I’ve mentioned several times in previous posts about Jack Delano’s habit of documenting the human side of railroading. As rail enthusiasts we tend to focus on the trains themselves. And on occasion we’ll study the more common structures, such as depots, towers and roundhouses. But we seldom focus on the people behind those machines and facilities.

Even more so, we often have no idea of the many tasks required, and the enormous work force needed to keep a railroad operational. This photo is a good example of that. We’re in an Illinois Central Railroad yard in Chicago, and a yard gang is going about it’s daily business. Pictured is a worker inspecting and cleaning out debris around a track switch to insure it’s proper and dependable function. Note the oil can at right, used to squirt a bit of lubricant into moving parts where needed.

Image by Jack Delano, November 1942.

Jack Delano caught this freight train bound for New Orleans as it was leaving an Illinois Central Railroad yard in Chicago, Illinois. Note the side door caboose, sans cupola.

Even though it’s November of 1942, it’s a balmy, sunny day with nary a trace of snow. It won’t be like this much longer though.

The Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad has a mainline running between Chicago, Illinois and Hammond, Indiana. Jack Delano made the round-trip run between these points, and recorded several images during the trip. A couple weeks ago we saw brakeman Lee High taking a break as the freight train was heading out on it’s daily journey.

Now the train has made it’s delivery to the Erie Railroad, and it’s crew is preparing for the run back home. Brakeman Zerkel has removed the caboose’s kerosene marker lamps and is going to hang them on the opposite end for it’s return journey in the opposite direction.

It’s dark and snowy now as we near the end of this day in January of 1943. Once the train is underway, I suspect the crew will pour another cup of hot coffee, and settle in for the ride.

Aside from locomotives, one of my favorite things to explore on railroads are the cabooses. I started last week with a view of a brakeman taking a break during his run, and continue this week with another common activity on board.

Jack Delano was very interested in the human side of railroading, and he often documents railroaders doing their jobs. And he also records images of them at rest, or in this case, the crew preparing a meal while underway on their train.

As usual, there are many small details in the scene. We’re on the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad, and it’s a cold winter’s day in January of 1943. Apparently the old caboose is pretty drafty, and the crew has attempted to seal things up a bit by tacking cardboard on the walls over the bunk, and also around the door down at the end. Beneath the table is a wooden box of fusees (labeled as fireworks), and note the Great Northern Railway calendar and the kerosene lamp on the wall. The conductor has taken steps to ease cleanup after the meal by spreading newspaper on the table . . . spills are likely common as the caboose is rocking along down the tracks.

Photographer Jack Delano has boarded an Indiana Harbor Belt freight train caboose, catching brakeman Lee High taking a short break. It’s a chilly day in January of 1943, and the caboose gives a place to warm up for a bit.

On the end wall we see a flag stored above the door, and an adjacent rack stocked with a supply of fusees (flares to non-railroaders). Also in view is a tool box, a cardboard box with some spare ankle-high boots, a couple jackets, and what appears to be a brakeman’s club next to the door. And someone has pinned a photo of their pooch on the wall. Imagine what else is in this cabin!

Let’s take a look at the other side of a steamer’s cab. While documenting the operations on the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad, Jack Delano captured this image of Fireman Larry Adams as he was shoveling coal into the firebox of his locomotive. A fireman is tasked with maintaining a good head of steam by feeding and tending the boiler’s fire. He also insures that the boiler stays filled with water, and performs a myriad of other tasks around the cab.

It’s a cold winter’s day in January of 1943, but the heat from the boiler’s backhead likely provides a bit of comfort for the crew. And the fireman seldom has time to “cool off” with his job’s requirements. Note the broom leaning on the boiler . . . a good fireman also keeps his charge tidy!

A Chicago and North Western freight train from Chicago has arrived at the yard in Clinton, Iowa. The brakeman has cut off the locomotive and the crew is going to take the steamer to the roundhouse for servicing. Jack Delano has climbed into the cab for the short ride, and he documented the engineer as he was about to ease out on the throttle.

There is quite a bit of “clutter” around this backhead . . . typical of a modern steam locomotive. There are several details that I noticed which I’m not very familiar with. One in particular is what I initially thought was the boiler pressure gauge, which is indicating near zero! Upon closer inspection of the original hi-resolution image, I see that it’s labeled as “Locomotive Cut-off Control Gauge”. It also has dual needles (stacked one over the other). Just to it’s right is the air pressure gauge, with it’s dual gauges (one side mostly obscured by the larger gauge) for the braking system.

Over on the cab wall below the window is a vertical lever that I’m not familiar with. The cover of the housing has “General Railway Signal” cast into it, and the word “ACK” along with an arrow just behind the lever. The locomotive is equipped with an automatic train control mechanism (in which the key has been placed for the trip to the roundhouse), so I’ll speculate that the lever is perhaps used to acknowledge a signal as it’s passed along the line. If any of you can shed light on this, please enlighten us via a comment.

It’s likely chilly outside on this January day in 1943, evidenced by the engineer’s window opened only enough for him to glance out as required for the move. At least he has a toasty heater in front of him! Oh, and note the oil can nestled into a spot next to the backhead at the far left.

So we haven’t seen a road train for something over a couple of months now. Jack Delano heard us and headed over to the Illinois Central yard in Chicago. He arrived there just as a southbound train was departing for New Orleans. The chill in the air of this November day in 1942 accentuated the smoke and steam exhaust of our train, and betrayed the location of a couple other locomotives near by.

While on the property of the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad in January of 1943, Jack Delano decided to visit the yard master. Unfortunately this photograph that he took of the gentleman didn’t say which yard he was at, though I would assume it was in or near Chicago. At any rate, this fellow looks like he’s all business, and probably not someone you’d like to lock horns with!

Photographer Jack Delano documented this brakeman in the midst of a time-honored “tradition” on the railroad: making up the air. The location is on the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad, and it’s a frosty day in January, 1943. Actually, a necessary task when making up a train, all the air hoses must be coupled together to complete the brake air line (the brake pipe) for the length of the train.

The brakeman is reaching in between the cars to couple up the air hoses. Unfortunately, he will have to reach over the couplers in order to open the air valve (the angle cock) on the car at the right. That practice is often frowned upon by railroaders. Technically, the brakeman should climb up on the car, get to the other side, then descend so as to reach that valve while facing it.

I was also noticing the coupler “cut” lever on that outside braced wooden car. While common many years ago, the bent iron bar that would be lifted was much more common by this era. You can see the end of that style cut lever on the car at right. It’s dangling just behind the brakeman’s back.

The Chicago and North Western’s tower “HM” was located on the mainline at Elmhurst, Illinois. This is just a bit west of the huge Proviso Yard, and it controlled a pair of crossovers on the three tracks running by. HM is the telegraph call, and tower designation. Jack Delano documented the tower as he rode by in January of 1943, apparently while heading in each direction on different tracks.

The first photo shows that the tower was in a residential area. When researching it’s location, I found that it was located at the intersection of 1st Street and Haven Road, just east of York Street. The view here is looking to the east (toward Proviso Yard). Note the rodding for the mechanical control of the track switches. The tower even had a vestibule to allow sheltered entry into the upstairs room during inclement weather.

The second photo is the view from a caboose platform, and is looking to the west. The crossovers are readily seen in this image. And note the crossing gates at right. I find it curious that the tower doesn’t have it’s HM designation displayed on it’s east side.

Also while researching this tower, I stumbled across this last photograph showing the interior of the second floor room. The towerman manning those Armstrong levers is Mr. George L. Thorpe, Jr. These levers actuate and power all of that rodding, which in turn lines the track switches. This image was taken by an unknown photographer in 1948, and the notes say that Mr. Thorpe operated in this tower until 1964.

Some track workers pause for the #3615 to pass through. Jack Delano captured this scene as the Illinois Central 2-10-0 was easing off the turntable and heading for a stall in the roundhouse. We’re in Chicago in November of 1942, but hard work apparently keeps these workers warm even with light jackets and overalls.

I became curious about this locomotive, so decided to do a little research on it. I found the below photo and commentary on Dr. Richard Leonard’s Random Steam Photo Collection website. “She was a 1939 Paducah Shops rebuild and combined the boiler of a 2-8-2 (original number 1537) and the chassis of a 2-10-2. She was scrapped in August 1957, according to Ray Breyer’s invaluable all-time IC steam roster spreadsheet. This view, by an anonymous photographer, comes from the collection of Tom Rock of T.D.R. Productions. A late 1940s date is suggested for this photo, which was taken at the Paducah Shops.”

And below is a broadside view of the Decapod recorded on February 21, 1957. This photo was taken in Bluford, Illinois by an unknown photographer. Note that in these last two photos, the headlight has moved to the top of the boiler, otherwise she looks about the same as Delano’s view in 1942.