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Night Moves: 1941
... Bogart, George Raft, Ida Lupino and Ann Sheridan. The railroads got smarter It's true, the boxcars equipped for hauling autos were ... Things were so bad that by the end of the 1950s, the railroads had largely lost the new car trade. However, by the mid 1960's ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/04/2018 - 5:19pm -

April 1941. "Auto convoy trucks at service station near Chicago." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Plymouths and DodgesWe see here an assortment of 1941 Plymouths and Dodges. The two cars on the back end of the truck on the left are Plymouths, and the two sedans in the back, on the backs of trucks (one is a light-colored sedan, covered with a tarp) are Dodges. While trucks got larger, so did rail cars for auto transport. First, open cars that could carry as many as 15 cars, and later, the enclosed cars we see today, that deter vandalism and theft of parts during transport. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autorack Fin-ish ahead of their timeCars that can been seen well enough despite all the canvas look to be 1941 Dodge Custom Town Sedans. If you look closely at the rear of the first light-colored car from the left, you'll see a harbinger of Chrysler Corp. things to come: fins! '41 PlymouthsLooks like a load of '41 Plymouths. Whoever bought them would be probably holding onto them for a few years due to war production starting in '42. My wife's great uncle had a '42 Plymouth with no chrome trim. He still had it in his barn when he died about 5 years ago. Still had the last inspection tag on it from 1969. They Drive by Night ...1940 movie with Humphrey Bogart, George Raft, Ida Lupino and Ann Sheridan. The railroads got smarterIt's true, the boxcars equipped for hauling autos were limited capacity, and it was easy to damage the merchandise. Things were so bad that by the end of the 1950s, the railroads had largely lost the new car trade. However, by the mid 1960's the railroads were getting that work back. Today, a single, long multi level auto carrier with vandal resistant covering can carry 12 to 20 new cars. The highway auto carrier you see is delivering new cars to the dealers or wholesale/distributors from a railroad facility. (That is, unless you live close to an assembly plant.) A solid train of auto racks can carry 800 or more new vehicles; that's a lot of trucks off the road. Look Out, Railroads!Looks fly-by-night, but it was the future. The railroads held most of this traffic at the time, but it was in specially-equipped boxcars that tended to hold just four autos. The truckers had the same capacity, but a faster transit time and the ability to deliver to the customer no matter where they were located. Eventually the trucks got bigger. New AutomobilesThese were probably some of the last civilian autos produced in 1941. Car plants were converting to wartime production of everything but cars: jeeps, trucks, tanks, and even heavy bombers. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chicago, Gas Stations, Russell Lee)
Railroad Pageant: 1939
... shell to PRR K-4 #3768, the engine on the left. Railroads on Parade Washington Post, September 24, 1939. Celeste ... Many Interesting Exhibits. Don't miss “Railroads on Parade,” the colorful pageant of the iron horses of the past ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/17/2013 - 4:39pm -

May 27, 1939. "New York World's Fair, railroad pageant. Final curtain, locomotives." Large-format negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. It does my heart goodMy reaction to this image of locomotives was "Wow!" They look absolutely beautiful. I may just have to put this print on my wish list. What did one locomotive say to the other?Want to get together and blow off some steam? End of that eraThe streamliner steam engine on the left represented 1939's top technology, while the old timer on the right recalled the 100-year railroad past at that time. But within 15 years, both engine types would be replaced by first-generation diesels, which still rule the rails today. Rare ShotThis is the largest photograph I've ever seen of a Lackawanna 4-6-4. I'm guessing she was red trimmed in gold? Would love to see more shots taken that day, particularly if they feature the star of the fair, Pennsylvania Railroad's S-1 duplex type, a one-million pound passenger engine that ran at full speed before the crowd with its drivers positioned on rollers. It had a very similar streamlined shell to PRR K-4 #3768, the engine on the left. Railroads on Parade Washington Post, September 24, 1939. Celeste Weyl. Transportation Area of World's Fair Offers Visitor Many Interesting Exhibits. Don't miss “Railroads on Parade,” the colorful pageant of the iron horses of the past and the streamlined engines of today. In 16 scenes and actual settings and costumes of the early days, actors, horses, covered wagons, stage coaches, oxen, mules and locomotives, you see the importance of transportation in the opening of this continent. Starting over 110 years ago, at the New York water-front, in the covered wagon era, the parade of actors, chorus and ballet tells the story of America's conquest of the wilderness. Below is a fantastic 16mm Kodachrome film of “Railroads on Parade,” by Gustave Martens, posted to YouTube by his grandson. It lacks the Grand Finale but is clearly the same set. Beautiful color. Looks Can Be DeceivingThe locomotive on the right is actually newer and more modern that the one on the left. The Raymond Loewy styled Pennsylvania 4-6-2 was built in 1920 and streamlined later. The Lackawanna 4-6-4 was built just the previous year in 1938. One visible advancement in the photo, are the cast driving wheels on the Hudson, versus the old spoked drivers on the Pennsy K-4. A great seriesThis is just part of a great series of photos on the LoC's American Memory Gottscho-Schleisner series. As for the 1939 World's Fair, sadly, idealism and optimism turned into cruel reality with the beginning of World War II. The Polish and Czechoslovak exhibits didn't reopen for 1940, and some Europeans were unable to return home after the fair closed. World's largest locomotiveThe Lackawanna Hudson here is 1151 and was renumbered "1939" specifically for this fair. In 1940 it was remodeled (with feathers painted on the streamlining) and renumbered "1940". Also designed by Raymond Loewy was the 6-4-4-6 configuration S-1 mentioned by Lost World as running on rollers at the fair. Its speed was a constant 60 mph, all day, and it was the prototype for what the Pennsylvania Railroad intended to replace its fleet of K4 locomotives, which were introduced in 1914. Constructed in the PRR’s Altoona shops (very probably my father, a 38-year PRR employee, worked on it) and completed shortly before the fair, it was the largest locomotive ever built at 304 tons and just over 140 feet long. [OK, second largest. Thank you, Bob100. But it was the longest.] It was too big for most of the Pennsy trackage and less than half of its weight was on its drive wheels, two factors which gave it a very short career. The majestic S-1 was retired in 1945 and scrapped in 1949. Here’s Raymond Loewy and the S-1. Incidentally streamlined outer panels on locomotives did little for performance and got in the way of routine maintenance. Driving wheelsAlthough they look different, the driving wheels on both locomotives are cast. Re: World's Largest LocomotiveWhile a very large machine, this one is not quite the largest. That honor would go to the 4-88-4 ALCO Big Boy which ran on the UP. Rated at 6,290 hp, it weighed 548 tons. It was followed closely by the 2-66-6 Allegheny built by the Lima Locomotive Works which generated more horsepower at 7,638 but was 4 tons lighter. The C & O Railroad and the Virginian Railway employed these monsters hauling coal. There are several of both of these locomotives on static display. The third largest, the 4-66-4 ALCO Challenger weighs in at 485 tons and rated at 6,200 hp. It ran on the UP and there is one still active on excursion service. It makes my heart race just watching videos of these machines pounding along the track. I've been around a few steamers, mostly Shays used in logging, and one thing that has always stood out is the feeling that you are near a living being. Listen closely to the sounds associated with steam engines, especially a locomotive. It's like you can hear it breathe. No wonder that so many crewmen grew attached to their machine. Each one had its own peculiar sounds due to pop valve configurations, expansion and contraction, exhaust valves, whistle, &c. Probably the nearest any manmade machine will ever come to being lifelike. (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC, Railroads)
Westbound Freight: 1943
... Office? Jack Delano seemed to specialize in photo's of railroads (and this one in particular) during WWII. But why? Historic ... from natural gas drilled in Texas. Why Photograph Railroads WWII honed logistics to a science. We had never fought a war of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/05/2012 - 6:08pm -

March 1943. "Chillicothe, Illinois. Changing crews and cabooses of a westbound freight along the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad." Medium-format safety negative by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. Why the War Information Office?Jack Delano seemed to specialize in photo's of railroads (and this one in particular) during WWII. But why? Historic revelationMy dad started in Chillicothe, Il for the Santa Fe in 1939 as a switchman, by 1943 he was in Britain with the American army railway division headed to France after D-Day. Even as cold as it looks in this photo I am sure he would rather have been in Illinois. Lighter Than AirAnother wonderful railroad scene. You can almost feel the chill. It's hard to tell from this angle, but the fourth and fifth cars in front of the cabin, (caboose to you non-Pennsy fans), look very much like helium cars. These fairly rare cars were used by the U.S. Navy to ship helium gas for their "Blimp" fleet. They consisted of multiple horizontal tanks on a specialized flat car. Their use was discontinued shortly after the war so they really date the photo. He's a good photographer!Man, that Jack Delano had an eye for a photo. Helium tank carsHelium tank cars were in use at least into the 70's. It is used in a variety industrial and medical applications. The U.S. had the monopoly on helium which was drawn from natural gas drilled in Texas. Why Photograph RailroadsWWII honed logistics to a science. We had never fought a war of such magnitude, and documenting the inner workings of the nation as it converted to war production was valuable for tactical reasons. Virtually everything needed by a modern industrial nation and military had to move incredible distances in a short time. Railroads were the only long-distance, all-weather, heavy-duty transportation system available and they hauled everything from staples to Sherman tanks. Trucks were used, but with a national 35mph speed limit, plus gas and tire rationing, cross-country haulage as we take it for granted now was limited. As propaganda, these photos showed our enemies we could make guns and butter at the same time. And in the end, our ability to out-produce and move supplies ultimately secured victory. I believe the Office of War Information grew directly out of the Farm Home Administration photo project, where Delano had worked during the Depression. He was simply on assignment (he really wasn't railfan as we know them now, although his work is still very much appreciated and respected by us) when he took these photos. He later wrote a book "The Iron Horse at War" showcasing his cross-country wartime rail travels, in black and white photos. It's not well known, but railroads also had an agenda in publicizing these photos. The War Powers act allows the government to nationalize and operate critical infrastructure (like the railroads) during a national emergency — this occurred after the US entered WWI, and the resulting United States Railroad Administration is still cited as an example of government ineptitude to this day. Railroads wanted to avoid this at all costs and made no secret of the fact they were doing twice the work with half the equipment they had in 1917 at every opportunity. AT&SF Ry It was the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, not AT&SF Railroad. The Office of War Information seems to have consistently mangled this particular bit of information. that looks a lot like thethat looks a lot like the shot from "Days of Heaven" Tramp?I find it interesting that there is a man with his valise standing on the right of way. I suspect he was going to hitch a ride. On the Road AgainNot a tramp — that's likely the conductor waiting at trackside. The waycar (caboose) is carrying marker lamps, so technically this is now a train. The switcher has completed its shove and come to a full stop, so it’s safe for the man on the ground to climb aboard. He's bent over slightly and has his right hand around the handle, so I'm guessing he's picking up his bag. While a crew would work between division point terminals roughly 100 or so miles apart, they could be on duty up to 16 continuous hours during this era (very common during the war with the volume of traffic and shortages of manpower). Crews would be away from their home terminal for several days, so they carried everything they needed in a small suitcase or "grip" in railroad slang. I believe waycars were still assigned to conductors at this time (that's why they would be changed), so he and the rear brakeman would live in the car until they got home. The talented Mr. DelanoI was intrigued to learn, via Wikipedia, that Jack Delano was also a classical composer of some note, including an early experimenter with electronic music techniques. Also a film director. And related by marriage to Ben Shahn. He was born in Ukraine (birth name Ovcharov), and grew up in Pennsylvania. (Shorpy's capsule biography of him is not quite accurate: he was 9 when his family emigrated, well before the Depression.) For the last fifty years of his long life (1914-1997) he lived in Puerto Rico, where he made use of local folk material in his ballet and choral compositions. Helper AssignmentSince the picture was labeled as Chillicothe, it would most likely be that we are seeing the helper engine coupling onto a westbound Santa Fe train that is about to climb Edelstein Hill. After the shove up the hill, the helper and crew would back down from Edelstein to the Chillicothe Yard. This line is double tracked. Besides the engine crew, the helper would have carried a flagman (brakeman). That is my take on this picture. An excellent exposure and composition. USRA locomotive designs were classics"the resulting United States Railroad Administration is still cited as an example of government ineptitude to this day" Oh? Perhaps in rabidly pro-corporate and anti-government circles, but aside from the Ayn Randies many people recognized that the USRA delivered some classic locomotive designs, as well as promoting coordinated planning. Railroad management was rarely cooperative unless colluding to screw their customers. And not just a turn of the century thing, either - look at the crooks that looted the Penn-Central years later. Helper serviceThe caption is probably correct. Almost assuredly the locomotive is changing cabooses or making some sort of switching move on the rear of the train. The caboose looks like an old wooden style so a helper locomotive would have to be cut in ahead of it. Also, if it were a helper, the markers would have to be placed on the rear of that locomotive, not the rear of the caboose. Caboose changeSeason's greetings from Germany. It certainly is a change of caboose. The switcher in the picture had just taken off the old caboose - a Sante Fé with number 1860 - and crew, while having pushed the new caboose coupled to its front and dropped off the new crew there in the coldness. Now the switcher again has returned only with the now-empty new caboose - A.T.S.F. 1743. The last of the three crew members picks up his bags and climbs aboard while the switcher puts into reverse and is ready to leave. I am the proud owner of Delanos picture book with the above information. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Defect Detective: 1943
... and the green flags denote another section following. Railroads when they were interesting. Still Run BNSF still runs these on ... today The trend for a long time has been for the major railroads to sub out all the work they can, and most of this sort of defect ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/06/2024 - 3:59pm -

March 1943. "Kiowa, Kansas. An Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe rail detector car. These cars are actually traveling scientific instruments, which not only detect faulty rails but also record the place and extent of the defect." Photo by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. No GPS?Amazing what our forefathers came up with prior to digital technology and satellites. It's official.This two car combination is considered to be a train. The end facing the camera has Classification lights on the front sides and the other end has Marker lights on the back sides, making it an official train. It also has a flag behind each classification light. I can't determine what color they are. If they are white, it is considered to be an "extra" movement, probably Extra 9165. If they are green, it may be an advanced section of a scheduled train and the green flags denote another section following. Railroads when they were interesting. Still RunBNSF still runs these on that route, usually as a conventional locomotive, a heavy tank car (for weight) and a passenger-like car following with instruments taking observations. Called geometry trains. Subcontracted todayThe trend for a long time has been for the major railroads to sub out all the work they can, and most of this sort of defect detection today is done by Sperry Rail Service. I caught this Sperry car along U.S. 33 in Elkhart, Indiana, on June 6, 2021 doing this job. It was originally built as a New York Central "Doodlebug" in 1928! (Technology, The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Levee Work: 1903
... R.R.s Can anyone identify the A&V and S.I.C.V. railroads? Reporting Mark I've only been able to find the A&V which ... Thanks for showing us a long-gone New Orleans. The railroads are the Alabama & Vicksburg, which ran between Meridian and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 4:35pm -

New Orleans, Louisiana, circa 1903. "Mule teams on the levee." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Keep OffIt seems the only way to get this photo was to disobey the signs. JAXThe brewery has the only public washrooms in the French Quarter, a dangerous situation in a city that sells beer on the streets! Jax BreweryThe Brewery is now shops. BreathtakingThe photographer had a true artist's eye. R.R.sCan anyone identify the A&V and S.I.C.V. railroads? Reporting MarkI've only been able to find the A&V which was the Alabama & Vicksburg. The SICL (not SICV) is a mystery. All that's leftbesides the Jax Brewery is one of the four industrial buildings about midway down the levee (and the corner of Clay and Bienville) and I think that's the spire of St. Patrick's Church in the background. Thanks for showing us a long-gone New Orleans. The railroadsare the Alabama & Vicksburg, which ran between Meridian and Vicksburg. It later became part of the Illinois Central's greater Meridian to Shreveport line. The road has quite the history; it was first proposed in the 1830s. As for the SICL (figuring this out took me a good half-hour), it's the Southern Iron Car Line, which according to The Railway Age of December 9, 1904, was a freight car provider. (The Gallery, DPC, Horses, New Orleans, Railroads)
Section Gang: 1943
... Mercer. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Native Americans, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/30/2024 - 12:52pm -

March 1943. "Cajon, California. Indian section gang working on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad track." Photo by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. Pursed lipsProve that rail is definitely heavy. How many do they need?Good a guess as any: the 39-foot rail weighs 112 pounds per yard, so say 1,500 pounds total with the tongs. What do they have, 16 guys carrying it? But no doubt they try to manage with fewer, now and then anyway. What tribe? Which rail location?I'm reading Tony and Anne Hillerman novels, set in New Mexico, and each tribe can instantly recognize another's heritage, Navajo or Hopi or Pueblo, etc. What tribe might these be, and what part of the country? [Read. The. Caption. - Dave] [I. Did. Dave.] What tribe was my wondering. Somethings not rightI agree - it looks staged for the photo. The front group of men are taking a step while the rear group don't even appear to have their end of the rail off the ground yet (or just barely). Facial expressions on the lead men looks like they're just about to break out laughing. I don't like the look of that supervisorHe's wearing what my generation knew as a drill-sergeant's hat. An appropriate association, because railroad section gangs, typically minorities or immigrants, and sometimes convicts, were subject to harsh discipline. Section gangs were also called 'gandy dancers', the 'gandy' being a five-foot iron lever used to align track as the crew moved forward. All the gangs used chants or songs to coordinate movement. But the term 'gandy dancers' has become specifically associated with southern Black crews whose moves achieved balletic coordination. The original of folklore legend John Henry may have been a gandy dancer. Heavy!That section of rail probably weighed about 68 pounds per foot. No wonder it took a lot of men to carry it. Straining or laughing?I see some guys trying not to laugh while they are participating in a staged shot. [This is not in any way "staged." - Dave] @louJudsonYou'll learn not to ask questions, lest you run afoul of Mr. Pedantic. The real "Gandy"There was a famous shovel manufacturer, The Gandy Company. Hence, the Gandy dancer track worker waltzing with his shovel all day. Their catalog contained many two-hand tools designed for railroad trackwork. On the ground, we see two such items: a large track bolt wrench and a spike puller. To the men doing the work, the spike puller was known as a "Roadmaster." One can only speculate if that was because the track foreman's boss, the Roadmaster, was only able to perform one job (i.e. harassing the track foreman) or because it was such an unbalanced tool (i.e. like the roadmaster's mental state) The men doing the lifting or the curve-worn section of rail (notice the worn away head on the left side of the rail) are using rail tongs, possibly a Gandy product but just as likely to be from Buda, Fairmont or a dozen other makers. No Mel Brooks fans?!?I came here to see the Blazing Saddles quotes! Cheap laborThey could have used a four hunnert dollar handcart to roll those rails down the line. What Tribe? Huh?The principal AT&SF RR ran from Los Angeles to Chicago, with many branches. Just because the workers are photographed near Cajon doesn't mean they lived in the area. They could have come from anywhere in the country. Just for reference, the following tribal nations reside in San Diego County: Kumeyaay, Luiseno, Cupeno, and Cahuilla. Not Too Long a Long WalkThe laborers are not carrying that rail any great distance. Based on the presence of a spike puller and track wrenches laying just to the left, repairs are underway in the immediate area. The worker on the right is carrying a spike maul and so is probably not the foreman - I'd guess it is the man with the white hat to the rear. How do you stop slackers?One wonders how the foremen detected and dealt with the slacker(s) who would do a little less lifting than his comrades. Working all the live long dayLaying track to Rock Ridge and keeping rhythm to a Cole Porter work song. The theme song"On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" was written by Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Native Americans, Railroads)
Clinton: 1943
... on the left and still exists today. Two depots, three railroads The Chicago & Northwestern passenger depot is the large ... Town Many photos and info about the depots and railroads that served Clinton. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/26/2016 - 5:17pm -

March 1943. "Freight operations on the Chicago & North Western between Chicago and Clinton, Iowa. The train going through Clinton to the yard two miles beyond." Photo by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. Station building on the leftSeems to still be there.... Two depotsI believe that would be the C,B&Q's depot on the right. It's long gone and before my time but they had, and still do by trackage rights, access to Clinton from the Quad Cities. The Northwestern's depot is on the left and still exists today. Two depots, three railroadsThe Chicago & Northwestern passenger depot is the large structure in the background on the left. The smaller depot to the right is actually the CB&Q (Burlington Route) station, which I believe was also used by the CMStP&P (Milwaukee Road). Both the CB&Q depot and the interlocking tower in the far background are now gone, but the C&NW depot was still standing when I visited Clinton about two years ago. Depot detailsClinton Iowa, Railroad Town Many photos and info about the depots and railroads that served Clinton. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Jacobs Transfer: 1943
... (The Gallery, Baltimore, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John Vachon, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/05/2024 - 8:23pm -

April 1943. "Baltimore, Maryland. A local delivery truck (last seen here) on South Howard Street." Acetate negative by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size. Van LinesThis delivery truck appears to have been in a lot of close scrapes. CFG Bank ArenaAll those buildings have been torn down and replaced by the Baltimore Arena. Olive Brand SportswearI was only able to find OLIVE CLOTHING http://www.oliveclothing.com which is an English company. But not Olive Brand Sportswear. (The Gallery, Baltimore, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John Vachon, Railroads)
ATSF 5006: 1943
... to the wheel arrangement! (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/07/2024 - 11:21am -

March 1943. "Vaughn, New Mexico. One of the 5000 Class Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad freight locomotives about to leave on the run to Clovis, New Mexico." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Someone fed Jack some bad info.There was only one 5000 Class (Locobase 457) ATSF steam locomotive, road number 5000, known as Madame Queen. ATSF 5006 was actually a Texas Class 5001 (Locobase 458) locomotive, and the first oil burner in the series of 10 (road numbers 5001-5010). Some sources say this class developed the highest piston thrust ever recorded, 219,000 lb. [Back when they were new, these engines were referred to as both 5000-class and 5001-class, if numerous newspaper accounts are any guide. The article below details the wreck of ATSF 5004, a "giant 5000 class locomotive." - Dave] A Beautiful MachineI've seen plenty of steam locomotive pictures over the years, and appreciate pretty much all of them. But every once in a while there's a photo that really sums up the power and poetry of steam engineering. A massive machine designed with a single purpose in mind, where every individual component has a utilitarian form and reason, and whatever "styling" the whole has is dictated purely by function and a century of experience and refinement. It's a beautiful beast. Also, props to the Shorpy logo for paying tribute to the wheel arrangement! (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Santa Fe Four: 1943
... hauling coal a long ways. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/24/2024 - 11:24am -

March 1943. "Wellington, Kansas. An Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad crew posing in front of their engine before pulling out of Wellington for Waynoka, Oklahoma. Left to right: D.C. Quivey, head brakeman; D.B. Wallingford, conductor; B.F. Hale, engineer; and fireman Walker." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. A couple of Stormy KromersWith a lot of miles on them I'll bet. Brakeman?The fellow on the far left is carrying a shovel. I'd wager he's the fireman, and the brakeman is on your far right. [That's a glove, not a shovel. Stoking locomotives with shovels ended long before this photo was made. - Dave] StatusDelano signaled the relative job status of each man: conductor and engineer in the middle, head brakeman with adjective of rank (a standard crew would have had a second brakeman), fireman without initials (unless Walker was his first name, in which case even more so). Even their heights convey comparative 'stature'. Dress CodeSeems like a necktie is a bit overdressed to be shoveling coal into a firebox. Or any other job on a steam engine like this one. Not just oneBut two cardigans on Mr. Wallingford. UnfunIn my childhood musings, I thought driving a locomotive would be a blast, but these guys don't look like they have any fun at all! JokeQ: Why can't a steam locomotive sit down? A: It has a tender behind! The Un-CoalerOh, look! The single-named fireman has a 'shovel' under his arm too! Seriously, ol' #4097 didn't need any shoveling in any event since she was an oil burner. Makes sense in Texas and similar instead of hauling coal a long ways. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Owego: 1901
... Most of the building shown are still there. Owego Railroads The tracks very visible in this view were of the Delaware, ... in this picture. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads, Small Towns) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/28/2022 - 10:39pm -

Tioga County, New York, circa 1901. "General view -- Owego, N.Y., and Susquehanna River." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. Where's the People?Here's the bridge, here's the steeple. If you're looking for the people, they might all be at Kenyon's for the savin's. Owego forwardThis isn't quite the view, but anything closer to the original is blocked by trees. The bridge is different, but it still seems to be using the original piers. The tracks have been replaced by a state road, NY-96. Right down the road!Owego is a quant little town with a lot of hidden gems. The bridge was rebuilt about 20 years back and is architectually beautiful. Thanks for sharing this photo! Ticket to ride?Did we miss the train or is it pulling into the station? Hmmmm... Thank goodness!We've avoided another Menomonie, Wisconsin. To remove confusion, in 1813 the (I assume state) legislature had the towns of Owego and Tioga switch names so Owego village would be in the same-named town. We have no knot to untangle here. Mom still lives hereShe grew up in the area and still lives in Owego. I visit a few times a year. Lovely town with lots of original buildings and architecture. Most of the building shown are still there. Owego RailroadsThe tracks very visible in this view were of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. Also running through the town was the Erie Railroad, and those tracks are still present and in operation. The Erie's tracks ran some distance north and through the town itself, so not visible in this picture. In 1958, the Lackawanna and Erie came to an agreement where the Lackawanna would operate over the Erie's tracks from Binghamton to Buffalo, thus abandoning the trackage seen in this picture. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads, Small Towns)
Grand Central Terminal: 1913
... through rail traffic. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC, Railroads, Streetcars) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/10/2024 - 5:21pm -

New York's Grand Central Terminal nearing completion sometime around 1913. 8x10 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. Grand centralthe sky is so clear... Strange perspectiveThe building looks like it will tumble to the right and at the same time to the front. Very strange! The corner entranceI walked through that exact entrance countless times when I was in my 20s (in the 80s). It's wild to see it as it was in 1913 and to contemplate the untold millions who preceded me and those who have come after me. City GrowthJeeze, it is incredible to see it as it was! So many new buildings now clutter and overshadow that scene. I wish we could get a current pic at that same angle, and compare our "progress". Grand CentralHere's how that entrance looks today. Shorpy is a wonderful site--I read it every day. Keep up the great work! Grand Central StationActually there is also a Grand Central Station that has nothing to do with the Post Office - it's a former IRT transfer point that also serves the Terminal building. I suspect that while the use of the term Grand Central Station was common in New York for a long time, it really became common usage because of the radio program of the 1930s or '40s by that name. Grand Central TERMINALGrand Central Station is a POST OFFICE! This is Grand Central TERMINAL! It sez so on the building itself right below the clock, IIRC. [cc: G.G.B. - Dave] Third (and fourth) railsThere appear to be two buried "third rails" on the streetcar track (contacted by a plow), and on one of the two tracks, the third rails cross and trade places. Maybe some New York trolley fan could explain this strange arrangement. Third and Fourth RailsTwo different streetcar companies shared the track on 42nd Street between Madison and Park Avenues (where this photo was taken), they each had their own conduit rail to power only their own cars. Source: "Manhattan's Lost Streetcars"; Images of Rail (2005); page 31 GCTThe facility is the end of the rail line; hence the name Grand Central Terminal. Pennsylvania Station is named as such since it provides for through rail traffic. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC, Railroads, Streetcars)
Westbound: 1943
... I could unmute photographs. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/23/2024 - 11:55am -

March 1943. "A westbound Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe passenger train passing by a siding near the town of Hoover, Texas, enroute to Amarillo." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. OklahomaSignal 4202 means they're in Oklahoma, a few miles southwest of Shattuck. The engines just crossed above the east-west county road at 36.202N 99.9312W. Two passenger trains a day were scheduled Chicago to LA via Amarillo; the Grand Canyon was due out of Shattuck at 8:50 AM Central War Time. Dos LocosSeems odd to have two heavy locomotives on such a short train. Double HeaderBeautiful photo! If you enlarge the photo enough, you’ll see the second engine, the fireman hanging out of the cab, and the semaphore on the other side of the track. ¿Por qué dos locos?Probably because of all those mountain grades they have to cross. [The Texas Tetons? - Dave] I WishThat I could unmute photographs. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
R.R. D.J.: 1943
... Bunn Special, but many companies made them for the railroads to specifications. Button It Up Ah, the pants of my youth: ... monitor. (Technology, The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/18/2024 - 12:34pm -

March 1943. "Waynoka, Oklahoma. An Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe operator and telegrapher throwing one of the interlocking switches." Thirty years old and still playing with trains! Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Tobacco camI have been licensed for more than fifty years, and I have never known the origin of the term "lid." This explanation clears things up. I did know that tobacco cans were used by news wire services and others to amplify the volume of the sounder. Now I know the other reason. Long ago, I picked up a tin can at a flea market and later found out it was one of the "preferred" tobacco cans to use. 73 Ken N2UK Rear View Mirror?Have to ask, what is the mirror for? Is it so he can see the switches behind him, or is it for making sure his hair is combed? Sound enhancementAlways the ubiquitous empty tobacco tin on the Morse code sounder, to amplify the sound. Pinstripes in the TowerFor a railroad environment, that's pretty much a white-collar job, and he's dressed for it, at least for the first half hour or so, until the grime and sludge start to slide off the walls and work surfaces. Turn me loose in there with a bottle of Windex and a roll of paper towels ... Put a Lid on it! The tobacco can was mounted to the telegraph sounder as a primitive yet effective means to amplify the clicks. These telegraph systems were a party line with many operators sending and receiving "traffic." The receiving operator would copy (listen for) a message header directed to them, otherwise it was just background noise. When a poor "fist" (sending operator) came on line and the traffic wasn't for them. they would put the lid back on the can so they didn't have to listen to the novice operator. Hence the term "Put a lid on it!" In the Ham Radio community, a poor operator today is referred to as a "Lid." Working in an enclosed ashtrayLooking at the walls covered in all the dirt, grime, soot (coal dust) and what I'm guessing would have been stains from years of tobacco use in that office just makes me shudder. And with an eye on the time ... he has hung his railroad grade pocket watch in full view -- 16 size, open-faced, bold arabic numerals on a white dial, heavy hands, and no doubt (as officially specified) accurate to within 30 seconds a week. Perhaps a Hamilton 992B or an Illinois Bunn Special, but many companies made them for the railroads to specifications. Button It UpAh, the pants of my youth: Buttons, not Zippers. Still Life With OperatorIt's a treasure trove. May the comments go on and on. Rear ViewI would strongly suspect that the mirror allows the operator to see the "model board" of the interlocking behind him. The model board is not visible in this picture, but it would display the position of trains within and approaching the interlocking. The operator will throw switches and clear signals for train movements through "the plant", based on information from the dispatcher, employee timetables, and indications of approaching trains displayed on the model board. Union Switch & SignalI worked on and repaired many of these interlocking machines when I was a signal maintainer in the NYCTA. Those and General Railway Signaling machines were scattered by the hundreds throughout the system. Great engineering for the day. Many still in use 80-90 years later. Time TravelAt first glance, I was sure the mirror was a computer monitor. (Technology, The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Toledo: 1909
... Publishing Company. View full size. Long gone railroads These railroads are so long-gone, that the companies that took these over are also ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/22/2011 - 7:24am -

Toledo, Ohio, circa 1909. "Maumee River waterfront." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Long gone railroadsThese railroads are so long-gone, that the companies that took these over are also long-gone. Hocking Valley Ry became part of Chesapeake and Ohio, which is in turn part of today's CSX Transportation. Toledo and Ohio Central and Kanawha and Michigan were both absorbed by New York Central System. NYC as part of Conrail, was split up between Norfolk Southern and CSX Trans. Hocking Valley, Kanawha and Michigan and Toledo & Ohio Centraland ... lots of Hocking Valley Railway, Kanawha and Michigan Railroad and Toledo and Ohio Central Railroad train cars to be seen. Toledo? You ask how I know of Toledo, Ohio, Well, I spent a week there, one day They've got entertainment to dazzle your eyes Go visit the bakery and watch the buns rise. Code BreakerI wonder if all transmissions aboard the Jay C. Morse are done in code. Spotted over above right, a roof hoarding advertising the Snow Flake Laundry, what a great name, hopefully not too indicitive of the weather patterns in Toledo. Jay C. MorseThe ore freighter is named for the industrialist co-founder of one of the era's most powerful steel and mining companies (Pickands, Mather & Co.). In 1899, at age sixty, Jay Morse married Seville Hanna, the widow of his business partner James Pickands and sister of the sitting president's "Karl Rove," Mark Hanna. Morse died August 22, 1906, and on July 21, 1907 his widow helped to launch the steamship bearing his name. Is it live, or is it Memorex?Please excuse the audio reference to obviously visual dilemma. This looks like the most awesome HO train setting I've ever seen! SS. Jay C. Morse Photographed here in her first year on the lakes, the Jay C. Morse, AmShip Cleveland hull #438, was in service for over seven decades. After a final few years as a lowly storage barge, she was scrapped in the 1980s. Her wheelhouse, removed prior to commitment to the scrapyard, was saved and made into a maritime museum in her last port, Goderich, Ontario. Comparison of the the 1908 photograph with the preserved wheelhouse/museum indicate either substantial rebuilding of the bridge or complete replacement during some mid-life refit. Boatnerd.com has a 1980 photo of her during her final years as a grain storage barge. The Scanner, Toronto Marine Historical Society, 1978. The bulk carrier Jay C. Morse which was acquired early in the spring of 1965 from the Interlake Steamship Company and renamed Shelter Bay (II). After operating Shelter Bay for the 1965 season, Q & O [Quebec And Ontario Transportation Co.] decided that the ship was in need of reboilering. It was not thought that the cost of new boilers for such an elderly vessel could be justified and so Q & O searched for some good used boilers which might be obtained at a more reasonable price. The company did not have far to look and decided to purchase from Marine Salvage Ltd. the boilers which were then ensconced in Bayton. In due course, workmen went aboard Bayton and commenced pulling apart the old girl's after cabin. Her stack removed and a hole chopped down through her upper decks, the Babcock and Wilcox water tube boilers were lifted from the vessel and were carted 'round to the West Street Wharf in Port Colborne where Shelter Bay was lying. During the summer of 1966, the boilers were installed in Shelter Bay and she has operated with them ever since. Q & O, however, might better have searched elsewhere for boilers rather than taking third-hand equipment for the conversion. In recent years, Shelter Bay has been plagued with boiler problems and a particularly nasty spate of difficulties during 1977 threatened to send the boat to the scrapyard. She was reactivated in 1978 for one further year of operation but continued struggles to keep the well-worn boilers in serviceable condition are almost certain to bring the ship to the end of her career at the close of the current navigation season. The Scanner, Toronto Marine Historical Society, 1979. The latter steamer [Shelter Bay (II)] went to Goderich last autumn with storage grain and was sold to the Goderich Elevator and Transit Company Ltd. for use as a storage barge. She was briefly renamed Shelter B. (perhaps unofficially) but has since been rechristened D.B. Weldon (II). The Lightship, Port Huron Museum, 1999. [Shelter Bay of Q & O] would become the D.B. Weldon (2) and, in 1981, her forward cabins and wheelhouse would be removed to become the Maritime Museum now in display at the harbor [Goderich, Ontario]. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads, Toledo)
Skyline: 1943
... think of Texas. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Landscapes, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/22/2024 - 4:41pm -

March 1943. "Amarillo, Texas. General view over the city and the Santa Fe railyard." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Now I know why people thought the world was flat. Those were my immediate thoughts when I got out of the plane on my first trip to Amarillo back in 1962. It really is that flatI have been through here a bunch of times, the terrain around Amarillo really is that flat. It's almost uncanny. Makes Kansas look like the Swiss Alps. Wagon Top!Note the unusual B&O wagon top boxcar at the lower right. These were unique to the B&O. Texas LandscapesI'm sure that as large as Texas is, there must be some variation in terrain. However, this is exactly what I picture the Texas landscape as, when I think of Texas. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Landscapes, Railroads)
Grand Central: 1900
... over these tracks. (The Gallery, DPC, Horses, NYC, Railroads, Streetcars) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/10/2024 - 3:21pm -

New York circa 1900. "Grand Central Station and Hotel Manhattan." The coming decade would see the replacement of this structure by the current Grand Central Terminal. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. The eagles of Grand CentralA search for Grand Central Eagles yields interesting stories. The couple who found one in their back yard. And the story of one that ended up Upstate. Poor Grand Central Station only lasted 12 years: from 1898 to 1910. Electric TrolleyIt's surprising to see electric trolleys and horse-drawn trolleys sharing the same set of tracks, but also surprising to see an electric trolley with no overhead wires -- how did it pick up the electricity? [Through the slot between the rails. - Dave] A streetcar named electricThe last of Manhattan's cable cars were converted to electric power around 1901. The car draws its current via a "shoe" that extends down through the slot seen running between the tracks. Same system used by electric streetcars in Washington, D.C., many examples of which can be seen on these pages: Cable car?I'd be pretty confident saying this is a "cable car." The Metropolitan Street Railway operated cable trolleys. http://www.cable-car-guy.com/html/ccnynj.html#msry San Francisco wasn't the only place that had them. [In 1898 the Metropolitan Street Railway began converting its cable traction lines to underground electric power. - Dave] Eagle on the ballIt is speculated the that eagle below the dome ended up in Essex, NJ at the Space Farms Zoo and Museum. http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1113715013034126691DiLhTm Greg American ExpressWikipedia tells me AmEx started as an express mail and shipping operation. What do you think this wagon's delivering, and to whom? White Wing!The man lower right in the white suit and pith helmet is a "White Wing." These were the first street cleaners in New York. Lone HorsemanThis is the first urban horse & carriage era Shorpy picture in which I recall seeing a (civilian) man on horseback, rather than drawn in a wagon or carriage (he's right above the streetcar). Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention, though!! I wonder if he ever took his horse up to Central Park for a lively canter. Broncs to BikesUrban horseback riders at the turn of the last century were regarded in a similar way to how we view motorcyclists today; traveling light, moving fast, a bit intimidating (ex: mounted police), a little daredevilish & somehow just a touch less civilized. I mean, you never see the very Edwardian Sherlock Holmes mount a horse except in an emergency. In many ways, today's bikers have adopted the horseman's accoutrements and lingo: leather chaps, buckskin and fringe, saddles and saddlebags, triple-trees, trick riding, trail runs, etc. "I'm a Cowboy, on a Steel Horse I Ride!" - Bon (yech) Jovi Sharing the tracksIn the lower right, under the American Express horse, are the remains of the railroad tracks crossing the horse car track. They joined the trolley track on Fourth Avenue or Park Avenue South, as shown in other Shorpy photos. Even after the 1st Grand Central was built about 1873 and steam locomotives were banned from the streets of lower Manhattan, the New York, New Haven & Hartford RR still insisted on using horses to pull its passenger cars farther downtown over these tracks. (The Gallery, DPC, Horses, NYC, Railroads, Streetcars)
Hydration Station: 1943
... Southern Pacific used. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/15/2024 - 5:30pm -

March 1943. "Waynoka, Oklahoma. Oil and water derricks near the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad roundhouse." Photo by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. You had me at TrainThe railroad images are my favorites. The moving parts, the steam, and everything about them is fascinating. I love the tools on the board in front of the closest engine. Wrenchesby Dr Seuss. Those standpipesBetween each pair if tracks are two inverted "L" shaped hydrants. The one on the left is for water, the one on the right for a very tarlike fuel oil which Southern Pacific used. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Elko County: 1940
... Security Administration. View full size. Three railroads In this shot looking northwest from the US 93 overpass, the tracks ... the 1990s. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Landscapes, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/30/2018 - 9:58am -

March 1940. "Southern Pacific track approaching Wells, Elko County, Nevada." Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Three railroadsIn this shot looking northwest from the US 93 overpass, the tracks below belong to Southern Pacific. In the far background at left, the Western Pacific tracks go under US 40. And the through truss bridge in the distance is the Union Pacific's branch down from Twin Falls, Idaho, now long gone. Union Pacific now operates the former SP and WP lines, having absorbed them in the 1990s. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Landscapes, Railroads)
Hammer and Tongs: 1943
... carried a pair of prime movers on a single long frame. Railroads liked the concept, but the new, bigger and heavier 567 prime mover ... as one with drawbars (A-A, A-B-A or A-B-B-A) allowed the railroads to circumvent this. And on many railroads, these multi-unit sets all ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2024 - 9:58pm -

March 1943. "Santa Fe R.R. shops, Albuquerque. Hammering out a drawbar on the steam drop hammer in the blacksmith shop." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Drawbar 101Drawbars formed a quasi-permanent connecting link between a steam locomotive and its tender. It needed to be physically robust and have exceptionally high tensile (stretching) strength, since it would bear the entire starting/rolling load of a train weighing several thousand tons. The "hammering" you see in the photo was part of the forging process that imbued the drawbar with its strength. Early diesel locomotives experimented with drawbars, but since diesels carried their own fuel, drawbars created an unnecessary limitation to mixing and matching locomotives and were quickly abandoned as a relic of the steam age. One sturdy chainI admittedly know nothing about metal working but I'm a bit surprised that the big orange glowing bar isn't melting that chain. The ChainPretty basic explanation about the chain - if the temperature isn't hot enough to melt the steel drawbar it wouldn't be hot enough to melt the steel chain. In hot working like this, the lower limit in terms of temperature is 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. Melting point of steel varies by the alloy, but it often melts at 2500 degrees Fahrenheit. Diesels & DrawbarsActually it wasn't an experiment. Diesels were connected by drawbars for several reasons. EMD had considerable success with its prewar E units, which carried a pair of prime movers on a single long frame. Railroads liked the concept, but the new, bigger and heavier 567 prime mover designed for the F series freight diesels made this impossible. EMD solved this with the cabless booster, or B unit, which was connected to a standard A unit with a cab. An A-B set is really one locomotive with two prime movers, albeit not under the same body. Union rules at the time required that each locomotive have an engineer and fireman. So if you wanted to run an A-B + B-A or A+A set of new diesels, you paid two crews. Connecting two, three or four units as one with drawbars (A-A, A-B-A or A-B-B-A) allowed the railroads to circumvent this. And on many railroads, these multi-unit sets all carried the same number, but each had a different letter, such as 1091A, 1091B etc. for the same reason. The biggest headache was maintenance – if one unit went down, all had to be taken out of service. As diesels took over, the old rules were finally abandoned, and F units were fitted with standard knuckle couplers so they could be mixed and matched as needed. Diesels & Drawbars & Santa FeI don't disagree with the discussion on drawbars on diesels, however the shops in Albuquerque were Santa Fe, one of the first railroads to reject the concept of fixed consists in favor of couplers on all units. According to most of the normal sources (McCall's "Early Diesel Daze", for example), this started with the very first road freight locomotive they purchased, FT 100. It looks to me like they've only just started forging whatever they're making and it's a little too early to say what it's going to be. It could very easily be a side rod or main rod for a steam locomotive. [We think it's a drawbar because it says so in the caption -- which was written by Jack Delano, who took the picture. - Dave] The bar and the chain are both steel.It is certainly possible for the work to head up the chain to glowing, but seeing as both of them are the same material it is impossible for it to melt the chain. Also they are turning the bar ninety degrees between passes to draw it out square. (Drawing round under flat dies is a bad idea.) Turning the bar brings a different section of the chain in contact with the hot bar. Also the area of contact between the chain and the work is fairly small so the transfer of heat would be slow. More Santa Fe railroad shop picturesHere are some additional pictures of the Santa Fe railroad shops, including several shots of that very same steam hammer and the nearby forge. Other pictures in the series confirm that it is indeed a drawbar being forged. The temperature of steel at orange-yellow is about 1800F. The melting point of steel is around 2500F, depending on the alloy. DANGEROUS WorkThis was Dangerous work, with a capital D. Nothing like blunt, super-heavy red hot machinery to put human vulnerability into sharp relief. When I see a picture like this I feel a surge of patriotism, despite my cynical metro-self. Dang it, there was a time in this country that when we needed something made or built, we made or built it, right there and then. [What country is the planet's current No. 1 producer of manufactured goods? It is still the U.S. of A. - Dave] (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Albuquerque, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Boxcar Builders: 1943
... closed car and was bulky. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/17/2024 - 10:29am -

March 1943. "Topeka, Kansas. Part of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad car building shops." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Way in the back --Far back in the photo, just above and behind the lone tank car, is an end-door boxcar. These had ordinary doors, and could be used like the others, but also allowed loading of more bulky items than could be fit through the side doors of their kin. Autos sometimes, but whatever needed a closed car and was bulky. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Over the River: 1902
... account of Kate on the net as well. Boone-area railroads Boone and Scenic Valley (with their Chinese-built steam loco) ... a stereoview of this somewhere... (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads, W.H. Jackson) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 3:04pm -

"Chicago & North Western viaduct over Des Moines River near Boone, Iowa" ca. 1902. Photo by William Henry Jackson. Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Kate Shelley High BridgeThat's the Kate Shelley High Bridge, which had just opened when this photo was taken. Since the 1880s, Iowa schoolchildren have learned how its namesake, 15-year-old Kate, went to heroic lengths to warn an approaching train that a (different) bridge had washed out. A new span is being constructed next to it, with completion due in June 2009. For the story of the bridge, Kate, and its replacement, click here. To see it today (with its replacement nearly completed) click here. 3, 2, 1, spit!That's a line they haven't ripped out, thankfully. Here's a photo of a steam loco they use on their scenic railway. I love trains......and this is an amazing picture of one. Wow. William Henry JacksonIt's terrific to see another image by William Henry Jackson, the great photographer of the American West. Jackson, who lived to 99, had an extraordinary career--he even worked on 'Gone With the Wind'!--this 70 years after he was taking his most famous landscape photos. He was also one of the longest surviving Civil War veterans. High BridgeI think the photo would be a little later than 1900 as photos of the bridge under construction, which were displayed in the old CNW headquarters at Boone, are dated 1903 by the photographer. High Bridge VideoKateFound this anonymous account of Kate on the net as well. Boone-area railroadsBoone and Scenic Valley (with their Chinese-built steam loco) operate on trackage previously owned by the one-time electric line Fort Dodge, Des Moines, and Southern. Chicago and Northwestern routes (including the Kate Shelley High Bridge) are now part of Union Pacific. Please pleaseplease please let there be a stereoview of this somewhere... (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads, W.H. Jackson)
One Second Fast: 1943
... Fast Accurate timekeeping was extremely important to railroads back in the day. Timepieces would be tested once a year, primarily ... alphabetic operation. Standard time It's because of railroads that we have time zones. Can you imagine trying to arrange a railway ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2024 - 9:58pm -

March 1943. "Seligman, Arizona. Teletype operator in the telegraph office of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad. The time here changes from Mountain to Pacific time." Medium-format safety negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Oh....for the InternetI actually ran a Teletype machine in the mid 1960s, pretty much the same as these. One of my first full time jobs. I worked as a timekeeper for a construction site here in Ontario and had to send daily weather reports to the head office in Winnipeg. It was weird because you were always ahead of the machine as you typed, and there was no spell checker either ... shoulders back and sit up straight. Seligman I beg to differ with the caption. I believe that the time in Seligman never changes at all. No more than a wide spot in the road, it had to have been the model for Radiator Springs in Disney's "Cars," bypassed by the interstate and frozen in time. It's like the flippin' Twilight Zone out there. My Rasta roommate and I endured a breakdown 50 miles from Seligman on a trip from Southern California to college in Flagstaff, AZ many years ago. It was circling buzzards (really), and inbred locals (at a remote gas pipeline station), (1) meth-addled trucker, and (2) tow-truck drivers sharing graphic blood and gore stories the whole way to town. Needless to say, Rasta Boy was terrified, and later asked me where I'd learned to "talk Hick." (I'm still not sayin'.) Where's WaldoThere are all sorts of hidden treasures lurking in this picture. I love the visor that is hung behind the Pacific clock. Looks like it's probably chilly outside, too, seeing this young girl's furry-collar coat hanging on the wall. Compared to what?That "One Second Fast" thing intrigues me. What would they be comparing that to? One second faster than what? Had the atomic clock been put into service by that point? Their timekeepingseems to be quite percise, but the filing system (stacked in the window) looks a lot like my office! Teletype Model 15Teletype Model 15. A closeup of the keyboard if you scroll down the page a bit. Back in the early 70s I had one of these machines hooked to my amateur radio and could send and receive teletype messages or "super low resolution" images formed by strategic placement of characters on the printer roll to make an image. Some of them were quite lengthy (banners) and took quite a while to receive or send. (Considerably slower than the slowest dialup connection). Quartz? I don't need no stinkin' quartz.One second? My overpriced Seiko isn't that accurate. Why one second fast? I see her coat hanging by the clocks. So she gets to go home a little early on company time? Next to the tracksNote the bay window so the operator could see down the tracks and hoop up orders to the train crew. That is a railroad car outside. SeligmanI've passed through Seligman on Highway 66 several times in the last 10 years. I was sad to learn that the Harvey House next to the train tracks was recently torn down. Staying at the Supai Motel and having a mediocre breakfast in the diner down the street is as close to time travel as I've experienced. Seligman history: http://www.seligmanhistory.com/index.html SeligmanI've been to Seligman, too. On a drive from Flagstaff to Vegas. It is the land that time forgot. I fully expected Rod Serling to come out with some kind of announcement. However, I did get some cool stuff in some of those shops. Just a secondThe idea was probably to glance at the time on the clock and by the time you typed in the time (about 1 second later) you would be as accurate as possible. Disregarding the question of "faster than what." One Second FastAccurate timekeeping was extremely important to railroads back in the day. Timepieces would be tested once a year, primarily pocket watches used by conductors and station personnel. I assume that the postings on the Seligman clocks were the result of some sort of test and this was used to indicate their accuracy rather than for a 1 second adjustment on train times. CalibrationIt's fairly common practice with delicate equipment to label or note an error, rather than trying to eliminate the error. When you open up the case and start turning screws or wiggling wires, you risk destroying the instrument. As long as the error is linear and predictable, it's less expensive to adjust your mind than to adjust the instrument. KeysThe keyboard of the Teletype seems to have a lot fewer keys that a standard typewriter (or computer). Can any former operators remember what the difference was? The clocksSince the clocks appear to have mercury compensated pendulums, they are probably free running - not slaved to a line master clock. One second no doubt refers to their 24 hour rate - they gain one second in 24 hrs. MaybeMaybe the clocks are one second fast for when the operator has to record the time. By the time she records the time of day, one second has elapsed and the other end of the telegraph line is getting a more accurate reading. RegardlessTimely accuracy not withstanding, those two clocks look like they belong in some fine residence or the lobby of a hotel somewhere. Not the least bit industrial in design! I shudder to think what they'd be worth today or how hard it might be to find one! Clock CalibrationAccording to a photo caption of similar clocks in the book Faces of Railroading, the clocks were calibrated by a daily telegraph signal from the U.S. Naval Observatory. 32 keysThere were 32 keys, 26 letters and some punctuation. A shift key was used for numbers, much like early manual typewriters. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleprinter Old time precision surprisesInteresting, I had not heard of the telegraph time signal. It's the telegraph equivalent of radio station WWVB used by my kitchen clock! Railroad AccuracyAs stated by Texcritic, timekeeping was critical for train operations. For example, a train order might direct one train to "wait at" a particular station until a specific time. This train order would also be directed to an opposing train who choose their meeting location based on this information. Conductors and engineers would be directed to check their watches with a standard clock at the beginning of each duty tour and no watch could be more than 30 seconds off the standard time. The clocks in the stations were checked at least once a day by a telegraphic signal from headquarters. TrainsHow fascinating! When I was a young teenager, one of my uncles was a dispatcher for the Baltimore and Ohio. His little shack, laughingly called a "tower," was about 10 by 10, and I recall his typewriter was all-caps, on which he typed the train orders and tied them in the "hoops" as mentioned elsewhere. There were three sets, and on a couple of occasions he let me hand them up. I had to stand on tiptoe as the steam loco passed and the trainman leaned far out to snag the order. Then, about mid-train, the conductor leaned out and got his, and finally the brakeman on the caboose got his. How long ago and far away! Seth Thomas.Cuando se tomó la fotografía los relojes ya eran bastante antiguos. Conservo, en buen uso, otro Seth Thomas que compró mi bisabuelo, algo menos sofisticado, pero que tiene la misma caja y los mismos adornos. He preparado una foto pero no sé como subirla... Good thinkingWonderful filing system! Can't think of a better place for that fire extinguisher... One Second FastThese signs were on all of the Santa Fe official clocks, if the clock got too far off of official time, the clockman would come in and fix the clock. Nobody but the clockman was allowed to adjust the official clock. LTRS and FIGSThe military still used these teletypes when I was in the Army in the 1970's. If I remember correctly, the "shift" keys operated differently from typewriters. Character codes were shared between letters and numbers/punctuation with preceding LTRS and FIGS codes to shift between them. That is, when the FIGS key was pressed, a FIGS codes was sent and all subsequent character codes were interpreted as numeric characters (figures) until the LTRS key was pressed. That would send a LTRS code and return the unit to alphabetic operation. Standard timeIt's because of railroads that we have time zones. Can you imagine trying to arrange a railway schedule when every town had its own time? VibroplexThat sure looks like a Vibroplex bug sitting on the table just over her right shoulder...a semi-automatic morse code generator. Love the coat hookI love how there is a nail in the wall for the coat hanger under the light switch. I can see her coming in in the morning, turning on the light, removing her coat and hanging it up there under the switch. Then turning it off at night. So practical. Not like today where light switches and coat closets are miles apart! There's a clock like that in SacramentoThere is a similar clock on display at the Calif. State RR Museum in Sacramento. It is a work of art. These would be worth a fortune today. Noisy MachinesIn 1967, I was in school learning how to use these Teletype machines. Talk about noisy! I was a fairly fast typist and the Teletype machine was a slow machine to type on, which was a bit frustrating when your fingers wanted to go faster than the machine did. These are ancient machines now but looking back to'67 I didn't have one thought to how old they were, I just didn't like all the noise and slowness of them. Thank God for progress!! Seth Thomas 19's Standard ClocksBob Wells, Watch & Clock Inspector for Santa Fe, told me back in 1970 about the two 19's in Seligman. It was a unique period for several years that you could purchase Santa Fe clocks; mainly Seth Thomas clocks such as a #19, Gallery, School House,#2 and a few E. Howards. All Santa Fe timepieces were called in and eventually displayed in a warehouse in the San Bernardino yard including the two from Seligman. What a sight that was; there were five #19's side by side for sale and most remained on the wall for a year waiting for a buyer. The #19's with the Montgomery Dials as pictured sold for $3500, a #2 for $350 a School House for $100. Some internet chatter says over 300 of 19's were purchased by Santa Fe. Bob Wells said it was around 15. It took me a year save $3500 to buy a #19 along with the one second sign just prior to Bob's retirement in '73 along with all Santa Fe Watch and Clock Inspectors thus ending an era. It arrived in a box car from Topeka. Bob and I drove his station wagon to the box car and then we drove to my house to set it up. Such service from a very nice man. He loved those 19's but was never able to afford one after retirement. We remained good friends and shop talked clocks until he passed away in the 80ies. Last October a Santa Fe ST 19 went up for auction and sold in the 100K range. I just hope the two in Seliman got their Finials straighten out as they are incorrectly placed. For 100K, you want it perfect. Two timesUntil 1950 Seligman was the west end of the Albuquerque Division and east end of the Arizona Division -- the former ran on Mountain Time and the latter on Pacific. When the west end of the Albuquerque Division moved west to Needles, the time change moved west too. And not just railroad time -- until the beginning of the war, road maps showed the time change at Seligman instead of at the state line as it is now. "1 Second Fast" means the time on the clock is one second ahead of the correct time -- nothing to do with the rate at which the clock gains time. The crews that use the clock to check their watches don't care about that; they just want to know what the correct time is at this moment. (Technology, The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Super Chief: 1943
... that is no longer owned by Santa Fe successor, BNSF. That railroads still fuels its transcontinental trains in nearby Belen, NM. ... ! (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Albuquerque, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2024 - 9:58pm -

March 1943. "Santa Fe streamliner Super Chief being serviced at the depot in Albuquerque. Servicing these Diesel streamliners takes five minutes." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the OWI. View full size. WowThis is EXACTLY how I want my model railroad to look like! yepI toatally agree execept mine will be built using lego bricks! Super ChiefI rode the El Capitan and the Super Chief back in 1967 it was a wonderful trip and a great way to really see the country. I rode Amtrak's Southwest Chief in 1999 to and from Calif on my honeymoon, my wife enjoyed it too. FuelingThe fact that they're fueling from two tank cars on a siding shows how relatively new this technology was in the area - there wasn't a permanent facility available as there would be for coal fired locomotives. And yet in the Southwest in particular diesels were the perfect engines since they didn't need the scarce water. Wartime TriviaDuring the World War II years, some train headlamp openings were reduced in size to prevent Axis spies from seeing them traveling through the night. The E6 model pictured, built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in May 1941, has the shroud covering the larger headlamp opening. The number board above the cab and on either sides of the nose appear to be dimmed as well. This AT&SF E6 No. 15 was paired with a matching cabless booster unit E6A, and both were retired in June 1968 after several million miles of travel (and no doubt washed many, many times) since this great photograph was taken. Longest stop on a long rideI rode the Super Chief from Chicago to Los Angeles and back in 1970. I remember that, at least westbound, the stop at Albuquerque was long enough that passengers were allowed to get off the train to stretch their legs on the platform, and was the only such stop on the whole trip -- which may explain that large gaggle back by the station. And I remember being impressed, as a youngster, by the Old Spanish architecture of that station, which was like nothing we had in the Midwest. AlbuquerqueGee whiz, I remember getting arrested on the exact spot right below the camera by the AT&SF "Dick" one fine overcast day in July 1970. This was while we were moving out to California when I was 16. "Trespassing" was the charge. Just wanted to see some Warbonnets before returning to the motel and my folks then back out West on to THAT road, Route 66 the next a.m. Somewhat different world these days, huh? The Atchison, Topeka and Santa FeWhat a great photo. Even though I (like most I suspect) have gone all digital, I still believe that the pinnacle of color photography was Kodachrome transparencies. I remember when they doubled the ASA rating to 64, woo-hoo, great color and fast film! Unfortunately, there is little still in existence from this photo. Passenger rail travel is close to extinct, the Santa Fe is now part of a conglomeration that includes at least 3 grand old railroad lines, the Harvey House hotel (upper left behind the station) was torn down, and the beautiful Mission Style station burned in 1993. Ready to JumpPrep the Atavachron, I've decided where I want to go. AlbuquerqueFrom Fritz Lang's "Human Desire" (1954). Oh the Fabulous Memories!When I was 12 years old I got to be the baggage guys' "helper" at the Hutchison, Kansas, stop. The biggest thrill was the night, like every other night, the Santa Fe Chief pulled into the station, and as always I got far enough down the tracks to be where the ABBA units would stop. This one night the engineer, I assume, recognized me as being a "regular" at that spot, opened the cab door, and let me climb up in the EMD F3 engine. He then opened the rear door, and I was looking down the long cabin, at the biggest engines I had ever imagined existed, in the middle, with walkways down both sides. I will never forget the deafening roar the second the engineer opened that door. Every time I see pictures of these EMD F3 setups, I get chills. Beyond a doubt, works of timeless rolling art. Now I am the proud owner of a G scale model RR set, ABA units, that are so realistic, you could almost climb aboard! Texas 1947Look out, here she comes, she's comin', Look out, there she goes, she's gone-- Screamin' straight through Texas like a mad dog cyclone. "Big and red and silver, she don't make no smoke, she's a fast-rollin' streamline come to show the folks. -- Guy Clark, "Texas 1947" Santa Fe / AlbuquerqueYou the Ron Beck I was in the AF with? Don't think so, but it'd sure be wackily weird if you were! My dad worked at a baker at the Harvey House Restaurant in Albuquerque in 1944-45. We lived directly across the street from the Harvey House in some old, cheap hotel. You can get back to me, if you wish, at majskyking@gmail.com Enjoyed your comments. Railroad days were phenomenal!! Let's share some RR stories. LogoThey've chosed the American Flyer over the Lionel paint job for the Santa Fe logo. SquintyNote the wartime shroud on the headlight. Service StopThe four hoses feeding the locomotives are not only providing fuel but also water for the diesel-fired steam heat boilers. See the wisp of steam at the rear of the lead unit. The water fill was located in the side of the carbody forward of the cab ladder. Albuquerque is located on a secondary route mostly used by passenger trains that is no longer owned by Santa Fe successor, BNSF. That railroads still fuels its transcontinental trains in nearby Belen, NM. Harvey HouseYou can still stay at a Harvey House hotel: La Posada, in Winslow, Arizona. My daughter and I did just that, as we drove from LA to Massachusetts a few years back. It was a wonderful stay, we ate at the restaurant and there were complimentary earplugs on our pillows. Necessary, because of the train yard immediately behind the hotel. The hotel was almost torn down, and the story of how it was saved and restored is worth reading. Winslow is an interesting town, and not to be missed if you're out that way. http://www.laposada.org Not the only Harvey House leftThere are still a few of the former Harvey House hotels in operation, one not that far from this photo. The La Fonda in Santa Fe was acquired by the AT&SF in 1925 and promptly leased back to Fred Harvey to run. It operated as a Harvey property until 1968, when changing conditions led to a forced sale, though it remains a locally-owned property to the present day. Where's Shorpy ?Ah, I see what you did there, Dave. Very clever. Keep up the good work ! (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Albuquerque, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Manda: 1905
... water. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Cleveland, DPC, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2024 - 3:50pm -

Circa 1905. "Freighter Manda unloading ore, Cleveland, Ohio." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Half the tonnage at the NYPANO dockThis is the barge Manda, constructed in 1896 for the Pittsburgh Steamship Company. It is at the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio (NYPANO) dock on Whiskey Island along the old riverbed of the Cuyahoga River. Unloading can commence or resume once some empty hoppers or gons are spotted under the four clamshell bucket sets. The cable system between tracks will move along the freight cars. The clamshells will be replaced by two Hulett unloaders that will last until Conrail is created. The new carrier finds no use for the cramped, old facility as the massive C&P dock on the lakefront can easily handle the business. Obsolete by then.By the time of this photo, amazing Hulett ore unloaders were being constructed to unload much larger ships in far less time. Below is a video from as late as 1992 showing these machines in operation. Sadly, these newer school machines have now been replaced by shipboard unloading systems. A little after 2 minutes the video takes you to the operator's cab located just above the clamshell bucket. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RJfnk2S330 If they made a movie of itWould they call it the Manda Ore-ian? Iron AgePhare Pleigh's video posted in his comment is a fascinating look at American heavy industry. Ship lifespansCommercial ships operating exclusively on the Great Lakes have far longer lifespans than oceangoing ships as their hulls aren't exposed to the corrosive effects of salt water. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Cleveland, DPC, Railroads)
Public Square: 1900
... replaced the horsecars on its line in 1893. Western Railroads TerryN, thanks for pointing out the CM&StP sign in the window. ... Rock Island. The interesting thing is that none of these railroads served Cleveland, at least not directly. They all went from Chicago ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/07/2023 - 11:19am -

Circa 1900. "City Square. Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, Cleveland." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. The May Co. BuildingWow, looks like the predecessor of the modern curtain-wall design. Large lights of 1/4" plate glass no doubt. Would love to see some architectural drawings of that facade. Chicago Milwaukee & St. Paul Soon to become The Milwaukee Road, with Hiawatha service to almost anywhere. Brook Stevens who designed their rail cars would have (maybe did) marveled at the May Co. building of the future. I'm marveling at in this picture. Probably 50 years before its time. No rebellious women?One would think there would have been at least one daring young woman who would have had the gumption to wear a black blouse with a light colored skirt, just to be a little outrageous and stand out, but nooooo. Times sure have changed in the area of seeking attention through outrageous fashion and personal appearance. Or maybe today's girls just feel more comfortable expressing themselves, which certainly does make street scenes more interesting. Where's the Cable Car?http://www.cable-car-guy.com/html/ccohio.html#cccr According to the above link, the cable car slots under the trolley car were used for another year until 1901, even thought the St. Clair trolley car in the foreground had directly replaced the horsecars on its line in 1893. Western RailroadsTerryN, thanks for pointing out the CM&StP sign in the window. The same building also has signs for the Burlington Route and Rock Island. The interesting thing is that none of these railroads served Cleveland, at least not directly. They all went from Chicago westward. So their offices in Cleveland must have been for exchange of freight between eastern and western railroads, I suppose. Euclid BeachA year later, the Humphrey family would take over Euclid Beach Park east of the city, and turn it into a legend. You can still buy their popcorn at many stores in NE Ohio. The Edison patented lightbulb goes onAfter seeing so many flagless giant flagpoles on major buildings here on Shorpy, it finally dawned on me that they were not intended for a US flag, but for advertising/corporate ID, as can be seen here. Inside the Monument?It appears that there is a door leading into the monument itself. Does anyone know what this leads to and is the interior still accessible? Secret enterance to the Great Lakes Brewing Company tasting room perhaps? [What's inside the Civil War monument is addressed in the comments here. - Dave] May Co. reduxHere's a later view of the May Co. building, greatly expanded. One has to wonder if this postcard is again the work of Detroit Publishing. The gardensI like the surrounding gardens that have been made into the shapes of Unit or Division emblems and heroism awards. (The Gallery, Cleveland, DPC, Streetcars)
Dragon Garage: 1943
... made from old boiler tubes. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/17/2024 - 8:25pm -

March 1943. "Shopton, near Fort Madison, Iowa. Locomotives in the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway roundhouse. Note train control mechanism on truck wheel of the engine." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Control MechanismWhat exactly does the control mechanism do? Rarest of the Rare?? & Classy 3400 ClassWhen I think of a generic steam locomotive, the 3400 class Pacific Type (usually passenger) is what I envision. #3438: 4-6-2 wheel configuration, Baldwin #56770 built 1923, rebuilt Topeka June 1936, scrapped 3-10-52. Cyl 25 in dia x 28 in stroke. 79 in driver dia. 326200 pounds, 220 psi, 41400 tractive effort. For some reason, she did not get thermic syphons, while her sisters did. Her stall mate #3?? is a mystery. At first I thought the stall mate not AT&SF and wrote a short reason with possible explanations, mainly contract repairs. But upon closer examination, might it be one of the splits of the converted 4-4-6-2 mallet #1398? It has all the indications: High mounted cylinders, high mounted head light, old style round number plate, foreshortened boiler, unusual smaller older front coupler, and unusual foot boards & steps. The missing "1" on the number plate is explained by bead of plate hiding the numeral "1". I believe Delano might have captured a hen's tooth!!! If correct, it is the rarest of the rare. Mallet 1398 was built by Baldwin as an unusual 4-4-6-2 type in 1909 with 73 inch drivers for passenger service; the largest drivers applied to a Mallet to that time. In 1915, #1398 was split into 2 separate Pacific type locomotives: #1398 & #1399. They were the only members of their class. Both of these locos were on property through 1949. Finally, it is hard to precisely determine the locomotive number. I am guessing it #1398 after turning my head, Fred Sanfording glasses, squinting, embiggening, and trying to catch it out of the corner of my eye. Train control mechanismThat is a component of the “Automatic Train Stop” system that was in service for decades on the ATSF Railway and it successor, BNSF. Lineside signals are actuated by current in the rails; that apparatus would detect a change in the frequency of the signal current, and warn the engineer to slow the train if they were approaching a signal with a more restrictive indication. Only the SensorThe control mechanism applies the brakes if the train is going faster than the trackside signal permits. What's in the photo is the speed sensor which tells the control mechanism if the locomotive is going too fast. Their days are numberedI guess I'm just a sentimentalist, but it's sad to think that these behemoths were cut up for scrap. 3438 in '38The internet is an amazing resource. This photo shows the same locomotive in 1938 (before the safety device was installed) looking like it was freshly shopped. Surfing around you can see this class of locomotives was manufactured by Baldwin from 1919 to 1923 and they lasted until the 1950s. Basic fact I learned only later in life The cow-catchers were often made from old boiler tubes. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Sideways: 1943
... side observations The two flats were owned by small railroads, the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton and the Florida East Coast. In the ... bridge. (The Gallery, Arthur Siegel, Detroit Photos, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/20/2024 - 12:21pm -

April 1943. "Detroit, Michigan. A section of a boiler on a flatcar." Our third and final look. 4x5 inch acetate negative by Arthur S. Siegel for the Office of War Information. View full size. Under pressureYou can clearly see the spring compression on the loaded flatcar compared to the not so loaded car. This is a simple way to tell if a train car is heavily loaded or not. Pier side observationsThe two flats were owned by small railroads, the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton and the Florida East Coast. In the background we see another flatcar set up as a spacer car to keep the locomotive from putting any weight on the ferry bridge. (The Gallery, Arthur Siegel, Detroit Photos, Railroads)
Passenger Portal: 1911
... (The Gallery, Chicago, DPC, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2024 - 4:13pm -

Chicago circa 1911. "Passenger terminal, Madison Street entrance, Chicago & North Western Railway." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. 500 West Madison StreetThis terminal occupied the north side of West Madison, between Canal and Clinton, until 1984, when it was razed and replaced by the 42-story Citicorp Center (now Accenture Tower). But the station survives as the Ogilvie Transportation Center. The terminal was new when this 1911 photo was taken. It was designed by the Chicago firm of Frost and Granger, both talented architects who designed multiple stations for their mutual father-in-law, the president of the very successful Chicago & North Western Railway. Knowing TimeMy grandfather always said that the only person that can tell the correct time is the person with only one timepiece. Railroad Time(s)Is it 1:50 or 1:51? Combine Norma Desmond with Ingrid Bergmanand you'll get a gaslight that's ready for its closeup. Tho by no means a novelty in this time period - the last gas street lamps in Chicago weren't extinguished until 1954 (!!) - they were nonetheless becoming unusual. But how many looked like this? With an elaborate - and seemingly unnecessary - hood. Or maybe it's something else entirely: can anyone ... uhm ... shed a little light on the matter? [That's a carbon arc (electric) streetlight, not gas. - Dave] I'll buy that - joke ruining as it may be - but what a weird and fussy design! The last one to be outed here on Shorpy looked quite different. (The Gallery, Chicago, DPC, Railroads)
Grand Central: 1900
... "coming soon" for 100+ years. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Railroads, Streetcars, W.H. Jackson) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/10/2024 - 8:34pm -

New York circa 1900. "Grand Central Station, E. 42nd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue." 8x10 inch glass negative by William Henry Jackson, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. Thank you, Cornelius VanderbiltHere is a well written history of Grand Central Depot/Station/Terminal. It includes a photograph very similar to this one. Cornelius Vanderbilt was ruthless in his drive to be ever richer. But we wouldn't have Grand Central today if it weren't for him. Grand Central TerminalGrand Central is a terminal, not a station. [Grand Central Terminal opened in 1913. Before that, there was Grand Central Station. Which was an enlarged version of Grand Central Depot. - Dave] Yup. I forgot to look at the year of the photo. ;-) You Say Station, I Say Potato ...This may seen needlessly pedantic, but we all have our pet peeves ... A terminal is the end of the line; a station passes traffic, and a depot is a place where goods or equipment are unloaded and stored. The term "passenger depot" gets thrown around, I know, but a depot is supposed to indicate the use of the tracks and sidings, and may be part of a terminal or a station. The term passenger depot was uncouth because it implied that passengers were no different than coal or cattle (insert joke here). The railway right of way up Park Avenue dates back to 1832, and the tracks that became the NY Central originated on the Bowery somewhere and went north into Harlem. A structure built at 42nd Street before 1854, when steam locomotives were outlawed below 42nd Street, would have been a station (and also perhaps a depot). When the 1869-1871 "Depot" building in the link above was built, I believe that service still extended southward to at least 14th Street pulled by horses, but I could be wrong. When the current GC Terminal was built in 1913, however, it was truly a terminal. There is still a Grand Central Station, however! It's below the Terminal, and part of the NYC Subway system. The mosaics on the 4/5/6 line are suitably ambiguous, but the MTA's signs respected the distinction. New serviceLong Island Rail Road trains can now use Grand Central as the result of a project known as East Side Access. It was supposed to be completed in 2009 at a cost of $3.5 billion. It opened in early 2023 at a cost of $11 billion. Still, that's better than the Second Avenue Subway, "coming soon" for 100+ years. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Railroads, Streetcars, W.H. Jackson)
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