Jack Delano spent considerable time at the locomotive servicing facility while touring the C&NW Proviso yard near Chicago. It’s December of 1942, and he has recorded this view of a line of steamers that have had their coal, sand and water replenished, and they stand at the ready. Four locomotives are lined up here, and one can faintly discern two others in the background.

Jack Delano was passing through the town of Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania back in August of 1940. While there he recorded this view along Susquehanna Street, with the Lehigh Valley Railroad depot visible at far right. It’s a bit cluttered with the town and railroad all competing for a piece of land along the river in this narrow valley. And there is a wealth of detail in this image! I’ve posted this photograph in a larger than normal format so one can zoom in to study it.

The railroad itself clings to the bank of the river, with two tracks expanding into three; all those track switches laid out on the curve. A short (likely local) passenger train is stopped in front of the depot, with it’s steamer hiding behind some power poles.

Susquehanna Street has an abundance of service stations on it. The first one at left is the Manson House Garage, a Shell dealer. Several doors down is an Amoco dealer, with their gasoline pumps right at the street’s curb (obviously space is tight!). A few more doors down is a Tydol Gasoline station (the Flying A) also with pumps at the curb. And finally, across the street we see both Atlantic and Esso signs side-by-side. There seems to be no shortage of petrol in this city!

I also noticed several monuments in the hills, and apparently spires were in vogue with this city’s architects as witnessed by their proliferation on the buildings (including the depot).

Last week we saw the image Jack Delano captured of a brakeman flagging his train on a cold January day in 1943. It’s now nighttime, and he’s still at the Indiana Harbor Belt yard observing and recording the crews in their labor.

We’re adjacent to the cattle pens here, and the switchman is signaling the engineer to stop. He’ll line that switch for the other route, and then signal the engine to come back.

Railroading on most railroads is a 24 hour/day proposition, and work goes on regardless of the time or weather.

In January of 1943 Jack Delano spent a bit of time on the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad. He was observing a train crew doing some work when he noticed Brakeman Zerkel flagging the rear of his train. Sure enough, there is an approaching train down by that unique looking cantilevered signal in the distance. Though we’re in yard limits here, the rules apparently still require flag protecting your train if it’s on the mainline.

The IHB ran freight operations between Chicago, Illinois and Hammond, Indiana.

In January of 1943, while traveling in the caboose of a Chicago and North Western freight train, Jack Delano captured this image of the conductor acknowledging a “high sign” from a switch tender as they were passing through Cortland, Illinois. The workers on the ground (some can be seen down by the switch) have visually inspected the train for problems as it was passing by.

Cortland is on the route running between Chicago and Clinton, Iowa. The depot can be seen in the distance, left of the track.

Working on a steam locomotive would be considered a “dirty job” by many. With the soot, grease and grime that is produced by these beasts, one will hardly leave work for home without evidence of another hard day’s work.

These workers are doing some repairs to the interior of one of the C&NW’s steamers, with a bit of welding going on. We’re at the North Western’s 40th Street shops near Chicago. Jack Delano spent considerable time investigating this facility back in December of 1942, and we’ve previously seen other photographs which he recorded there. This post has an overall view inside the shop. You can use the term “shop” in the search box at the upper right and get perhaps a half dozen links to other views at this facility.

Over these past few years we’ve seen quite a few photographs that Jack Delano made while visiting the Chicago and North Western Railway in the winter of 1942. He apparently had free reign to visit the entire Proviso yard and it’s facilities while there.

The road did some extensive rebuilding of it’s freight cars on the repair tracks. Here we see a freshly repainted hopper car receiving it’s lettering. Note the framed stencils that the workers are using to spray paint the lettering onto the car sides. It’s December, and there is snow on the ground, but the work must go on.

I also noticed that the workers weren’t required to wear spray masks for this work back in the day. Today they’d likely have not only respirators, but a full body suit to protect them from over-spray (the latter would make this job a lot kinder to their clothing).

Last week we saw an image Jack Delano had recorded while visiting the C&NW roundhouse at the Proviso Yard near Chicago in December of 1942. Now he has moved outside to the coaling facility where he has captured a couple of steam locomotives taking on coal and sand. After this replenishment, they’ll move a bit further down to take on water.

If you’re a steam locomotive fan who has been fortunate to have seen them working in person, you’ll probably remember that interesting (perhaps wonderful) aroma of coal smoke, steam and hot oil on a cold winter’s day. Once you smell that, you’ll likely never forget it!

We’ve previously seen a couple other photographs taken here by Mr. Delano on that day. Here’s one featuring one of the road’s “4000” locomotives as it was being refueled. And here is a color image taken from roughly the same vantage point as the featured image above.

There aren’t many places to me that are as exciting as a locomotive roundhouse back in the age of steam. In December of 1942 Jack Delano spent quite some time touring the massive roundhouse of the Chicago and North Western Railroad located at their Proviso Yard near Chicago. We’ve seen a couple other images that Mr. Delano recorded in this smoky environment, and I’ll add this one to the list.

I also featured an outside aerial view of this massive structure in this post back in September of 2019.

Santa Fe Brakeman Jack Torbet is seen gazing through the window of the caboose as it is pulling out of Waynoka, Oklahoma. It looks like there will be no hot meal while underway since he’s brought his lunchbox and Thermos bottle along.

Note the battery powered brakeman’s lamp sitting on the table. Electric lamps had been available for some time, but didn’t really “catch on” until the 40s. Most of the lamps we’ve seen in this Delano series have been kerosene.

Photograph by Jack Delano, March of 1943.

In March of 1943 Jack Delano recorded this scene of an AT&SF freight train as it was pulling out of the yard in Kiowa, Kansas. Kiowa lies on the line running between Wellington, Kansas and Waynoka, Oklahoma.

Steam locomotive #4097 is a 2-8-2 Mikado built by Baldwin in (likely) 1926. Note the passenger car behind the locomotive, which I suppose makes this a mixed freight, even if for only this day.

In March of 1943, while in the Santa Fe yard in Wellington, Kansas, Jack Delano spied this special load . . . a huge naval gun en-route to the west coast. I’ll speculate that this may be a 16-inch/50-caliber gun, the primary armament for the U.S. Navy’s newer battleships.

Note that three flatcars were required for transport, two carrying the gun, and the third for the barrel’s overhang. The blocking and bracing to secure the barrel looks pretty stout!