Jack Delano had visited the Chicago and North Western’s Proviso Yard earlier in the winter of 1942-43 before his journey out West. But he’s back and busy documenting railroaders at work in C&NW’s huge yard near Chicago. It’s April of 1943, the snow is gone, but there is still a chill in the air. A switchman is seen lining a switch in the never-ending task of sorting freight cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Considering this is the middle of WWII and the burden placed on the railroads during that time, the yard is surprisingly empty. Perhaps though it’s a reflection on the efficiency of the crews as they labor to keep the trains rolling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of the rails appear to have a yellowish cast to them. I doubt it’s rust as zooming in on the original hi-rez image doesn’t suggest that. And I’ve noticed this same coloration in several other photos taken of Proviso Yard. But I’ve never seen an explanation of what this is. Anyone care to venture a guess (or perhaps, the actual<\/em> reason)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jack Delano had visited the Chicago and North Western’s Proviso Yard earlier in the winter of 1942-43 before his journey out West. But he’s back and busy documenting railroaders at work in C&NW’s huge yard near Chicago. It’s April of … Continue reading ![\"Switchman](\"https:\/\/www.lacentralrr.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Lining-a-Switch-Proviso.jpg\")
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