFedoras rock!
Warm TopperJust found another one of my grandfather's Kromers in a box of hats last night.  It's just like the one hanging on a nail behind the brakeman.
CaboosesA good friend retired from the railroad and was working when the caboose was still used. The railroad had the caboose as someplace for the workers to stay when they were not on shift. For long cross-country trips, the caboose was used for sleeping and recreation.  The railroads determined that this was a luxury for the workers and then eliminated the caboose. 
Nice Mug, Buddy reduxI agree with Jano on the mug.  As a potter, I looked at the bowls and mug first.  The bowls look like Japanese tea bowls, with a nice foot ring.  The mug reminds me of the days on the road as a musician drinking cup after cup of coffee from just such a mug.  Thick and heavy, they could keep a cup of coffee warm for hours.
They are the bright spot in the photo, in the center.  Whose hat is hanging on the wall?  This is a great photo with superb detail.
AT&SF trainmanMy grandfather, an AT&SF engineer during the same period these men helped get freight over the road, had his "Engineer" badge on a ten-gallon Stetson. After he exclusively ran diesels (this was in 1953, he was a passenger engineer), he switched over to a white hat just to make the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific engine crews envious of working conditions on the Santa Fe. I still have the hat and badge.
Worker's Paradise - NOT!The caboose was hardly a "luxury for the workers."  First up, it’s not the safest place on earth. Especially during steam days, the slack action (the front of the train starts before the back; the force of acceleration is transmitted and increases between cars) could be so severe that crewmen were thrown from their seats and injured — have also heard of cabooses being jolted so hard the stove broke loose from the floor. Rear end collisions were also a fact of life, adding to the danger.  In helper districts, it was possible to shove too hard and buckle the underframe. 
Cabooses in this period were assigned to a conductor; they didn't go "cross-country," but roughly 100+ miles between division points. The car served as office and lookout to increase safety, its function as bedroom and kitchen was secondary – engine crews stayed in nearby boarding houses or railroad hotels — train crews slept in the car, spotted on a designated caboose track in the yard or near engine service areas. Basically you never left your job, and yards were never quiet day or night. 
They added weight to trains, generated no revenue, added switching and maintenance costs and were basically wearing out by the 1980s. Technology and progress made it possible to eliminate them, much as diesels replaced steam. 
Mugs still availableGreat photo, and my eye went to the mugs as well.  These are still available.  I found my first one at the Original Cafe in L.A. in 1992.  Cost two bucks, and is (or was?) a place that Jim and Jack would recognize.  I have another which I bought maybe 5 years ago, at a restaurant supply store, for not much more.  The difference was that this one had the handle in the "wrong" place.

Thanks again for this great photo -- made my lunchtime today.  The coffee pot on the floor would look great in my kitchen, too.
Sweet vestThe guy on the right looks to be wearing a Brown's Beach Coat vest. Very nice piece of Americana workwear. The guy on the left is just pure style from his fedora to his railman boots. Love this photo.
This is a beauty.I LOVE SHORPY!
Jack's TimebookJack Torbet's railroad timebook is on exhibit at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon, Texas.  If I recall correctly, it's open to a page from WWII.  Timebooks are where railroaders keep a record of their trips for pay and tax purposes.  Apparently Mr. Torbert donated several items to the museum at some point.
Jeff Ford
Amarillo
(The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)

Tackle HQ: 1942
... Co.) on the Tennessee River." Acetate negative by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. July in Decatur I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2023 - 9:07pm -

July 1942. "Decatur, Alabama. War production center (Ingalls Shipbuilding Co.) on the Tennessee River." Acetate negative by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size.
July in DecaturI hope that the Princess is air conditioned.  From the bikes parked out front, I'm guessing Saturday afternoon, kids' matinee.  "Down Texas Way" sounds like good matinee fare.
The Princess Theater is Still ThereLoyd's Drug Store is gone. You can get Mellow Mushrooms on your pizza instead.

Down Texas WayThe sixth film of Monogram's eight-film series "The Rough Riders" has U. S. Marshals Buck Roberts (Buck Jones) and Tim McCall (Tim McCoy) coming to a Texas town to visit their friend, U.S. Marshal Sandy Hopkins (Raymond Hatton), only to learn that he has disappeared, and is suspected of the murder of John Dodge (Jack Daley), owner of practically the whole town, except the hotel Sandy owns and runs when he isn't on an assignment as a Marshal. 
Remnants remain
2nd Ave NE and E Moulton StreetBelow is the Street view today, looking north along 2nd Ave NE from the intersection at E Moulton.  The Princess Theater is still there, at 112 2nd Ave NE, as is the small, two story building just this side of it.  The building which housed Loyd's Drug Store is gone, replaced by new buildings containing two eateries and an architecture firm. In 1942 there was a barber shop on either side of the Princess, but none now.

The theater is still thereBut the rest of that corner has changed a bit.

(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Jack Delano, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)

Crane Man: 1942
... Company. A crane operator." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Could it be? ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/05/2023 - 3:15pm -

July 1942. "Decatur, Alabama. Ingalls Shipbuilding Company. A crane operator." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Could it be?Is that Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne?
A BeastLove this photo. Imagine how hot and noisy it must have been in there. Looking at the mechanicals this thing is just itching to take your body apart if you venture in there at the wrong time. Today most of what you see here is a lot cleaner looking design wise. An engine turning some pumps forcing hydraulic oil through the works, being manipulated by electronics. The minds that come up with this stuff. Amazing.
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Jack Delano, WW2)

String Theory: 1940
... Saint David, Maine." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Rise and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/30/2021 - 6:07pm -

October 1940. "Mrs. Baptiste Jendreau, wife of French-Canadian FSA (Farm Security Administration) client and potato farmer near Saint David, Maine." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
Rise and Run!Those stairs!
Grandma's Bobbins & Little GoblinsWhen I was about that tyke's age, I watched my grandmother use that same type of treadle Singer to make a frilly pink dress for my sister who was a year older. My grandmother taught all her 9 children to sew & most of her nearly-100 grandchildren, including me. She said it was something every person needed to know. I have a good sewing kit, a good pair of near-vision glasses & don't mind mending now & again.
Grandma did NOT have a spinning wheel. Thankfully none of us were ever expected to be THAT industrious.
I'd love to see where that stairway leads.
Sewing machinePretty sure my daughter has that exact machine (at least, the stand for it) in her basement. It came with the house she bought. Along with a large, very heavy, oak teacher's desk. Which will probably never leave the basement because it's so damn heavy!
So Much to See!I love the porcelain doorknobs, the spinning wheel and that family picture.  It's a shame we can't see that geometric floor tile in color.  I'll bet it was very busy!  And let's not forget the most important part:  the classic "Regnis" sewing machine she's using!  
Bilingual is BilingualI'm going to make two guesses about this photograph.
First, the woman at the sewing machine is the daughter of the woman in the photo on the wall.
Second, the woman at the sewing machine is speaking French with her son.  Saint David, Maine is about seven miles from the Canadian border.  In the mid 1980s I went to Presque Isle, Maine, about 40 miles south of Saint David, once a year to work at a bank.  One day in conversation the bank president commented he hadn't learned to speak English until he entered first grade.  I learned later that everyone on the bank staff spoke French in their homes and would be speaking French in the bank if my group wasn't there.  In Texas, where I grew up, if you substituted Spanish for French the average Texan would be way less impressed for some reason.
Jack DelanoHe was so talented. I'm in awe.
Singer seven-drawerLike this young fella, I learned to sew on a similar Singer about 65 years ago. My grandmother, a seamstress, was my instructor. This looks like a Singer seven-drawer cabinet with three drawers on each side and one in the middle, identical to my grandmother's, which is now in our home but rarely used. Today I use a BabyLock machine.
Ubiquitous SingerSeems no home from these depicted eras would be complete without a Singer treadle sewing machine.
The photo on the wall could be the mother's or father's parents? If so and it is a wedding era portrait would place the photo into around 1910, as the mother is probably not much older than 30 (mothers seemed to look older back then)
Look Out BelowThose are steep stairs, and no banister.
(The Gallery, Jack Delano, Kids, Kitchens etc.)

Eats, Liquors: 1943
... Santa Fe railyard." With much helpful signage. Photo by Jack Delano. View full size. +71 Here's the Liquors building, albeit from ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/01/2014 - 10:57am -

March 1943. "Ash Fork, Arizona. Pulling into the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railyard." With much helpful signage. Photo by Jack Delano. View full size.
+71Here's the Liquors building, albeit from a different angle. The well-camouflaged windowless brick building beyond the EATS sign still exists, as well. There is an encouraging amount of tree growth in the last seven decades, making it hard to see which humble bungalows survive.
View Larger Map
Long climb to WilliamsLooking east toward Bill Williams Mountain, and a little beyond that, the Navajo Army Depot, about a 2,000 foot climb from Ash Fork.  The Depot was the prime holding area for munitions heading to the Pacific Theater until it was moved to Nevada later in the War.
Ash Fork is known as a flagstone producing and shipping center and its population of 400 is still holding on.  The little town that could.
Why?This photo reminded me of a question from my youth (1950s) that nobody ever answered. Why do/did boxcars have those horizontal ridges on the ends? Were they to allow shelving? Were they an artifact of manufacturing? Or were they "just there"? Inquiring minds, etc.....
Those hills in the distanceare two miles away to the East, the tracks make a swing to the North and then a very circuitous route Eastward.
Escalante Hotel nearbyOff-camera (behind Delano, to the right) is one of the more notable Harvey House hotel/restaurant/depot complexes. Named the Escalante Hotel, it was constructed in 1907, and demolished in 1951. Only the boiler smokestack remains.  Also to the right is the path of Route 66 through downtown Ash Fork.  
Grainy - 35mm ?This photo is unlike any other Jack Delano photograph I have seen. Could this have been a "grab shot" with a 35mm camera?
[It's from a 2-1/4 square roll film negative, but presented here in greater magnification than many other Delano images shot in that format: 2700 pixels wide vs. 1900 for Women Wipers, for example. -tterrace]
[Or you can think of it as less reduced. The full-resolution image is 4252 pixels wide. - Dave]
Gulp & BlowIt looks like the 'Eats' shed and the 'Liquors' sign are strictly for the Railroad men - doesn't seem to be any access road around.
Another great Jack Delano railroad photoNote the collection of sand next to the standpipe on the adjoining rails. Obviously, steam engines with a train in tow would pull up and stop here for water. In order to get going again, the engineer would have to apply sand to the rails to overcome the inertia of getting his train back in motion. Nothing has changed, diesel locomotives have to carry sand for the same traction purposes too. It's still 'the steel wheel on the steel rail'. 
Regarding "Why?"These boxcar ends are all steel stampings designed to hold the roof, walls and floor together. The horizontal corrugations were intended to give the end strength to resist the force of the lading pushing against the end. Without them a shifting load might just deform the end enough to break the rivet joints and tear the end out of the car.
These patterns all have names to the students of railroad freightcars. These ends on Illinois Central 28465(?) are pretty standard dreadnaught ends (as opposed to improved dreadnaught ends), probably built by Standard Railway Supply. They were a two part end, with the upper and lower halves joined by a rivet strip between them. If you look at the gap just below the tack board on the right (used to tack messages regarding car destination or handling en route), you can pick out the riveted joint.
(The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)

The Buoys of Summer: 1942
... in swimming class at Boy Scout camp." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the U.S. Foreign Information Service. View full size. I spy ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2023 - 9:27pm -

July 1942. "Florence, Alabama (vicinity). Boys in swimming class at Boy Scout camp." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the U.S. Foreign Information Service. View full size.
I spy Jughead!The kid with the broken fingers could be a red-headed Archie. I'm not sure where Reggie is.
(The Gallery, Boy Scouts, Camping, Jack Delano, Kids)

Galewood Yard: 1943
... you're missing a lot). 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. This was probably one of This was probably one of thephotos Jack ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 9:27am -

April 1943. Galewood Yard of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) at Chicago. View full size (if you don't, you're missing a lot). 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano.
This was probably one ofThis was probably one of thephotos Jack took during a survey of american railroads during WWII for the Office of
War Information (OWI).  His work can be found in a great railroad book, the "Iron Horse at War" (out of print).
Delano railroad photosHi Jeff, 
Actually, a better place to find the Delano images is to head straight to the Library of Congress' website and doing a search for "Jack Delano". YOu want a full sized image? How about a 200 meg TIFF?
[You won't find anything on the LOC site like our full-size version of the image above. Plus, the LOC images are all uncorrected.- Dave]
RR yardGreat pict, Milw RR had some huge yd in Chicago, of interest would be how they unloaded & loaded the boxcars accross 5 tracks without platforms inbetween them, I bet they used ramps inbetween the cars so they could access them and save a lot of money on constucting many platforms. The cars would be spotted (placed) so the doors would line up with all 5 tracks. Just make sure the switch yd crew would do a good job of lining the cars up. I like the Alton car which looks just recently painted. I wonder if any of this yd is still around.
Galewood YardYes the yards are still there....or were a year ago. I retired from CMSt.P&P RR...I hired out on the Southeastern Division and  later transfered to the D&I and worked the suburban trains that ran right past theese yards. and you were correct about ramps...they bridged the distance with very hweavy constructions that were set in plase with forklift.
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)

Emporia Junction: 1943
... Fe train pulls into the yard." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Track Diagram ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/06/2014 - 1:28pm -

March 1943. "Emporia, Kansas. Passing Emporia Junction switch tower as the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe train pulls into the yard." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Track DiagramTrack diagram for Emporia Junction tower along with a bit of history here.
Mechanical Bits and BytesYou are looking at the 19th century's equivalent of a computer - mechanical style.  That large building, or "tower" is the CPU.  Inside, at the operators level upstairs, are several dozen 4 foot long levers - the equivalent of a keyboard for input.  One or two of each of these levers is connected by a system of rods and levers, called piping, to control the position of a railroad switch or signal up to half a mile away.  This piping can be seen running from the base of the tower, on supporting rollers parallel to the tracks.
At the remote switch, the motion of one lever would set the position of the switch, and the second lever would control a locking mechanism to assure that the switch had thrown properly and to lock it in position so it wouldn't accidentally change position under a moving train.
Downstairs in the tower was a system of vertical movable tappets, one for each lever, with a horizontal matrix of movable locking bars interfaced to the tappets.  At the junctions of the tappets and locking bars there were notches cut into the tappets into which dogs on the locking bars could fit to lock or unlock the tappet.  Dogs could be set as IF-THEN, OR, XOR, NOR, WHEN, and AND logic, to prevent setting up conflicting routes for train movements through the "interlocking" limits of the plant, and to allow the proper setting of signals to convey routing and speed information to the engineer of an approaching train.
A Solid State computer- VERY solid! LarryDoyle states the case very well. One minor detail: not all mechanical interlocking machines had their locking vertically below the floor; some had a horizontal 'bed' behind the machine.
This type of interlocking was known colloquially as an 'armstrong' plant - nothing to do with a Mr. (or Mrs.) Armstrong! I can speak from a very mild dose of experience - I am helping to restore such a tower in East Stroudsburg, PA. It is not connected to anything, but even so, my arms get tired.
I love Jack Delano train photosThis is where my old head lays as I do miss the big steam days. Gosh, I’m working on a HO brass 4-8-4 Northern right now.
I remember it well!When I was 18 I worked for British Rail as a conductor guard (as it was known back then) and I remember the tower and having to visit one on my training course. I also remember the old style signals you see in this photo.
One of my tasks as a conductor guard trainee was to alight the tower when one of the signals failed and set off cap detonators on the tracks to warn the oncoming trains.
I never had to do this, fortunately, since the signals were well maintained by the signalmen who religiously made sure they worked well all the time.
Thanks for stirring such wonderful memories.
Computer trains Many thanks to "signalman" and "LarryDoyle". I lived by yards in Chicago and would occasionally see men at the end of trains throwing switches. I thought that was how it was done, period. To see such a complex integrated system back in the forties....well, I never knew. Thanks once again to Shorpy and followers for this fascinating piece of historical knowledge. 
KansasHow evocative!  I can almost feel the early spring wind blowing.
(The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)

Scenic Route: 1941
... Vermont -- the main street." Medium format negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. ... its own World's Fair ? (The Gallery, Gas Stations, Jack Delano, Small Towns) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/02/2019 - 4:40pm -

September 1941. "Tunbridge, Vermont -- the main street." Medium format negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
"Credit" cardsI grew up in the late '40s and early '50s in Anaheim.  I always remember that my parents always and only purchased Mobilgas. They used an "IBM" punch card with their name and account data. You'd give the attendant the book of IBM cards, they'd enter the amount and $, Mom or Dad would sign the card, tear it off the stub and give it to the dealer.  As I recall this was Mobil Oil's credit system all the way into the 1960s, maybe slightly longer.  A statement would come in the mail and payment was made by check in a return envelope.
Streetview vs DelanoThe Delano picture is classic Norman Rockwell, while Google Streetview is depressing rural America that could easily be West Virginia or Pennsylvania. The interesting thing is that, unlike a lot of Shorpy, most of the buildings in the Delano shot are in the Streetview shot (the dilapidated building on the left is gone).
But Delano is using a lens that puts the buildings closer together than what we see in Streetview, and the gas station signs -- which would have been considered defacement of proud colonial buildings in 1940 -- look quaint to our eyes. Also, we sense an active community life in the Delano pictures. Tunbridge 2012 just looks dead (and defaced by some unfortunate post-1940 modifications).
Photography is art -- not just representation. Here lives an example of that.
The competitionI wonder if the Hutchinses of the grocery store and the Pattersons of the general store were friendly-like to each other.
Tunbridge Today
Real Ice CreamI'm glad to see Patterson's general store is serving real ice cream and not that fake stuff.
Credit Cards, in 1941?The biggest surprise for me is that Mobilgas accepts credit cards! I did not realize there were credit cards in 1941. I was born in 46, and don't remember my parents having a credit card before the late '50s early '60s!
[Retail merchant credit cards (as opposed to general purpose bank cards) got their start in the 1920s. - Dave]
VT 110Apparently the Vermont Route 110, scenic for the many covered bridges I suppose. The Howe, Cilley, Mill, Larkin and Flint Covered Bridges in the Tunbridge Village Historic District.
And did you know that Tunbridge has its own World's Fair?
(The Gallery, Gas Stations, Jack Delano, Small Towns)

Thursday Weld: 1942
... Vultee Aircraft Corporation plant." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the U.S. Foreign Information Service. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2023 - 6:09pm -

August 1942. "Nashville, Tennessee. Welding parts for fuel pumps. Vultee Aircraft Corporation plant." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the U.S. Foreign Information Service. View full size.
Tuesday Tuesday's ThaliaWhen 'The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis' premiered on CBS on September 29, 1959 (a Tuesday). actress Tuesday Weld (born Susan) played Thalia Menninger. That Ms. Weld (though perhaps not the welder) is still with us.
Tip of the hat to Dave for the brain-twisting caption.
Hitler, Tojo and MussoliniHad no idea what they were up against.
Would it be to brazento ID the young woman as brazing?
(The Gallery, Aviation, Factories, Jack Delano, Nashville, WW2)

Young Tacker: 1942
... tacker working on one of the barges." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Superb ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/18/2023 - 10:02pm -

July 1942. "Decatur, Alabama. Ingalls Shipbuilding Co. A young tacker working on one of the barges." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Superb photographic portraitYosuf Karsh, move over; Jack Delano is one up with this striking environmental portrait.  I wonder if the subject's family has a copy of this image. I hope so. It would obviously be a family treasure to be handed along through generations as a memento, but also as an exceptional work of art. Kudos to Delano or whoever printed the image, as well.
[Nobody printed it. These are all inverted scans of negatives. - Dave]
Wartime FashionI can imagine this on the cover of Esquire. “Functional and sturdy have replaced stylish and elegant for the duration."
Ummmmmmm!Wow!  What a man!
My comment is wrong!I need to delete it and repost!!
Wow!This is just an iconic portrait of the working man. I’m dumbfounded that it’s never been printed!
No need for wordsThe Baby Boom explained in a single image!
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Jack Delano, WW2)

Locomotive Dreams: 1942
... North Western Railroad yard." Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. View full size. Absolutely beautiful The light, the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/23/2017 - 12:08pm -

December 1942. "Locomotives in the roundhouse at a Chicago and North Western Railroad yard." Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. View full size.
Absolutely beautifulThe light, the composition, the atmosphere, it's breathtaking, almost like a rendering
PerfectWow, just perfect!
Just beautifulI agree with the other comments. You couldn't paint this scene any better. Terrific lighting, atmosphere and composition. Fine art in the roundhouse. You can almost smell the coal smoke and steam.
Organic FlooringI believe that the floor surface depicted here is wood block.
Similar to cobblestones, long wood blocks were placed with the grain in a vertical orientation, and were remarkably durable, albeit somewhat lumpy.
As a young lad ca. 1959, my father pointed out to me the old driveway of a family member in East Hollywood, California - it was wood block.
Delano's Masterwork? This is one of the greatest photos on the site. 
Wood block flooringIn my youth I inspected fire damage to some rooms in the old St. Louis Post-Dispatch building on 12th Street.  One room was floored with wood blocks.  Fire fighting water had expanded the blocks so that they were humped up as much as a foot or more above the concrete floor like the waves in the sea.  I walked on that surface.  The sides of each block had slots to accommodate long strips of corrugated metal.  Those strips held the blocks together.  Wood block flooring was common in machine shops, printing press rooms and the like. 
Wood block flooring at GPOThe only place I've ever seen flooring like that is at the old Government Printing Office in downtown DC. I remember liking the look of it.
I guess the original purpose, at least in that building, was to lessen the noise of large printing presses. I don't know whether printing is done there now. When I was last there, in the mid-1990s, I don't recall seeing or hearing presses running.
Cushioned flooring?I was recently given a tour of the NASA-Ames center in Mountain View, CA, and saw a similar wood block floor in a 1940s lab building. When I commented on it, one of the engineers said the wood blocks cushioned any tools that might fall off a workbench, as opposed to the damaging effect of landing on a concrete floor.
Wood?If that's a big pile of ashes under the fire it suggests this is not wood but rather stone.  All that oil-soaked wood would have gone up in flames faster than an early 20th century resort hotel.
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)

Wheel of Fire: 1943
... 1943. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. Fire Wheel Great picture would like to see more RR shop pictures ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 11:59am -

Re-tiring a locomotive driver wheel in the Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe railway shops at Shopton, near Fort Madison, Iowa. March 1943. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano.
Fire WheelGreat picture would like to see more RR shop pictures
Delano PictsDid Jack work for the Santa Fe RR, or was he an avid railfan like many of us are especially me? I know you told me that he passed away 10 yrs ago, has his family saved and ever thought of giving his great pictures to Trains & Railfan mags? How were you able to get the photos? I'd like to know more about jack and who he was and how he lived.
[Have you tried the Internets? Google. Wikipedia. - Dave]
Fire WheelThis is an interesting shot but I believe the picture should be rotated 90 degrees clockwise. The heavy steel support illuminated below the flames is a stand that supports the axle and keeps the wheel off the ground. Notice the flames also point to the left (up). Nevertheless, this is a beautiful example of a common maintenance procedure on a steam locomotive. The steel tire is separate from the cast steel wheel center. The inside of the tire is machined several thousandths of an inch smaller than the wheel center. It's heated by fire from a ring of gas pipe. As the tire gets hot, it expands and is then driven onto the cooler wheel center by workmen with sledge hammers. It's then clamped into position and allowed to cool and shrinks tightly on the wheel. Jack Delano's photography captures the essence of railroading of this era with elegance and sensitivity.
[The wheel has been rotated. Below, a clearer view of the procedure. - Dave]

This process was also knownas "sweating" on a tire.
These series of photos are fantastic!
Ring of Fire explained:Comments from a friend -
Many's the night I supervised that same operation at Enola Enginehouse machine shop when we sweated new tires onto the P5 wheels.  (GG1s had smaller wheels with tires but those were all done at Wilmington.)
The trick was, after the wheel cooled down to room temp. (after removing the tire) you had to measure WITH A MICROMETER, the outside diameter of the wheel to .001 inch.  Then you had to measure the inside diameter of the tire also to .001 inch.  As if that wasn't difficult enough, if it was cold outside and somebody opened the barn door the tire or wheel could change diameter and blow the entire exercise.
If the tire was too large, we had to choose the correct thickness of shim and insert it between the tire and the wheel while heating the tire with a flame.
Today that is all a lost art.  Occasionally we'd get the tire too tight on the wheel and it would snap.  Also tires would come loose during service.  If the inspector suspected a tire was loose, he'd put a chalk mark across the tire and wheel and watch it when it came back onto the pit and see if the chalk line still matched up.
The P5s and GG1s didn't have dynamic brakes so the enginemen rode the independent brake a lot on the downgrades.
WDV
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads)

Vengeance Is Ours: 1942
... Vultee Aircraft Corporation plant." Acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Vultee was busy After the U.S. entry into ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2023 - 4:30pm -

August 1942. "Nashville, Tennessee. Production of 'Vengeance' (V72) dive bombers. Assembly line at the Vultee Aircraft Corporation plant." Acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size.
Vultee was busyAfter the U.S. entry into WW2 Vultee's factory in Downey CA was busy building BT 13 Valliant trainers and so production for the V72 (also more commonly known as the A-31 and later an upgraded version A-35) was moved to the Stinson factory in Nashville. Most went to the RAF, RAAF, India, and the Free French. The A-31's were generally considered obsolete by the USAAF and those supplied to the U.S., were used for training not combat. By the end of production in 1944, 1,931 Vengeances had been built. 
(The Gallery, Aviation, Factories, Jack Delano, Nashville, WW2)

Desk Job: 1942
... agricultural and industrial uses." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the U.S. Foreign Information Service. View full size. ... - Dave] (The Gallery, Industry & Public Works, Jack Delano) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/06/2023 - 9:16pm -

August 1942. "Tennessee Valley Authority. Generator hall of the powerhouse at Chickamauga Dam. Located near Chattanooga, 471 miles above the mouth of the Tennessee River, the dam has an authorized power installation of 81,000 kilowatts, which can be increased to a possible ultimate of 108,000 kw. The reservoir at the dam adds 377,000 acre-feet of water to controlled storage on the Tennessee River system. The power that goes out over its 154,000 volt transmission line serves many useful domestic, agricultural and industrial uses." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the U.S. Foreign Information Service. View full size.
MegaWhatThose are the largest hard drives I've ever seen!
Minimal architecture, maximum powerHere is the outside of the Chickamauga Dam powerhouse. Swing to the right to see electricity leaving the plant, powering thousands of computer screens upon which users enjoy viewing Shorpy.

No way we were going to loseNo way we would have lost WW2. A country than can build huge power generating facilities like this prior to WW2. I mean you have to admit it's pretty awesome what our grandparents achieved and during a depression.
[More than that -- TVA hydropower was what generated the vast quantities of electricity needed by the Manhattan Project's uranium enrichment plants at Oak Ridge.  - Dave]
(The Gallery, Industry & Public Works, Jack Delano)

Ice House: 1943
... of almost 15,000 tons." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Always ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2023 - 11:35am -

January 1943. Blue Island, Illinois. "Inside the ice storehouse of the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad near Chicago. It has a storage capacity of almost 15,000 tons." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Always wondered, now I know -- thanks ShorpyI've always wondered what it was like inside those giant cold storage ice warehouses you see in so many old warehouse districts in the USA. I assume all of this ice shown in the pic was sawn out of Lake Michigan.
Strong guyWonder what one of those slabs weighs -- 300 pounds? Or more?
Passengers, too!Some of the 'heavyweight' passenger cars of the era were cooled by recirculating the chilled ice water through coils in the air conditioning system. PRR photo.
The way it used to beFor sure, the railroads used ice for their own purposes. Creameries also usually had their own ice house attached for icing down the milk in season. In the days before mechanical refrigeration, private homes needed natural ice for their "ice boxes", and that ice came from natural sources.
In some sections of the country, the railroads ran solid trains of ice from the collection points to city ice houses. They used reefers and even boxcars for the service.
If an ice house burned to the ground (not such a rare event), the resulting mound of remaining ice that survived might take a full year to melt.
Big chillThe reason that a railroad needed "icing" facilities was that refrigerator cars - "reefers" (before those became something you smoked) used ice for cooling. That particular railroad connected to the Chicago stockyards and so probably shipped a lot of refrigerated loads.
Ice makersIt surprised me to see ice harvests this late, so i found an article here:
1. Until the invention of mechanical ice makers, ice was the second-largest export from the US (after cotton).
2. Ice harvesting continued on into the 1950s.
(The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)

Industrial Winter: 1942
... Chicago. December 1942. View full size. Kodachrome by Jack Delano. Camera: 4x5 Graflex Speed Graphic. Great pict Would anyone know ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:01pm -

Chicago & North Western railyard, Chicago. December 1942. View full size. Kodachrome by Jack Delano. Camera: 4x5 Graflex Speed Graphic.
Great pictWould anyone know where this was taken from? The yard tower perhaps? How many steamers are in hte picture, any guess?
Delano Yard PhotoThis is C&NW's Proviso Yard in Chicago, shot from the Ill. Route 83 Bridge. If you look closely at the steamers in the near horizon, you can see the characteristic C&NW 'bowtie' herald on the tenders. Also, in the near foreground, at about 3 o'clock, you can just make out the Indiana Harbor Belt herald on the side of the tender. He is there either making a pickup, or has just finished his delivery, and is waiting to pick up transfer cars for Gibson Yard on the NYC, or any of the other roads the IHB interchanged with. 
ProvisoThis is NOT taken from "Rte. 83 bridge" - which doesn't exist! This is looking east into Yard 4 and Yard 2 from the east end of the Yard 5 light tower which still stands just south of the Diamond at the east end of the Yard 5 Yard Office behind the Diesel Shop at Proviso.
The closest 'steamer' is sitting on present-day Track 10 in Yard 4....the Yard Office currently stands to the far left, farther north and out of the picture...the long, red-walled shed that is there in this picture is long gone, as is the shanty to the south of the Diamond, which is just out of the picture (bottom) to the west.
The bridge in the distance is the Mannheim Road Bridge, which was last rebuilt in 1999.
You want a guided tour of Proviso on a remote-controlled engine ? Stop by the East 5 Yard Office any day except Sunday or Monday and ask for me.
[Hello, FlangeSqueal. One of our readers would like to take you up on the tour offer. Do you have a method of getting in touch so that they can arrange the visit? - Ken]
Proviso YardNo, you cannot see Proviso from Route 83, which is way west of the yard. But FlangeSqueal is correct. This photo is looking east towards Yards 4 and 2. All the way to the right of the photo would be Track 18, Yard 2 and the third track from the left would be Track 1 of Yard 4. The two straight tracks to the very left would be 20 and 19 main (respectively) and where you see that container to the bottom left would be the east end of the East 5 yard office parking lot. Those old iron light towers are still there today.
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
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