In The Three Oh Nine
I’ve been working on a project for a few weeks now, documenting the varied landscapes of Central Illinois, in the 309 area code, where I grew up. Below you will find a few images and a slideshow. Here you will see everything from the decaying industry on the south side of Peoria, IL, to the [...]
Under the Skyway
An hour or so after official sunset, the sky in the west still glows, accenting a few clouds moving in off of Lake Michigan, just to the north. The Chicago Skyway bridge rises high above us, getting way up and over the Calumet River to allow uninterrupted boat traffic below. The Norfolk Southern’s lift bridge [...]
Bridges Over The Calumet
The Norfolk Southern’s bridges over the Calumet River stand tall against the sunset sky in South Chicago, IL. The only span in the photo to still have an active railroad on it is the bridge on the left, which carries NS’s Chicago mainline towards Englewood and the BRC, and is quite busy. From left to [...]
Industrial America
Amongst the steel girders, high tension wires, and highway traffic, underneath the Chicago Skyway, a single American flag waves in a light breeze.
Model Trains
Most people (not me…), would consider trains ugly. Cold, utilitarian pieces of machinery designed to move freight, and only to move freight. For the most part, the industrial designers at General Electric and Electro-Motive (the two major North American locomotive manufacturers) have given up on aesthetics. That’s why I believe it’s important to put trains [...]
On the Calumet
Last night, while heading for a dark spot to shoot the meteor shower that never really happened, I was crossing the Chicago Skyway bridge over the Calumet River when I spied a lake boat tied up at the KCBX coal transload facility. With just enough light left in the sky to pull of some neat [...]
Christmas in Rockdale
In the Des Plaines River valley, just south of Joliet, lies the tiny town of Rockdale, IL. This town of 1800 people is maybe best known, to me at least, as the location where the planned siege on the hijacked train in the movie Silver Streak was supposed to take place, in name only though, [...]
Nuclear
One night, while out wandering around northern Illinois, I noticed that the emissions from the Byron Nuclear Power Plant were particularly steamy. Could have been the slightly cool yet humid air. Anyway, as soon as I got the camera focused in the pitch black prairie night, this is what I came up with.
Night at the Coaling Tower
On the way back from Iowa on Sunday, we decided to stop off at the coaling tower in Nelson, IL to try a few night shots. The old coaling tower is a landmark dating to the early steam days on the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. It was once used to provide coal to steam locomotives [...]
Contrasts
Today I was digging through the archives, and decided to post two photos that are completely opposite in nature. You’ll see what I mean. First, we have a shot I got late last week at the General Iron scrap yard on the north side of Chicago.The subdued light was fading fast, and the scrap movers [...]
