Downtown Railroading

Old PRR signals-Chicago, IL, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

An interesting shot from just outside of downtown Chicago, on the near west side. These are a pair of Metra commuter trains, heading out of the city on a midday run, just a few minutes out of Chicago's historic Union Station.

The signals are interesting-they're old position signals that date from the 40's, when the Pennsylvania Rail Road ran passenger trains into the city. Position signals have rows of lights that mimic the positions of old semaphore signals. In this case they're also color coded-three greens vertically, three yellows at an angle, and three reds horizontally. Position signals have been gradually phased out, especially in light of more sophisticated communications between dispatchers and crews, but there are still a few of them in Chicago.

This shot is also interesting because you can see the Sears Tower in the background. It's one of, if not the, defining shape on the Chicago skyline, and seems to turn up whenever you shoot.

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.

Nip 'N' Tote

Nip 'N' Tote, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Rudy's Liquors in Peru, Illinois. Pretty cool vintage sign, with a lot going on-stripes, bold colors, and chasers. It seems like it's in pretty good shape too, as it was turned on this bright sunny day.

Nip 'n' Tote seems backwards, though-surely you tote then nip?

Rapid Transit

Rapid Transit, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Former CTA 5000 series cars. These are, I believe, the sole survivors of just four built.

Light Leak

Light Leak, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Some of you have heard of the Orionid meteor shower that recently lit up the night skies. I had a notion to try and finally capture something like this, so I went out in the country to do some test shots. this is facing east, with the lights of the Chicago suburbs almost making it look like sunrise instead of 10 pm.

Where are the meteor photos, you ask? There ain't none. I slept through it!

Rusty Gold

Rusty Gold, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

We've visited this well-seasoned '53 Chevy sedan delivery once before. I first saw it two years ago, parked in front of a repair shop in rural Illinois. It's still there, getting a little more rusty and listing a bit further to the right as the tires deflate.

Thompson Drugs

Thompson's Drugs, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

A classic American brand name, Rexall had it's start in 1902, with the formation of the United Drug Stores cooperative, which sold products under the Rexall name. The cooperative developed a franchise system where independent drugstores could use the Rexall name and sell Rexall products. The company grew steadily, and by the late fifties was the largest drug store chain in the U.S.

However, by the sixties Rexall was beginning to come under attack from discount chains such as Thrifty Drug and Eckerd, which were able to drive prices down through block purchasing. By the 70's the company had sold off all of the company owned stores, but allowed franchisees to continue using the name. To this day you can still find Rexall drug stores here and there, usually in smaller cities and towns.

This beautiful vintage Rexall neon sign is on a nicely preserved sixties styled building in the town of Spring Valley, Illinois.