Aurora Cycle

Aurora Cycle, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Through the Viewfinder Tuesday! I've shown you this sign before, but I felt it was worth giving it the old Duaflex Dust 'n' Crud Treatment.

This is one of a few ghost signs in the city of Aurora, and it proves my point that it's always worth it to get out of your car and walk around a bit.

Ford

Ford, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

The Return Of TtV Tuesday! This is a 1950 Ford coupe, the famous "shoebox". The '49 got this nickname almost as soon as it hit showrooms, because it was FoMoCo's first properly modern-styled car. The '48, a fine looking car in it's own right, was basically a pre-war model with some styling upgrades. The new car, along with the new '49 Mercury, had smooth, all-enveloping bodywork. More importantly, the Shoebox was still a simple design, and practically begged to be chopped, channeled, lowered, hopped up, and metal-flaked. Truly a classic design.

Naturally, I've shown you the very front of a standard Shoebox!

Leviathan

Leviathan, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

The Leviathan, locomotive number 63, was built for the Central Pacific Railroad in 1868, one of four purchased from the Schenectady Locomotive Works. A wood burning locomotive, the Leviathan was a sister to the famous Jupiter, which participated in the famous Golden Spike ceremony on the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad.

Like the Jupiter and their other sisters, the Leviathan was scrapped many years ago-as trains got longer these small, early locomotives could no longer keep up. This stunning recreation of number 63 was completed in 2009, and tours American railroad museums and other special events. It's beautiful, and offers an interesting glimpse to an important part of history.

Fading Glory

Fading Glory, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

TtV Tuesday!

Fading Glory

Fading Glory, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

I forget which Duaflex I used on this-the 4 maybe? Both of them have great viewfinders-very bright.

The Egyptian

The Egyptian, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

The historic Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb, Illinois. Opened in 1929 at the height of the public's fascination with Egyptian culture and at the beginning of the Depression, it's one of six similar theaters from this time period that are believed to still exist. Originally hosting silent films and vaudeville, the Egyptian eventually moved over to films full time, and remained a popular venue until the late sixties.

By the early 70's the theater was in some disrepair, with plaster flaking off the walls and fading paint on it's exterior terra cotta. The owner handed the building over to the city of DeKalb, and in 1978 a group of citizens banded together to save and restore the building. The theater's placement on the National Register of Historic Places helped this cause, and the Egyptian stands today as an excellent example of this style of movie house.

The Hub

The Hub, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

We've visited Rochelle's Hub Theater once before. Sadly, this vintage movie house has closed permanently, having had a brief reprieve last year. The building is, as of this writing, still for sale. Hopefully someone will buy it, and save this classic.

Garfield Park

Garfield Park, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

One of the two rare 5000-series L cars at the Fox River Trolley Museum. Shot through the viewfinder of a 50 year old Kodak Duaflex II.

Chevy

Chevy, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

We've visited this old Chevrolet truck before-it's tuned into one of my favorite subjects. It's a mid-30's half ton (or maybe one-ton), with shelling machinery on the flatbed. It looks like it was just parked there, in the back of the property, left to gently go to ground.

I've shot it many times, but this is the first time I've tried using my Argus 75. I think it's got a pleasantly old-fashioned look.

Chevy

Chevy, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

This is my uncle (well, great-uncle) Rodney's '50 Chevrolet. I hadn't seen it in years-he's getting on in years and it's harder for him to drive it these days-but he brought it out on Thanksgiving. I thought it was an excellent TtV subject.

Fairlane

Fairlane, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Or maybe "not so Fairlane". We've seen this car before-I just noticed that yesterday's Rambler is reflected in the Ford.

Mazon Depot

Mazon Depot, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

We've seen the old Santa Fe station in Mazon, Illinois before, but I felt this was such a great TtV shot that it was worth revisiting.

Sprague's Super Service

Sprague's , a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Opened in 1931, Sprague's Super Service was a large gas station and cafe along Route 66, on what was then the outskirts of Normal, Illinois. It housed several different restaurants and stations, and was used until 1976. This old sign is the only one that remains, although the building is still in very nice condition.

Now on the National Register of Historic Places, there are hopes that this Route 66 classic can be reopened.

Burlington

Burlington, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

A classic Baldwin 4-6-4 steam locomotive, built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia. Dating from 1930, this big boy served with the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy.

I like this shot. It really has that analogue, TtV look to it, and encapsulates everything I like about this technique.

Zephyr

Zephyr, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

The fantastic former Burlington Road E5. We've seen it before, but I think that it is especially well suited to the TtV technique.

Lincoln-Zephyr

Lincoln, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Originally introduced as a sort of budget marque to slot in between V-8 Fords and the big Lincoln Model K, the Lincoln-Zephyr's modern looks and smooth V-12 power made it a very popular car, more so than it's larger, more expensive stablemate. One of the first successful "streamlined" automotive designs, the Lincoln-Zephyr revitalized sales at Lincoln dealerships, and by 1940 most sales were Zephyrs. One of those designs that was right from the start, the Zephyr was able to be put back into production after World War Two with very few changes, the most major being the elimination of the Zephyr name.

I think this '39 makes an excellent TtV subject, especially in black and white.

Lincoln Highway

Lincoln Highway, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Through the Viewfinder Tuesday!

The Lincoln Highway was the first named automobile road to completely traverse the United States, from coast to coast. Originally opened in 1913, the Lincoln's original stated length was 3,389 miles. It has been realigned several times, and over the years it has moved through 14 states, 128 counties, and over 700 cities, towns and villages.

Plenty of signs of the road exist all along it's length. Plenty of streets called "Lincolnway", signs old and new, and historical markers. This billboard is in the town of Franklin Grove, Illinois, which is the home of the Lincoln Highway Association as well.

Supersweet Feeds

Supersweet Feeds, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

We've returned to the tiny town of Arlington, Illinois, to the elegantly crumbling grain elevator by the Burlington tracks. Several ghost signs in one shot-Supersweet Feeds, the famous red-and-blue CO-OP rings (not really a ghost, I guess!), and the Arlington Grain Company's logo itself. And, it's hard to see here, but the AGC's logo was painted on a couple of different ways.

Dust, fuzziness, grit, and general attitude thanks to the faithful Spartus Full-Vue.

Travel and Sleep, In Safety and Comfort

Pacific Peak, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Such was the motto of the Pullman Company, a name that would become synonymous with rail travel and luxury. Founder George Pullman was inspired to design a better rail car, after spending an overnight train journey trying to sleep in his seat. His design would go on to be built, in one form or another, until the 1970's.

This car, Pacific Peak, ran with the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy, and is currently on display at the Illinois Railway Museum.

Be Specific, Ship Union Pacific

Be Specific, Ship Union Pacific, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

As befits one of the powerhouse railroads in the U.S., the Union Pacific ran the largest fleet of gas turbine electric locomotives in the country. Built in three series, UP's GTEL's were meant to provide the same power output as several diesel engines, which in the postwar years weren't as powerful as the steam engines they were trying to replace. It cost the same to run a smaller number of more powerful engines, and locomotives were at their most efficient at high, sustained speeds. Despite being thirstier than equivalent diesels, the turbines proved to be less costly to run on fast, mainline freights, and this is where they excelled.

Built in three series, UP's turbines had all been retired by 1970. The turbines used Bunker C heavy fuel oil, which had few uses outside of this one, but by the seventies oil prices were up and new uses for this former waste product were being developed. It spelled the end of the turbine locos, and most were broken up, their parts recycled into conventional diesel locomotives.

Two of the turbines still exist, both from the third series built. This one, engine number eighteen, resides at the Illinois Railway Museum.