Dragstrip

Dragstrip, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

I took this at Byron Dragway in northwestern Illinois, during an historic drag racing event. One of the challenges of shooting old cars is finding an appropriate backdrop - it's a bit jarring to see an vintage car parked in front of a new grocery store or something. It can be particularly hard at racetracks, which are usually full of advertising signs and modern cars.

This is as true at drag strips as it is at road courses. Particularly at the starting line, where there's usually modern safety equipment and an emergency vehicle, right where your subject's doing a smoking burnout.

Anyway, the organizers of the races I was at hit the mark with their start line truck, which was this well patinated old sixties Ford, complete with a Holman & Moody logo on the door.

Fading Glory

Fading Glory, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

So, I've bored a number of you with photos of this old rusting Cadillac sedan, parked picturesquely in front of a barn in rural Illinois. It sat there for at least five years, probably longer, occasionally moving around a bit as the owner moved his boat in and out of the barn. I've literally shot thousands of photos of this car, stopping whenever I happened to drive past, sometimes testing out some new gadget or technique I picked up. Seriously, though, four digits.

Anyway, long story slightly longer, I found out earlier this evening that the old Caddy's gone, leaving behind a rectangle of bare dirt in the lawn. I can only hope that the owner finally got around to restoring it, but most likely he sold it on.

What's to become of Fading Glory? I've no idea, but I leave you with this, the last photo I took of her, back in May.

Truck

Truck, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

We've visited these old relics a few times, but here's another view.

Made in Racine

Case tractor, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Not sure when I shot this, but I do remember where-it was at a tractor dealer in rural Somonauk, Illinois. They had several vintage tractors out front, all kind of beat up and rusty, but still proud. This is a vintage Case, from the fifties or so, and still ran like a top.

Hotpoint Appliances

Hotpoint Appliances, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Once again, it pays to wander around back alleys. This vintage Hotpoint Appliances neon sign (with a bonus hanger for a hardware store) was spotted in an alley in the tiny town of Polo, Illinois. I've visited this town a couple of times, yet this is the first time I've seen this hidden gem. I don't believe this was a hanging sign, but was a wall hanger from the beginning. I also don't know if this is anywhere near the original location of Port's Hardware, or if such a business even existed in Polo. It certainly isn't there now.

Willys

Willys, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

...and a Ford Mainline. That Willys is a classic old school gasser style hot rod, too. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen an actual stock Willys. They're all hot rods!

Old Rails

Old Rail, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Fun fact-when the rails on train tracks are made at the foundry, the dates are cast or otherwise written directly into the metal. This helps the railroad to know when they were made and installed, and makes maintaining them a little easier. If you look at the rails at your local station (staying safely away from the tracks, of course), you can probably see the dates on the inside of the rails.

This one is on an abandoned stretch of the former Chicago Great Western mainline from Chicago to Oelwein, Iowa. It is by far the oldest rail I have seen in the wild, and connects to the mainline, which uses rails from the late sixties, probably just before or after the CGW's merger with the Chicago and North Western. Located in St. Charles, Illinois, it used to serve a foundry on the west side of town, not far from the crossing over the Fox River. When the Union Pacific took over the line from the Chicago and North Western (who had gotten it when CNW took over the CGW), there were still a couple of customers on this side of the river. However, the last customer closed a few years ago, and the UP petitioned to abandon the line entirely.

The tracks already ended about a mile west of here, at an old warehouse that has since been demolished. Construction on Illinois Route 64 severed the line at a grade crossing as well. I imagine that there will eventually come a time when these rails are completely gone, leaving nothing but the railbed.

Farm Fresh

Loft, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

A vintage powered lawn mower. I have no idea how old it is, or who made it, or what kind of engine is on it. All's I know is that it's in one of the upstairs stalls in my great-uncle's barn. Which totally sounds like I'm making it up, but it's true!

J.C. Higgins

Bike, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

For almost sixty years, Sears sold sporting goods under the J.C. Higgins name. Originally named after longtime Sears employee John Higgins, an Irish immigrant who began working for the company in 1898, eventually becoming a vice president of the company before retiring in 1930.

The Higgins name continued to be used by Sears until 1968, and the company sold a wide range of sporting goods under the brand, from rifles to golf clubs. This included bicycles, including this farm-fresh fifties cruiser.

Dreams Of A Shinier Yesterday

Dreams Of A Shinier Yesterday, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

It's that Cadillac again.

Valiant

Plymouth Valiant #1, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Originally it's own make within Chrysler, the Plymouth Valiant was the company's entry level range, and had a full range of models. Originally available only with a six cylinder engine, the Valiant was Chrysler's first unit-construction car since the pre-war Airflow.

I spotted this one on a side street in Chicago a few years ago. It was clearly still in regular use-I only saw it the one time in my neighborhood-and I never did get a decent shot of the whole car.

Hydra-Matic

Hydra-Matic, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Dreamy, rusty, stately, vintage-y, Olds Hydra-Matic.

Return To Sioux City

Return To Sioux City, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Before intermodal railcars became the norm, box cars were the standard way to ship many, if not most, goods. While the railroads owned many box cars, it was also very common for larger companies to own their own fleets of cars. And there's a lot of writing on these old box cars, with instructions for hooking up the brakes, securing the doors, maintenance, and in this case, where to send the empty box car after you've unloaded it.

This one happens to be a Swift and Co. box car, with instructions to send it back to Sioux City.

Coke Machine

Coke Machine, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

The bottle opener on a very old, very beat up, vintage Coca-Cola machine. This used to be chromed or nickel plated-it's beyond redemption now, I imagine.

The machine sits outside all the time, in front of a vintage fifties themed restaurant.

Spotlight

Lincoln Continental-spotlight detail., a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Typically found on police cars these days, pillar mounted spotlights were a popular accessory for both cars and trucks back in the 40's and 50's, and a pair of Appleton spots were a custom car standard for years. This one is one of a pair of Unity spots on an old Lincoln Continental that used to sit out front of an old gas station. The car disappeared years ago-I don't know what happened to it.

General Electric

General Electric, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

I think we're all familiar with the General Electric logo, in one form or another. This is an old one, probably from the 50's I imagine. It's on an old piece of railroad signaling equipment, which I found in the back of a local trolley museum. Proof that GE has made just about everything down through the years.

South Shore

South Shore, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

The Chicago, South Shore, and South Bend Railroad is one of the last interurban railroads in the United States. It still runs today, under the aegis of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District. They still use electric trains, and there's even some street running through Michigan City. It's one of the icons of Chicago area railroading.

This is a 1920's era South Shore car, currently on display at the Fox River Trolley Museum in Elgin, Illinois.

Hidden

Faded, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

One thing that never ceases to surprise me when I'm out driving around is what's hiding behind the trees. For instance, I was driving through a small town in Illinois, and stopped to look at an eclectic collection of tractors parked in front of an old garage. The neighbors said it was okay if I looked around, and as I went around the side of this building, I saw a couple of old trucks. And two more. Then about four more. Plus some more tractors. And an old Oldsmobile. And a few sixties Cub Cadets. And other stuff I can't even remember. Anyway, other than those initial implements, this whole thing was hidden from the road by a line of trees.

I've visited this site a few times now, and it always throws up something new, hidden in that shady grove.

Faux Retro

Fading Glory, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

It's that Cadillac again. I pass it fairly frequently when I'm out in the countryside, and I often stop and shoot a couple of frames, just for kicks. This despite having literally hundreds of different photos of it, taken over the last couple of years. I like to use it to test out new toys or techniques, but also, I've learned that you never know when something you like will disappear. So shoot it when you see it.

Farm Fresh '53.

Chevy, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

I saw this Chevy coupe at the nostalgia drag races, competing in one of the stock classes. As I was shooting it the driver said "So, do you have a filter that makes it look better?". I told him that I called cars like this "farm fresh", and he told me it was exactly that. His father (also racing that weekend) found it in a barn the week before, and they'd been pulling all nighters to get it the old girl up and running again.

Still packing the original straight six, the old Chevy ran faultlessly-if a bit slowly-all weekend.